Next Stay-at-home Daughterhood Article Coming Tomorrow!

This week's article is currently being rewritten and expanded and will therefore be posted tomorrow! :)

Please check back then. Thank you for your patience!

Praise the Lord! :)

I was conducting some research on my blog just now, trying to come up with a way to fix my picture problems. Well, as I was doing so, I came across a new and improved way of editing posts. While reading about it, I discovered that it also pertained to adding images to posts. Thinking that if I  "installed" this new editing feature that my problems would be solved, I did so and, by God's glorious grace, can now post pictures again! Yay! :)

Now scroll down to see a darling picture of Andrew and Winston that I've been wanting to post so badly, but couldn't due to my picture issues! :)

Too Cute for Words! :)

Yes, they really were both asleep! :)

The Biblical Case for Stay-at-home Daughterhood Part 5

Before we go on to learn from the life of Rebekah in Genesis 24, there is one last passage I want us to quickly study.

Leviticus 22:13

This passage proclaims the following: "But if the priest's daughter be a widow, or divorced, and have no child, and is returned unto her father's house, as in her youth, she shall eat of her father's meat: but there shall no stranger eat thereof." I find this passage to be important, for at least two reasons, when it comes to defending the Biblical doctrine of stay-at-home daughterhood.

First, notice the phrase as in her youth. As we discovered in part 2 of this article, the phrase "in her youth" refers to the average marital age, a time, in this case in a woman's life, when she is likely to get married. This phrase does not refer to a little girl; it clearly pertains solely to adult women. In this verse from Leviticus, we see that up until the time of this woman's marriage, she was in her father's home. She was not, as I have reiterated numerous times in previous articles, out on her own providing for and protecting herself and serving as her own independent authority. She was clearly, according to this verse, living in her father's home under his care until her marriage. Being widowed or divorced, she does not return to a life of independence (for she had had no such life to return to!), but rather to her former life under her father's roof.

Second, notice where the widowed or divorced woman resides. This grown woman lives in her father's house! Today, many would see this as weird and needless. However, this practice of a woman who no longer had a husband returning to her father's home as in her youth was common for centuries in our own country! If a woman who was left alone without a husband no longer had a father who was living, she would go to live with an aunt and uncle, brother, or some other relative. The principle was that she was not to be left alone to care for herself. She was to be protected and provided for, so that she would not be under the Double Curse! This is precisely what we see in Leviticus 22:13. Genesis 38:11 reveals that this was a common occurrence in the lives of abandoned women. They went to live with their fathers, just as they had before their wedding day. This is illustrative of the fact that God, in His perfect wisdom and loving design, has so ordained matters as to keep women, whatever their age, under protection, provision, and care. What a loving God we serve!

Lest we think that this was solely an Old Testament practice, let us turn to John 19:26-27 and see how Jesus felt about this issue. This passage proclaims, "When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved [meaning John], he saith unto his mother, 'Woman, behold thy son!' Then saith He to the disciple, 'Behold thy mother!' And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home." When He made this proclamation, Jesus was hanging on the cross, knowing that His death was imminent and He would no longer be there to provide for and protect his mother (for, even after He arose from the dead, He would soon be ascending back into Heaven, thus leaving her alone). Understanding this and desiring to keep Mary provided for and protected, he ordered John to take care of her. From then on, not only did he provide for her needs, but she lived in his home. Again, the principle of women not being off on their own, but rather being provided for and protected is seen, this time through the example of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. Evidently, this practice is by no means one that was abolished with the coming of the New Testament, nor is it to be done away with or disregarded today. The protection of women is still high on God Almighty's list of important doctrines, and the practice of women being protected and never being out on their own is one which He desires for us to continue today.

For the last few weeks, we have had the privilege of studying quite a few wonderful verses pertaining to the glories of stay-at-home daughterhood. Now it is time to see stay-at-home daughterhood in action!

The Life of Rebekah, Stay-at-home Daughter

Not only are the Scriptures replete with passages proclaiming and commanding stay-at-home daughterhood, God has also graciously given us examples of stay-at-home daughters in His Holy Word. Through studying these women of God, we are able to acquire a glimpse into the dynamics of stay-at-home daughterhood and are provided with valuable lessons as to how a daughter at home is to conduct herself and spend her time.

We are first introduced to Rebekah in Genesis 24, where we read that Isaac is ready to be married and his father Abraham sends out a servant to find a godly woman for him to marry. The servant meets Rebekah at a well and is blessed by her servant's heart. Verses 23 and following make it clear that this young woman is still living in her father's house. For example, when asked by the servant about the home, she knows the condition thereof (she is not living off on her own and in need of asking her father about the current condition of the household before she can answer!). She speaks of them (including herself in the family residing in that home) being happy to lodge the servant there, and in verse 55 we see that her family wanted her to remain at home a couple more days before travelling to her future husband's home. It is made evident throughout the chapter of Genesis 24 that this unmarried woman was at home with her family, in her father's household. Again, she was not off on her own, independent, and doing her own thing, as so many unmarried daughters are today!

We will touch on this in a future article, but I want to quickly address Rebekah's daily life in her father's household. She clearly did not consider it a life of drudgery or slavery to be at home with her father, despite the fact that she was a grown woman. Rather, she was joyfully dedicated to serving her family and those around her and intent upon making her household a fruitful, productive place. I truly believe Rebekah could be referred to as a true polished cornerstone, don't you?

In Conclusion

Today we have been able to study both a wonderful verse making clear the Biblical practice of stay-at-home daughterhood, as well as an account of a Biblical stay-at-home daughter. I hope you have been blessed through today's studies and that the Lord continues to reveal to you the joys and blessings of the Scriptural doctrine known as stay-at-home daughterhood!

*Please return next Friday for the continuation of our study of stay-at-home daughters in the Bible!

　
　
　
　
　

Today is the 37th anniversary of the monstrosity known as Roe v. Wade

Today marks the 37th anniversary of the passage of one of the most vicious and despicable decisions ever made by the United States Supreme Court. Since this infamous date in history, 51 million innocent human lives have been murdered. So often, we fail to realize just what a vile statistic this is-we can't even fathom how many is the huge number of 51 million precious babies.

Not only this, but no less than 120,000 babies will be murdered today, and the lives of the mothers will be terribly changed forever. Some of these women may not even survive the procedure. Others will have to live with the guilt and pain that such an action brings.

For the next week or so, due to the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we'll be taking a look at this issue through various articles which will be posted on this blog.

Stay tuned!

Lots of Pictures Coming Soon......

.....hopefully! It all depends upon whether or not my picture pop-up window will fix itself! :/

The Biblical Case for Stay-at-home Daughterhood Part 4

Because this article series underwent a hiatus of a few weeks, I encourage you to click here to read the previous articles before continuing on with this one!

　
We have, in the most recent two parts of this particular article, studied three wonderful passages of Scripture which pertain to and proclaim stay-at-home daughterhood as God's design for unmarried women. We will now move on to study a few more passages today.

Genesis 34:9

Genesis 34:9 says, "And make ye marriages with us, and give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you." Unfortunately, many today view this verse and others like it with great disdain, for they feel that it makes daughters out to be nothing more than things or possessions to be given and taken. However, I think this is the wrong way to view these passages; such a view fails to truly discover what these verses are teaching. It becomes clear through this verse and others (such as Gen. 34:16, 21; 36:2; Ex. 34:16; Jdg. 3:6; Jdg. 21:7; Exra 2:61; 9:2,12; Neh. 10:30; Neh. 13:25; and Jer. 29:6) that daughters were at home until marriage-their fathers gave them in marriage and they were taken from their father's house by the man who would be their husband (or, in some cases, by someone representing the future husband, as in Genesis 24). The daughters in the above mentioned verses were not out on their own, having been "given" to the world. Rather, they were right at home until the time when they were given in marriage.

Sons Leave, Daughters are Given

Throughout the Scriptures, we see examples of sons leaving their childhood homes in order to go out and find a wife. Time and time again, however, we do not see daughters leaving, but rather being given in marriage. While sons leave, daughters remain in their father's household until the time of their wedding. Passages such as Matthew 22:30 and Mark 12:25 illustrate this difference, as well, and reveal that the Old Testament principle of sons leaving and daughters being given has in no way been abolished. I encourage you to dedicate some time this weekend to studying the Scriptures (such as Genesis 24, Genesis 29, and others) and to read the accounts they provide us with of sons leaving to acquire a wife versus daughters remaining at home until marriage. For more on this topic, please refer to part 3 of this article, where Psalm 144:12 was covered and this very issue was addressed.

1 Corinthians 7:36-38

Lest we begin to think that the doctrine of stay-at-home daughterhood is taught solely in the Old Testament, let us now turn to 1 Corinthians 7. As you may know, the entire chapter of 1 Corinthians 7 is dedicated to the subject of marriage. Verses 36-38 say, "But if any man think that he behaveth himself uncomely toward his virgin, if she pass the flower of her age, and need so require, let him do what he will, he sinneth not: let them marry. Nevertheless he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well. So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better." A better translation of "his virgin" would be "his virgin daughter", but even without that precise wording in the passage, the wording of these verses and context of the phrase "his virgin" reveal to us that Paul is speaking here of a man and his virgin daughter. Clearly, in a situation such as this, a father had made a vow to the Lord to keep his daughter from getting married. If his grown daughter desires to marry and he permits this, he is not sinning, despite the fact that he kept not his vow (vs. 36). Having uncovered these facts, there are two lessons for us to learn from these verses.

First, notice that not only does the father have the authority to give his daughter in marriage, but he also has the authority to forbid her from marrying (the same is clear in Numbers 30, as well). This is a gracious safety net which the Lord has mercifully provided for the well-being of daughters. Women are by nature emotional creatures, and when a woman is interested in someone, it can be all too easy for her to overlook the flaws this person possesses. At times, there are dangerous and destructive flaws in young men which only a father who is emotionally detached from the young man can see. So, first we see that a father has the authority to determine whether or not his daughter will be allowed to marry.

Second, notice the words "keep" and "given". These signify the fact that a daughter is expected to be in her father's household if she is unmarried. She is not to be off gallivanting on her own, fending for herself and acting as her own authority and provider. God's design is that an unmarried woman live in her father's house until marriage. If she marries, she will then be given to her husband and will leave her father's household in order to make a new home with her husband. If she does not marry, however, then her father keeps her-she remains in his household. It is evident through these verses that the unmarried daughter has not been given away already by being surrendered to the world to live on her own, as so many of today's daughters are!

In Conclusion

For many years, the words "Who gives this daughter in marriage?" have been asked by the minister at the beginning of a wedding ceremony. While they once meant something and carried with them Biblical significance, today they are, for the most part, little more than empty words. While they still signify Scriptural teachings and the remnant of a Biblical worldview, they are empty because the vast majority of today's brides have already been given away, not to a husband, but to the world. Oh, that the church of Jesus Christ would have her eyes opened to the beauty of this question and once again hold fast to the wise and loving practice of stay-at-home daughterhood!

*Please return next Friday for our study of the stay-at-home daughters of the Bible and what we can learn from their lives!

Picture Problems.....

I've been having trouble lately trying to upload photos to my posts. When I go to click on the upload photo button, the window that usually pops up won't. Are any of you having this problem, as well? Do you know how to fix it? Thanks! :)

The End of a Trip......and the Beginning of a Giveaway!

I don't have a long time to be on here currently, but I did want to hop on over to say that, first of all, we're back safely from our trip to visit family in Texas and Arkansas. We had a wonderful time visiting with everyone, and the Lord greatly blessed us with safety throughout our journey.

Second, I have an exciting announcement to make. My friend Jasmine is hosting yet another wonderful giveaway on her blog. The prize this time is a copy of the new DVD project by the Botkin family entitled Homeschool Dropouts. I am so thankful to the Lord for this new endeavor, as it addresses an issue which has been on my heart for some time now, as well. When you study the homeschool movement of the 1980s, you discover just how much our parents fought for the liberty to homeschool their children. Now, the baton is being passed to us-the homeschooled children of these great men and women. Will we continue on with a vision of victory for homeschooling? Or will we, as so many have, drop the baton and refuse to go on? Through researching and writing for this blog and simply observing many of the homeschooled young women in my local homeschool group, one thing that keeps bombarding me is the fact that, sadly, the vast majority of female homeschooled seniors are not preparing for homemaking, motherhood, and homeschooling. Instead, they are planning to go off to college and prepare for careers-careers which, if not ended once their children are school-aged, will prevent them from homeschooling. It's a sad epidemic which is plagueing the homeschool movement, a movement begun, largely, for the express purpose of parents being able to spend more time with their children, build a stronger family unit, and instruct their children in the ways of the Lord, that they, too, might homeschool their own one day and continue the mission of high education and Biblical discipleship.

Clearly, if we-the second generation of homeschoolers-do not purposefully prepare now for the high and noble task of homeschooling our own children one day, the liberty our parents fought for will be lost.

For more information on Homeschool Dropouts, the newly-released DVD produced by the five Botkin children, please click here.

To enter the giveaway, journey on over here.

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Speaking of projects, be sure to check back, as I will be announcing my very own project soon! Hint: it has to do with the printed page. ;) Feel free to leave your guesses in the comment section!

Greetings from Arkansas! :)

Busyness and Thank-Yous! :)

Hello, everyone! How are you? Did you all enjoy a beautiful and memorable Christmas with your families? I sure hope so! I also pray that through the joys and fun of decorating, making Christmas cookies and candies, wrapping gifts, unwrapping gifts :), etc., we remembered the greatest and sadly, most overlooked gift of all-our merciful Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who came to earth, died and rose again that we might have everlasting life. Glory be to God!

I'm sure all of you are just as busy as the rest of us, and are feeling as if time is simply flying by! That's the way we've been feeling lately! :) As you've all probably noticed, I'm taking a break from the stay-at-home daughterhood article series right now, due to this busy Christmas season, along with the fact that we will soon be out of town visiting family in Arkansas and our old home state of Texas. For these reasons, there will not be a stay-at-home daughterhood article posted until Friday, January 15. So, mark your calenders now and be sure to join us for the continuation of this series! If you have been unable to read the past articles, I encourage you to do so now during this little break from the series!

I now want to publicly thank some dear young women who have supported me in amazing ways. I have been so very, very blessed by ladies who have read my article series and who are posting about it on their sites, in the hopes of telling more and more people about it, so that they can read it, too. That means so much to me, and I therefore what to publicly mention the three that have done so and encourage you to learn from their great website ministries, as well!

The first young woman to link to my series was Erica over at A Still Small Voice. Miss Erica is such a sweet young woman with a great website! :) I have benefitted greatly from her writings since I first came across her site when she mentioned that she had linked to me, and I'm sure you will, as well. Please go take a look at her site! And, Erica, thank you so much for linking to me; that was sweet of you!

A huge thank you to Miss Courtney and Miss Katie from Stay-at-home Daughters! This is a really awesome site owned by two wonderful young women who are dedicated to being godly daughters. I was so blessed to discover that they had posted about my series on their site. Please go take a look at their great work!

Last, but by no means least, Miss Sarah Kanz, a 33 year old stay-at-home daughter, deserves a big thank-you. She, too, has supported my series in a special way. I have learned so much from Sarah since I came across her site via Stay-at-Home Daughters a couple months back, and I am thrilled to say that she will be joining us near the end of this series. She has agreed to be interviewed and to impart to us the wisdom she has aquired through her years as a joyful and faithful stay-at-home daughter.

Again, thank you so much, ladies, for spreading the news about my series! May the Lord greatly bless each one of you!

And, thank you readers, for sticking with me every step of the way. May God bless you with a wonderful New Year!

The Sufficiency of Scripture Conference was a success!

Praise the Lord! The Sufficiency of the Scripture Conference, held this past weekend in Kentucky, was a resounding success! We wanted to attend, but were unable to do so. Praise God for what He is doing, however! If you'd like more information about the conference or would like to order the messages from it, please check out these links:

http://ncfic.org/conferenceaudiopreorderIC

http://ncfic.org/conferenceaudiopreorder

http://www.facebook.com/NCFIC?ref=ts

If you'd like to enter a giveaway of the CDs, please click here. Hurry; the giveaway ends tonight!

PLEASE be in prayer for my great-grandma and great uncle right now!

More details to follow.....

Thank you!

The Biblical Case for Stay-at-home Daughterhood Part 3

Last Friday we studied a most important chapter of God's Word, Numbers 30. We discovered that this is a passage which so eloquently reveals to us the Lord's plan for daughterhood. It is now time for us to delve into further passages pertaining to the God-given roles and sphere of unmarried daughters.

Psalm 45

This psalm is a beautiful portrayal of a royal wedding, a wedding which is symbolic of our Lord and His chosen people (I encourage you to read the entire psalm, but again, for our purposes today and due to article length, we will only be addressing certain verses of this passage). In this wonderful account, we see that a royal daughter is marrying a great king, and through this story, I believe there are two lessons for us to grasp.

First, in verse 15 we see that this young woman is entering into the king's palace to be joined to him in marriage. At the very time when she is entering this royal home, she is admonished to, "Forget also thine own people, and thy father's house" (vs. 10). Now, because this psalm is ultimately dealing with those the Lord has saved and the relationship they have with Him, we should interpret this verse as meaning that when we are joined to our Savior through His blessed salvation, we are to forget our old ways, old passions, sinful desires, and habits which are at odds with our new life in Him. However, we must not lose sight of the fact that this psalm is also referring to an earthly wedding, and so there are principles concerning family life for us to consider as well. Notice at what point she is commanded to forget her father's house. Is it when she reaches some magical age and goes off on her own, to be independent and autonomous? By no means. Rather, she is never admonished to forget her own people and her father's house until at the precise moment when she is entering the royal palace to unite with the king in marriage. Likewise, it is noteworthy to see what she is told to forget. Is she told to forget her independent life out on her own and her apartment? No! She's told to forget her father's house, thereby implying that she is in his palace (remember-her father was a king, as well!) up until the time she leaves to marry her future husband and to begin a new life in his palace. Verse 10 is in this psalm for a reason-it presents a picture to us of where a daughter is residing leading up until the time of her marriage. This interpretation is in keeping with Numbers 30 and other passages of the Scriptures (such as 1 Corinthians 7:36-38, which we will be studying next week) which present to us a picture of stay-at-home daughterhood.

Second, notice verse 13: "The king's daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold." Commentators such as C.H. Spurgeon and Matthew Poole believe this verse to be referring to the fact that she is all glorious within, meaning that she has great inner beauty and strength of character. They also view verse 13 as addressing the fact that she is all glorious within the palace, a phrase which the NKJV adds to the verse in italics. Therefore, one of the clear meanings of this verse is that she is all glorious in her father's house (please note that it is likely referring to her father's house and not her husband's as the next two verses speak of her entering her future husband's palace to be wed). Not only is she not a drudge in her father's house (the sphere where she is up until her wedding day!), she is glorious within the royal palace! She is attractive and productive there. In fact, it is glorious for her to be in this sphere! It is a good thing that she is in her father's palace; it is not something to be shunned! She seems to be content in this sphere and is praised for being so. If she were a couch potato who heartily wished to be removed into some other home or sphere, she could not have been referred to as being glorious within the palace. Rather, I believe that this royal daughter knew well the fact that this was her God-given place and rejoiced in the thought of residing and working in this sphere which the Lord had prepared specifically for her. She was not pining away for Prince Charming or wishing she could lead an autonomous life out on her own somewhere. No, she was glorious within the palace! It would not be a glorious condition if this unmarried woman were off on her own, in her own home, independent from her family. She is glorious in the palace, partaking joyfully of the protection and authority it lovingly provides for her.

Also, from a study of the entirety of Psalm 45, it becomes clear that verse 13 could also be used to refer to this woman's future life as the wife of a great king, as commentators agree. She is glorious within his palace, for she is a true Proverbs 31 woman. Therefore, we see from verse 13 that it is glorious and noble for a woman of any age to be in the important, influential sphere which the Lord provided specifically for her-the home.

So, before continuing on to another verse study, let us recap. First, we saw in verse 10 that this royal daughter is in her father's home until marriage, and that upon the arrival of her wedding day is told to forget her former home. Second, we saw in verse 13, that prior to her wedding, this daughter was glorious within her father's palace. Verse 13 did not say a thing about her being glorious elsewhere, but expressly stated that she was glorious in the royal palace. Besides this, she is also glorious in that she has great inner beauty and is graced with upright character, and will likewise be glorious in her future husband's home.

Psalm 144

Now we can turn to another of my favorite passages, Psalm 144. This is one which we will be referring back to numerous times throughout the remainder of this series, so I will not address every detail of it here. However, it is a verse which most certainly needs to be addressed in this current article, because it, as well, provides us with a glimpse into God's plan for unmarried daughters.

Psalm 144 is a beautiful and eloquent psalm as well, and holds many similarities with Psalm 45. For example, Psalm 45 speaks of a woman being glorious within the palace, while Psalm 144:12b speaks of an unmarried daughter's role in the family palace. Likewise, while Psalm 45 speaks of the Lord and His relationship with His people, Psalm 144 outlines the many blessings enjoyed by a family who follows after the Lord and obeys His commands. I encourage you to read this psalm in its entirety, but for our purpose today, we will simply focus on verse 12, which says, "That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace." When addressing the subject of stay-at-home daughterhood, this verse is a very noteworthy one for several reasons.

First notice the differences between sons and daughters. They and their roles are not the same, nor should they be. The family who has been blessed by God has sons who are characterized by one certain set of traits and daughters who are characterized by another. Sons are referred to as plants grown up in their youth. God desires for young men to act as men-not as immature little boys. Now, what do mature plants do? They send out their seed. The seeds of the plant do not remain in the "home plant", so to speak, but are dispersed, much as arrows in the hand of a mighty warrior are dispersed (Ps. 127:5). These young men grow up and one day leave home to make a living for themselves, to search for and marry a wife, and to begin a family of their own. In other words, they leave. Remember this fact next week when we address the subject of sons leaving, but daughters being given!

Contrast the role of sons as plants with that of daughters. Daughters are referred to as "corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace". What is a corner stone and what are its roles and responsibilities? For millennia, pillars have been used to, in essence, hold up palaces and other structures. They were literally what kept the buildings from collapsing. Without the presence of pillars, the structures would have fallen to ruin. In his dictionary of 1828, Noah Webster describes a pillar as being "a supporter, that which sustains or upholds, that on which some superstructure rests". As one can see, a building's pillars served a crucially important purpose. Is it not amazing that daughters of the King are likened unto pillars? We know that daughters are called on to be pillars, but what are they to uphold? Verse 12 says that they are to serve as the kind of corner pillars which would support a palace. It is clear that the palace to which this verse is referring is the family home-our parents' household. Therefore, daughters are given the special role of literally upholding, stregthening and serving the home. This role is a crucial one which has been wisely given to them by Almighty God Himself- a role which, if not fulfilled properly, will result in the destruction and ruin of the household. Daughters are to help make their homes productive, hospitable, strong, comforting, welcoming havens. Clearly, therefore, the unmarried daughter is to be in her father's home, helping to fashion that home into a beautiful, thriving place and striving to make the household a more unified, thriving, loving unit. The Lord has given unmarried daughters a huge responsibility-a responsibility that simply cannot be obeyed or fulfilled if the daughter is not in the home she is called on to strengthen. Just as a palace without pillars will soon crumble and fall to ruin, so will a family whose unmarried daughters are not in the home, serving as pillars fashioned as for a palace. If daughters are not in the home, but rather off on their own somewhere, the household will begin to fall apart. The family will become less and less productive and will begin to lose some of its strength, productivity, and godly influence. It is therefore crucial that they remain in the home until marriage, faithfully submitting to and joyfully living out, the role of stay-at-home daughter which the Lord has ordained and fashioned for them. Families and homes whose unmarried daughters are busy about the home, seeking to make home life as productive and joyful as possible are described in verse 15 of this beautiful Psalm: "Happy is that people, that are in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the Lord."

In Conclusion

Today we have had the privilege of studying two beautiful psalms which portray so eloquently the wonderful design God has fashioned for the home and for the lives of unmarried daughters. This design is not to be taken lightly, which we will discover even more in future articles. Next week we will continue to study passages of the Scriptures which portray stay-at-home daughterhood as God's plan for daughters. Following this, we will, the week after that, study daughters of the Bible and glean wisdom from their stories as to how we as unmarried daughters are to live our lives.

A Homemade Christmas!

As many of you may know, my dear friend Emily Rose came up with a great idea entitled A Homemade Christmas.

Also, as many of you know, I operate a home business sewing and selling tea cozies. As my contribution to A Homemade Christmas, I wanted to share with you my 4 new Christmas tea cozies. They make delightful home decor and add a cozy touch to Christmas tea time. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas

Gingerbread Christmas

Country Christmas

Christmas Poinsettia


For Christmas last year, Mama made me a Christmas tea cozy (which became the inspiration for my home business), that made my Christmas tea that year all the more special!

To join in on the homemade Christmas fun, please click here!

My List of 1000+ Gifts......Part 2!

To learn more about Multitude Monday, please click here. I'm beginning my journey of dwelling on and listing out the 1000+ things I'm thankful for. Here are numbers 11-20:

11. Dear friends and godly mentors in the blog world, such as:

12. Jasmine

13. Anna Sofia and Elizabeth

14. Hannah

15. Breezy

16. Emily Rose

17. Sarah

18. Blair

19. Jocelyn

20. Their blog posts and kind e-mails are such a great blessing.

What are you thankful for today?

A List of the Current Stay-at-home Daughterhood Articles

Due to the fact that many are traveling, shopping, visiting with family, putting up Christmas decorations, etc. today, I will not be posting the next article in the stay-at-home daughterhood series, as I'm sure many will not be taking the time to visit blogs today. I do, however, want to provide for you a convenient list of the current articles in the series, so that you can easily read any of the past articles that you may have not yet had a chance to go through.

Introduction to the Stay-at-home Daughterhood Article Series

Beginning at the Beginning: The Lord's Beautiful Plan, Design, and Purpose for Womanhood Part 1

Beginning at the Beginning: The Lord's Beautiful Plan, Design, and Purpose for Womanhood Part 2

Beginning at the Beginning: The Lord's Beautiful Plan, Design, and Purpose for Womanhood Part 3

Beginning at the Beginning: The Lord's Beautiful Plan, Design and Purpose for Womanhood Part 4

The Biblical Case for Stay-at-home Daughterhood Part 1

The Biblical Case for Stay-at-home Daughterhood Part 2

I hope you all had a very memorable and happy Thanksgiving yesterday! Due to the business of the holiday, I have been unable to respond to the most recent comments I've received regarding this series, but rest assured that I will definitely respond soon. Thanks for your patience and understanding! :) God bless!

Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation

Whether one agrees with Lincoln's politics or think he was way off base, I think we can all benefit from reading his 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation.

By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

William H. Seward, Secretary of State

He's so correct in that America has been blessed beyond measure, yet we have forgotten the One Who has blessed us. We have trusted in our own wealth, our own fortunes, our own "might", that we have forgotten that everything we receive comes from the hand of the Father. If it weren't for His great blessings to us, we would have nothing. As is so often the case, great material wealth is the predecessor to great spiritual poverty, and that is precisely what we are experiencing in America today. We have forgotten God. On this Thanksgiving Day 2009, may we repent, turn from our wicked ways, and cry out to Christ for forgiveness and newness in Him. May we commit to never again trust in what we can do ourselves, but realize that each blessing we receive is from His hand. Lastly, may we remember that the same One Who gives, also at times takes away. Therefore, let us be ever grateful for each day and each gift He so graciously bestows upon us.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

7 Random Things....

My dear friend Jasmine posted 7 random things about herself today and tagged any of her readers who would like to the same thing. I thought it'd be fun, so here goes! :) Oh, and if you're reading this, then consider yourself already tagged!

1. I'm a fan of the Texas Longhorns' quarterback, Colt McCoy. He's a very outspoken Christian who is not afraid to give glory and praise where it is due!

2. I love to read and have often been caught reading while brushing my teeth. :)

3. I still don't have my learner's permit. There have simply been other things I've wanted to do than spend my time reading the drivers' handbook. ;)

4. I would very much like to live on a farm one day, and am into Victorian-style farmhouses, with big wrap-around porches.

5. I'm currently working on a book project! :) More about that later.....

6. I was terribly scared of having my baby teeth pulled. For me, it was pure torture, and I NEVER would have pulled my own! I sure hope I marry a man who doesn't have a problem with pulling teeth, because I do not think I'll be able to pull my children's!

7. Mama pointed out to me that on Sunday, December 6th, I'll be the exact same age as she was the Sunday she met Daddy. They were married a year later, and have been married 20 years. :)

Now, what are some random thoughts about you?

Rejecting the Twilight/New Moon Saga

The Twilight saga is seemingly taking over the world. What should we, as Christians, think about this phenomenon? How should the Biblically minded Christian view the Twilight books and movies? Are they ok, innocent fun? Or are they dangerous and destructive?

One thing for which I am so thankful this Thanksgiving season is godly friends who are not afraid to take on the controversial hot topics of our day. Friends who bless me so much through their astute observations of what's going on in the world around us (and sadly, what's going on in the church today!).

Three of those friends are Anna Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin and Jasmine Baucham. These ladies have taken on the Twilight subject head on, with a goal to uncover the dangers thereof and to give an answer Scripturally as to why we should avoid these materials.

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Please read this great article entitled How Twilight is Re-vamping Romance by the Botkin ladies. They uncover the existence and dangers of emotional pornography and issue forth to us a sound, Biblical perspective on all things Twilight.

Next, please read a great article by Miss Jasmine Baucham entitled Abstaining From the Madness. She makes some great and much needed points, as well, as do many of the commenters who have left their thoughts.

I hope these articles bless you as they have me, and spur you on to rejecting Twilight and its dark influence and messages. Not only that, but I pray that you will stand up for the Scriptures and reach out to others and urge them Scripturally to reject the lies and evil intentions of Twilight, as well.

May God bless you as you strive to follow Him.

My list of 1000+ Gifts.....Part 1!

The other day, I came across a great (and very thought-provoking) post on my friend Breezy's blog. A woman had gotten the idea to begin on her blog a list of 1000+ gifts and blessings from the Lord which she is grateful for. In this Thanksgiving season (and beyond!), I think it would be good for all of us to really take the time to sit, be quiet, and ponder all the many, many blessings our merciful Lord has bestowed upon us.

I believe that so often we just give the Thanksgiving season merely a token nod. "Yes, we should count our many blessings", we say. But how many of us really take the time to do so? A subject I'm very passionate about (and there are many! ;) ) is slowing down and taking the time to be still and know that He is God. With that, comes the realization that we are nothing! Yes, we're created in the image of God and with that comes great worth. However, we are sinful, depraved, wretched human beings. Every one of us! With this knowledge, is it not amazing that our merciful Lord gives us the very air we breathe, let alone all the countless blessings we receive-and take for granted!-each and every day?

With that, I encourage you to join me as I ponder each Monday the many gifts and blessings bestowed so mercifully upon me by my gracious Lord. I know each of you has been blessed beyond measure, as well. So I encourage you to consider beginning your own lists!

Without further ado, here is my first group of great blessings which I am so very thankful for (and so unworthy of!).

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I am grateful for:

1. The fact that the Lord even created me and gave me life-simply an amazing thought!

2. My salvation-I have Christ's righteousness imputed to me, and now stand in God's sight redeemed. How blessed is this salvation!

3. My family! My loving, humble father is such a blessing. My mother has such a big, caring heart and derives such inexpressible joy through being a wife, homemaker, and mother; she daily makes it clear that there is simply no place she'd rather be than right here at home with us day in and day out. I am honored to be their daughter! My deep-thinking, very loving, joy-bestowing brother, Andrew. Being his sister is sheer joy each and every day.

4. My home! Not only do I have shelter over my head, but I have a warm, homey, inviting home to live in.

5. My pets. :) My sweet doggie Winston and my interesting cat Piper (named after John Piper) are such gifts. Observing their escapades and mock fights throughout the house each day brings such joy and fun to my life.

6. This season. The Thanksgiving and Christmas season is always so special. There's nothing quite like the feeling of this time of year! :)

7. My church! The Lord has brought us to be a part of a wonderful, intimate family of families. What a gift!

8. warm tea or hot chocolate on a cold winter's night

9. a rolling fire on a frigid night! :)

10. Christmas decor that adds such a festive touch to our humble abode.

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Please join me next Monday for my next list, and please really do consider making your own!

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? What blessings has this past year brought you? How has God been so good to you? I'd love to hear all about your gifts and to share in your joy!

The Biblical Case for Stay-at-home Daughterhood Part 2

*If you have not yet read the previous articles of this series, please click here to do so before continuing on.
　
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We discovered last week that even if God had not, in His Word, provided for us specific passages relating to the roles and duties of unmarried young women, we still would see, through observing the roles God has fashioned for women, that it is only proper that a young woman live at home with her parents until marriage. After all, she is a female, so why not prepare for (in the case of the roles of wife, helpmeet and mother) and live out now (in the case of being under the leadership, provision and protection of a man) the roles and responsibilities given to females? So, our main discovery last week regarding the Biblical case for stay-at-home daughterhood was that God provided for us a foundation for the doctrine of stay-at-home daughterhood when He issued forth to us His teachings regarding the roles of women. Our gracious God has, however, provided us with numerous passages on the topic of unmarried adult daughters as well-one of which we will be studying in detail today. Through the course of the following few weeks, we will continue to come into contact with other passages relating to the topic of unmarried daughters and the subject of what pursuits, and in what sphere, they are to spend their time.

Numbers 30

The first passage of Scripture we will study is the beautiful one of Numbers 30. What a rich treasure of teaching on Biblical daughterhood (and Biblical family life, for that matter!) this chapter presents to us! Through the reading of this passage, we can't help but discover the reality of the special love and special place our great God has in His heart for women, the weaker sex. He has provided a gracious design of special protection and provision for them. This chapter of the Bible reveals that a female's protection and a father's and husband's authority and leadership are of paramount importance in the sight of God. I encourage you to read the entire chapter of Numbers 30; but for now, we are simply going to focus on verses 2-9 which proclaim:

"2 If a man vow a vow unto the LORD, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth. 3 If a woman also vow a vow unto the LORD, and bind herself by a bond, being in her father's house in her youth; 4 And her father hear her vow, and her bond wherewith she hath bound her soul, and her father shall hold his peace at her; then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she hath bound her soul shall stand. 5But if her father disallow her in the day that he heareth, not any of her vows, or of her bonds wherewith she hath bound her soul, shall stand; and the LORD shall forgive her, because her father disallowed her. 6And if she had at all an husband, when she vowed, or uttered ought out of her lips, wherewith she bound her soul; 7And her husband heard it, and held his peace at her in the day that he heard it: then her vows shall stand, and her bonds wherewith she bound her soul shall stand. 8But if her husband disallowed her on the day that he heard it; then he shall make her vow which she vowed, and that which she uttered with her lips, wherewith she bound her soul, of none effect: and the LORD shall forgive her. 9But every vow of a widow, and of her that is divorced, wherewith they have bound their souls, shall stand against her."

This passage of Scripture is one of the most eloquent and beautiful examples in God's Word of the fact that His design for the lives of unmarried daughters is that they live in their father's homes under their protection, provision and leadership until they are given in marriage. Some view this passage as one that simply proclaims that if an unmarried daugther in in her father's house, then he should exert authority over her, and that it is not expressly presenting a picture of stay-at-home daughterhood, or the precepts thereof. However, I think the truths of this passage are much richer and go far deeper than this notion allows. There are numerous points I would like to make regarding this chapter.

First, as you can see, a man is required by God to fulfill each and every vow and oath he has made, regardless of how unwise, detrimental, or rash it may have been. Our Savior in His abundant grace and mercy has provided a special blessing of protection and "a way out" for females, however. Women are, simply by nature, more gullible and rash (take the example of Eve, for instance), and so we sometimes find ourselves in uncomfortable and damaging situations due to our rash utterances, agreements, oaths and vows. The Lord is so gracious and forgiving, though! If a daughter or wife finds herself in an awkward or damaging situation due to some agreement or promise she has unwisely made, the Lord has so designed matters that her father or husband can reverse that vow-he is now responsible to the Lord for the oath or rash agreement, and the female involved is now mercifully released and forgiven, for her protector has overruled her-she is no longer required to fulfill that oath. The grace and mercy of the Lord shown forth in this beautiful passage amaze me! Women are more emotional beings, whereas men are more logical. This is how God has so designed us (these characteristics correspond perfectly with our roles!), and in so doing has provided women with a covering-a protection fashioned and ordained by the Almighty Himself! Why would any daughter want to be out from under the precious protection and authority that the Lord has lovingly placed over her and designed especially for her?

The Grave Importance of Vows

Lest we begin to think lightly of vows and fail to understand just how amazing our Lord's teachings in this passage are, let us study for a moment the dire importance of oaths made unto the Lord. The teachings and implications of Numbers 30 are simply astounding when one studies Ecclesiastes 5:4-5:

"4When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. 5Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay."

Clearly, the Lord places a huge importance on vows and the keeping of them. Vows and oaths are very serious utterances which are not viewed lightly by God. When a person makes a vow, he is not only binding himself to the person to whom he has vowed, but ultimately to God Himself, as well. This is precisely why vows are so important and are not to be taken lightly-they are promises one has made in the sight of Almighty God. We read that it is better not to make a vow at all than to vow and then not pay. In fact, our God views the vow-maker as a fool who is not pleasing to Him if he fails to carry through with his promise. Yet Numbers 30 teaches us an amazing truth-despite the huge importance in God's eyes of vows being kept, there are two things of even greater importance in the eyes of God: 1) the leadership and authority of a father and husband and 2) the protection, care, and security of a wife and daughter. In God's eyes, these roles are crucial and of more importance than the keeping of vows. Is that not amazing? Does this not provide us with a glimpse into the heart of God as it pertains to the lives of unmarried daughters? This eye-opening passage shows that it is of paramount importance in God's eyes that a female be under the protection and authority of a man. Numbers 30 shows the importance God places on this. Christians, we must strive to obey and live out this passage! However, it simply cannot be lived out and obeyed as it should be if an unmarried daughter is off on her own, independent from her father. If our Lord's teachings, as presented in Numbers 30, are to be fully embraced and lived out in day-to-day life, an unmarried daughter must be in her father's home until marriage-she simply cannot be on her own. This chapter leaves no room for "in between time" where a daughter is on her own, separated from and void of her father's full protection and authority between the time when she finishes her secondary education and when she finally gets married.

Some would attempt to point out that when Numbers 30 refers to the daughter in her father's house, it uses the words, "in her youth", striving to imply that this means that this passage before us is only referring to female children and married women-not grown daughters. There are a few points I would like to make in response to this argument, as well as to the argument outlined above which says that this passage is not teaching that unmarried daughters are to live at home until marriage, but simply that if they are at home, their father is to exert authority over them. I pray that this presentation would be a blessing to you.

Various Observations on the Text of Numbers 30

1. Notice the Context

Knowing the context of a verse, rather than trying to take a word or phrase from its context, is crucially important. Notice verses 5-7 of Numbers 30: "5But if her father disallow her in the day that he heareth, not any of her vows, or of her bonds wherewith she hath bound her soul, shall stand; and the LORD shall forgive her, because her father disallowed her. 6And if she had at all an husband, when she vowed, or uttered ought out of her lips, wherewith she bound her soul; 7And her husband heard it, and held his peace at her in the day that he heard it: then her vows shall stand, and her bonds wherewith she bound her soul shall stand." Notice the end of verse 5 and the beginning of verse 6. This woman goes directly from her father's authority and protection to that of her husband. There is simply no in-between time between verses 5 and 6. This daughter is never autonomous or separated from her family. She is, quite frankly, in her father's home until she lives in her husband's home. This is precisely what is seen in the context and the wording of these verses.

2. The word "woman"

When this passage refers to the daughter under her father's roof, it uses the word "woman". Numbers 30 is clearly not referring to a female child, but rather an unmarried adult daughter-a woman. Our Lord does not desire for His Word to be mysterious and unable to be understood. He has laid out His precepts in a clear fashion and they are to be taken literally. The Scriptures mean what they say and say what they mean. Thus, our Lord could have ordained that this passage said "little girl", "female child", or "maiden" (a word which usually refers to a young lady) if He were speaking of young girls. That is not the word presented in this passage, however. Instead, the word woman is presented, thereby showing that it is expressly referring to an adult daughter. In addition, little girls would not have been making vows, which further illustrates that our Lord is referring to adult daughters.

3. "In her youth"

Interestingly, the precise phrase that many attempt to pull out of its context in order to support their view, actually proves them to be wrong. Many take this phrase and say that it proves that only little girls are being addressed in the verses dealing with daughters. However, this kind of phrase is a common one in the Scriptures, and refers to the normative age of one who is getting married. In other places of God's Word, the terms "of his youth" or "in his youth" refer to the time of marriage or procreation. For example, consider Proverbs 5:18: "Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth" (see also Malachi 2:14-15). Likewise, Psalm 127:4 says, "As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are the children of the youth." Through study of these verses, we are presented with the true meaning of the phrase "in her youth" as presented in Numbers 30- an unmarried daughter who is of marriageable age is under the direct care and protection of her father until marriage. In speaking of the phrase "in her youth", in verse 3, Mr. Poole writes, "In her youth; and this clause is added not by way of restriction, as if virgins in their riper years were freed from their parents' jurisdiction, and at their own disposal, (which undoubtedly they are not,) but way of addition, or amplification..." (2)

4. "In her father's house"

Verses 3 and 16 speak of an unmarried daughter being in her father's house. Some, when addressing this passage, say that an unmarried daughter can be under the authority and protection of her father while living on her own somewhere. However, I beg to differ. This passage is not simply referring to a father's authority, provision and protection over his daughter. Even if it were, it would still imply that in order for a daughter to be fully under her father's care and leadership as outlined in this verse, she would need to be in her father's house-not somewhere separated from him and fending for herself. Rather, this passage shows unequivocally that, according to the law of God as presented in this chapter, an unmarried daughter is living in her father's house until marriage. Likewise, a father would not be able to hear his daughter's vows if she was separated from him in location, which further expresses that she is to be in her father's home. Speaking on the phrase "being in her father's house" in verse 3, Puritan Matthew Poole (1624-1679) writes, "Being in her father's house, i.e. under his care, power and government, which she is whilst she continues in her father's house, being a virgin, as appears by the opposition of a married woman, ver. 6, and of a widow, and divorced woman, ver.9, and by this phrase of being in her father's house, for when she marries, she is removed into her husband's house, Ruth i.9." (1)

5. The status of a divorced or widowed woman

Very noteworthy is the fact that the only women not under the authority of a husband or father is a divorced or widowed woman. A woman in this position is in charge of her own vows. Thus, the unmarried adult daughter is not to be on her own, for the only group of women that is to follow through with their own vows, no matter what, is the women who are divorced or widowed, as they are their own authority. The unmarried adult daughter, therefore, is not to be on her own fending for herself!

6. Adult daughters are addressed

If one holds to the notion that an unmarried adult daughter is free to be out on her own, autonomously fending for herself and being her own authority, separated from the direct authority, protection, and provision of her father, then why is this group of female not addressed in Numbers 30? If the verses pertaining to daughters are only referring to little girls, then why does God not address the group of women who are unmarried and have never been married? Did God forget about them? Here we have a passage addressing the roles of women who are in each stage of life. So, if one believes that the verses pertaining to daughters is addressing only little girls, then one comes face to face with a problem: God forgot to address unmarried adult daughters! However, I think it is rather clear that God did not fail to address this age group and status of women. Rather, He clearly addresses them in the verses speaking of daughters in their father's houses. According to Numbers 30, adult daughters who are unmarried are to be under their father's roof. This is what Numbers 30 is teaching.

"Yes, but that is Old Testament Law!"

I believe we have outlined and expressed the fact, from Numbers 30, that God's design for an adult, unmarried daughter is for her to live in her father's home until marriage. However, some, even if they do believe that this is what Numbers 30 is clearly setting forth, are unwilling to abide by this passage, as they view it as Old Testament law which no longer is to be obeyed, especially not by New Testament Christians. However, there are a few points I would like to quickly make regarding this argument, as well. First, the Old Testament laws pertaining to sacrifices are fulfilled in Christ, and no longer have to be obeyed by us, for Jesus Christ was the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of our sins. Likewise, the ceremonial laws, laws pertaining to feasts, special days and celebrations, etc. are no longer binding either. Paul writes in Colossians 2:16, "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of a new moon, or of sabbath days." However, the Old Testament moral law is still binding to this day. Included in this is Numbers 30 and its teachings, for this passage refers to the roles of men and women and to Biblical family dynamics-topics which are unchanging in God's Word. Second, there are passages in the New Testament itself (which we will study in the coming weeks) which speak of unmarried women living at home until marriage. Clearly Numbers 30 is a portion of Old Testament law which is still binding on the followers of God today and thus is to be obeyed.

In Conclusion

In closing, I pray that you have been blessed through this study of Numbers 30. This chapter is a wonderful, yet often overlooked, ignored, and misunderstood one. It is of just as much importance today as it was in the day it was first proclaimed. God has ordained by His wisdom, love and grace, that an unmarried, adult daughter remain in her father's home until he gives her in marriage. This design is not made in order to try to enslave her, treat her like a child, steal opportunities from her, or any such thing. Rather, it is made so as to strengthen the family (and as a result, the church and society as a whole, as well!) and to lovingly protect the women involved. Our God knows our weaknesses, knows our need for protection, care, and security, and so has fashioned our unmarried years and our roles so as to keep us in a sphere of great importance, safety, and productivity: the home! Blessed be the great name of the Lord!

Footnotes:

1. Matthew Poole, Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Whole Bible Vol. 1: Genesis to Job, pg. 327 (Hendrickson Publishers, 2008)

2. Ibid.

Any thoughts?

Though you all seem to be very interested in the stay-at-home article series (for which I am very thankful!), I'm sure there are other topics you would like to see covered here. Some time ago, I began Question and Answer Week, where you could ask me questions and then I would post my answers for everyone. I'm going to begin doing this again, in the hopes of better serving each of you and answering any questions you may have.

Perhaps you are in a different boat and instead of having a question, you would simply like to see me write about a certain subject. Please let me know what you would like to see covered here in the next few weeks.

Thank you for your input!

The Biblical Case for Stay-at-home Daughterhood Part 1

If you have not yet read the first articles in the stay-at-home daughterhood article series, please click here and do so now.

For centuries, the cultural norm here in the West was for a daughter to remain under her father's roof until the time when she was given in marriage. This becomes evident through a study of history and through an observance of the books, laws, and other works produced through the ages in the countries of the West (America and the United Kingdom being especially noteworthy). These works portray the cultures of these countries as they were years ago and reflect the fact that stay-at-home daughterhood was once a popular, common-place, and even expected way of life for unmarried daughters.

For example, in Jane Austen's famous novel Emma (published in England in 1816), the central character, 21 year old Emma Woodhouse, joyfully spends her unmarried years in her father's home. She makes it clear time and again throughout the novel that she could not be happy living anywhere else, but rather delights in serving her father and caring for his needs. Likewise, we see in Pride and Prejudice (another of Miss Austen's books, this one published in 1813) that characters Mr. and Mrs. Bennet have five unmarried daughters (who range in age from 15 to 22 when the novel first begins), all of whom are living at home with their parents. This was typical! It was the norm that unmarried daughters would remain at home, caring for the needs of others, furthering their educations, etc. until the day they married. This is how family life operated at that time. Whether a family was Christian or not, during that time period, the family held to and functioned according to Biblical teachings on the subject of the role of unmarried daughters.

Changes for the Worse

This slowly began to change, however, with the advent of feminism and the "women's rights" movement. Now daughters were being told that they could not possibly be happy or productive at home (I think, however, that Emma Woodhouse proved that wrong, don't you?). Daughters began to be brainwashed into thinking that they were succumbing to a life of victimhood, slavery, and inferiority to men if they continued to live and work in their parents' homes until marriage. Slowly (at first!) but surely, daughters began to buy into these lies and in response, left their homes and families in pursuit of college educations and independent careers. Rather than delighting in the work and sphere of womanhood and diligently furthering their educations while remaining in that sphere, women began to seek the roles and responsibilities of men. Through doing so, they began to lose pieces of their distinct femininity. They began to give up the unique glories of womanhood as created by God in order to trade them in for the life of the double curse and pseudo-manhood. With the coming of the radical, militant feminism of the 1960s came an even greater reduction in the number of young women remaining at home until marriage. From the late 19th century to today, the number of stay-at-home daughters has been dramatically reduced. No longer are unmarried daughters who are joyfully and productively living at home a common sight as they once were. Instead, the rise of feminism brought with it a new occurance.

Today, following high school graduation, unmarried females are expected to leave home to pursue an independent job or college education. They are being surrendered to the world by their families, thus becoming cut off from the care, provision, authority, protection and leadership of their fathers. Young women are, in startling numbers, being shipped off to colleges, and following their college graduation, are then expected to find a home and job of their own, independent from their families and their father's roof, care and counsel. As Mr. Voddie Baucham has so truly and aptly put it, these young women are being surrendered to the wolves to fend for themselves and to take on lives as pseudo-men as soon as they reach that magical age of 18.

Many view this now common occurrence as "progress" that frees those "poor female victims" from the leadership, provision, security and protection they were under as children. Others do not hold to such a radical stance on the subject, but they, as well, support this way of life for daughters, for they view it as a way to "broaden a young woman's horizons and opportunitites".

Sadly, there is just as much confusion in Christian cirlces today regarding the roles and responsibilities of unmarried females as there is in the world. Countless Christians are so caught up (as I once was!) in the culture and its teachings that they have given little to no thought to the question of what a newly-graduated young woman should spend her time doing. They've simply bought hook, line, and sinker into the lies of this world which proclaim that the college and career lifestyle is the only acceptable one for young women. Unfortunately, they also hold to the belief that the lives of their unmarried daughters can and should look exactly the same as that of their sons, with no uniqueness between the professions and pursuits of the two genders. Very few Christians today in an age of relativism and Biblical illiteracy have the slightest idea that there may be a better way for daughters, and even fewer take the time to study God's Word to seek to discover what God Almighty has to say on this subject. After all, many hold to the idea that God does not even address this topic, but rather just leaves us to our own wisdom, plans and desires. Nothing, dear reader, could be further from the truth God has provided for us in His Word everything we need in order to live lives of godliness in Christ Jesus.

What Sayeth the Scriptures?

So if our Lord has not left us to ourselves to attempt to discover what unmarried women should be doing, just what does He, in His holy Word, say on this important issue? If we were to set aside our culture and its teachings, and we instead searched the Scriptures diligently and obeyed what we saw taught there, then which example of daughterhood would be normative for Christians? Would it be expected that daughters would be led, provided for, protected, cared for, and sheltered in their father's home until they were given in marriage? Or would it be normative for daughters to, once they turned 18, be shipped off, void of any protection whatsoever, into a dangerous, destructive, ungodly world to be educated and influenced by it? As Christians, all we have to go by in life is God's holy and inspired Word-it is unchanging and is to be our roadmap for life, being constantly obeyed and lived out daily by us. So, dear readers, I invite you to join me as I search the Scriptures for the answer to these very important and timely questions on the subject of daughterhood.

The Roles of Women and How They Pertain to Stay-at-home Daughterhood

As discovered in the previous article (entitled Beginning at the Beginning: The Lord's Beautiful Plan, Design, and Purpose for Womanhood), God fashioned woman into a being unique from man and gave to her unique roles which can be outlined as follows:

• Women are to be helpmeets to their husbands
• Women are to be mothers
• Women are to be homemakers (keepers at home)
• Women are to be under the authority, protection, and provision of men

Through studying the roles our Lord gave to women, we are provided with a glimpse of what unmarried women are to spend their time doing. In fact, the roles given to women are the very foundation upon which stay-at-home daughterhood is built. After all, what should a daughter be doing, but preparing to be a woman and to one day take on the roles and responsibilities of womanhood?

Each of the special roles God designed solely for women is directed towards her home and family-each one! Therefore, is it not clear that, in order to prepare for these roles, unmarried women should remain at home with their families? If a woman's place, according to God's Word, is in the home, then it follows that the place God desires unmarried women to be is in their homes with their families, preparing for the very roles they will be called on to fulfill when they have their own households.

For example, let us address the role of homemaker for a moment. Just as young men should prepare for the vocations, roles, and responsibilities they will have later in life, so should young women! As we would expect a man who wants to be a lawyer to attend law school (or acquire a law degree online!) or to apprentice under a lawyer, so we would expect a woman who is called to be a homemaker to prepare for that high calling. We would by no means expect a young man who desires to be a lawyer to work towards becoming a doctor! We also would have little respect for the man who desires to be a doctor, but is too busy to prepare for that vocation because he is immersed in engineering studies. Likewise, we should not expect a young woman, with a calling from God on her life to be a homemaker, to be preparing for or pursuing a different vocation. So, if God has commanded women to be homemakers (which He certainly did, as we discovered a couple weeks ago), it would make sense for them to prepare for that high calling by remaining in the best training ground and place of apprenticeship available for future homemakers-the home!

Let us now consider the role of helpmeet. This is by no means a responsibility that should be taken lightly. It cannot be fulfilled without much training, as each of us is born as a selfish human being who does not desire to truly serve, help, or strengthen others. Nor are we born knowing how to do so! These characteristics of a Biblical helpmeet must be learned and practiced. Therefore, would it not make much more Biblical sense for a young woman to remain at home with her parents, striving to help and serve them and learning to bend her will to theirs, rather than immersing herself in the college and career lifestyle, both of which provide little to no training for how to be a godly, visionary helpmeet? After all, a young woman's unmarried years are great gifts. For one thing, they prepare her for her future life as a wife, mother, and homemaker. Why, then, do so many advocate a young woman leaving home and preparing for the roles, responsibilites and vocations given to men rather than those given to women? No college or career can prepare us for the offices of helpmeet, mother, homemaker, and submissive, dependent woman. Colleges may offer classes in home economics, but no courses are offered in Godly Motherhood 101, How to be a Helpmeet, or How to Submit to Your Husband. If God desires for women to be helpmeets to their husbands, then it goes without saying that this is something a young woman should plan and prepare for, and the best place to prepare for this role is in the context of the home and family-the sphere where a married woman and helpmeet will spend the majority of her time.

Likewise, as we saw last week and are going to discover in future articles, women are to be under the protection, provision and authority of men. We see that in Numbers 30 and other passages. This, then, would also lead us to say that the place designed for unmarried young women to thrive is the home, under the protection and authority of their fathers.

If God created roles and responsibilities for women which are centered on home and family, then what makes us think that He would support and condone us when we, as young women, leave the place He has so lovingly and wisely designed for us in order to pursue plans and vocations outside the home? The home is the place designed by God for women, so would it not follow then, that this is the place unmarried and married women alike ought to be? Unmarried women are not a different kind of woman. Yes, they are unmarried. But simply because they are unmarried does not mean they are left to assume the roles of men-they are still very much women whether married or not, as marital status does not determine your gender or your roles.

Even if our Lord had not placed passages in His Word which specifically address the very subject of the God-given sphere, duties and roles of unmarried daughters (which we will see in the coming weeks He did do!), it would be clear through His teachings on the roles of women alone that unmarried daughters should remain at home under the care of their fathers. After all, a young girl is in a sense a mini-woman. She is not a man or a pseudo-man. Therefore, she is to prepare for womanhood! If a woman's place is in the home, then a young woman's is, as well.The place God has designed for unmarried women is the home-not the workforce or the dangerous college campus (this is a highly unpopular stance today, but bear with me through the remainder of this series as I appeal to the Scriptures for support of my belief in this area!).

In Conclusion

As we have seen, womankind is given the sphere of the home and family in which to operate-all her unique roles are centered on the home and family. This knowledge alone should lead us to assume that God's place for unmarried young women is also in the home with their families. However, our great God did not leave us simply with this knowledge-although it would be enough to defend stay-at-home daughterhood as a Biblical doctrine. In addition, He also placed in His Word verses pertaining to unmarried women, their roles, duties, sphere, etc. We will be studying those beginning next Friday (Lord willing). Until then, study the Word and immerse yourself in the glories of womanhood in preparation for the next few studies we will be undertaking.

God bless you, and may He use these articles to encourage you, strengthen you, and edify you in your great privileges and duties as women bought by Him (1 Cor. 6:19).