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! :)

Daily Bible Verse

Praise the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord; Praise Him, O you servants of the Lord!

~Psalm 135:1 (NKJV)

Meal Mondays #5!

I don't know about you, but I love lasagna!! The following is a really great lasagna recipe that we tried the other day.


Lasagna Surprise

3/4 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (we use the jar of minced garlic, found in the produce section of the grocery store)

2 TBSP vegetable oil

2 (26 oz.) jars pasta sauce(any flavor)

1 (15 or 16 oz) containter ricotta or cottage cheese(we use ricotta)

1 (10 0z) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained

1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 eggs

1 (1 pound) package lasagna noodles, cooked according to package directions

1 pound ground sausage(we use the turkey sausage-it has a great flavor)

In large pan, cook meat, onion and garlic in the vegetable oil. Add prepared pasta sauce. Simmer 15 minutes. In bowl, mix ricotta, spinach, and 1 cup mozzarella, all the parmesan, and eggs. In 15x9-inch baking dish, layer 2 cups sauce, half the lasagna, half the remaining sauce, all the spinch mixture, half the mozzarella, remaining lasagna and sauce. Cover; bak at 350 F. for 45 minutes or until hot. Uncover; top with remaining mozzarella. Bake 15 minutes. Top with some parsley flakes, if desired. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

ENJOY!!(and remember-I want to hear how you liked this recipe once you try it!)

Monday's Devotional

The fear of the Lord leads to life, and he who has it will abide in satisfaction.

~Proverbs 19:23a

A Christian can only be truly satisfied in life and totally fulfilled and complete if he obeys the Lord's every command, out of reverance and fear for Him. That's where true joy and satisfaction is found. Don't ever let the world tell you that you'll only be happy if you follow the world's standards. Don't ever let the world tell you that all that "strict Christianity stuff" just steals your fun and fulfillment. Both of those are complete lies.

The life of the Christian that is completely and solely dedicated to the Lord and to the loving obedience of His commands, is the most complete, adventurous, fulfilling, exhilarating, joyous, blessed, exciting, productive, and happy life that you could ever imagine! True joy and happiness in life can only be found in God and in following His Word. No matter what some people may think, no one can ever be truly fulfilled, complete or happy by following the world's philosophies-whether they be feminism, humanism, or whatever else. True joy and complete fulfillment comes only from making the Lord #1 in your life. You will never truly be happy unless you are obeying His commands, and unless His blessings are on your life. What the world has to offer pales in comparison to what Jesus Christ offers! The world's philosophies, standards and teachings only bring heartache, suffering, sadness, stress, and feelings of unfullfillment.

The fear of the Lord truly does lead to life. Not only to eternal life, but to the most amazing life while here on earth. It is only in loving Him, obeying Him, fearing Him and placing Him first in our lives, that we find true joy and true fulfillment!

Friday's Devotional

All the words of my mouth are with righteousness; nothing crooked or perverse is in them.

~Proverbs 8:8(nkjv)

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Can this be said of you? Is this a godly characteristic that you have abtained? As Christians, we are commanded to be godly in all areas of our lives. And one of the most important is in our ruling of the tongue. The book of Proverbs as well as the book of James speak a lot on the subject of the tongue-how hateful, unruly, damaging, and un-Christlike it can be. If we're Christians, that means we've been sanctified and redeemed. The word sanctified literally means to "be set apart". We're to be drastically different from the world, and one of the most important areas where this difference must be evident, is in our speech. The world should be able to look at us and know without a shadow of a doubt that we are His.

This verse says that everything we say is to be righteous. We must not allow anything crooked or perverse to come out of our mouths. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, "Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God." Every single thing we say should bring glory, honor and praise to our Lord. The words we say ought to be a wonderful example of what a Christian truly is. Our words should show that we are in this world but not of this world! Our witness and example for Christ is hugely important, and if we go around speaking as the world does, we will tarnish and destroy that good witness. If we speak as the world does, that will send off the message that all that Christianity stuff is nonsense. The world, by our bad example, will begin thinking that God couldn't possibly have any power to change people, for we "Christians" are just like the world. That's why it's so important that we do not allow any crooked or perverse thing to come from our mouths.

Not only is the words you say so important, but how you say them is of equal importance as well. We can go around saying pure and upright things, rather than crooked and perverse ones, but if we don't speak in a loving, kind, Christ-like, charitable way to all people whether enemy or friend, then our witness for Christ will be just as tarnished as it would be if we were perverse in our speech. We must make it a habit to speak always, to everyone, in a kind manner. We must put that meek, gentle and quiet spirit into practice, ladies!

As the book of James tells us, guarding the tongue is so difficult. But it's something that must be done. And, ladies, we're not alone! The Lord desires for us to be pure and holy in all areas of our lives. Go to Him and ask Him heartily for help! He will give us all the assistance and help we need to guard the tongue, so that we can truly say "All the words of my mouth are with righteousness; nothing crooked or perverse is in them."

Daily Bible Verse

Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.

~Psalm 37:4 (NKJV)

1st Blog Award!!

A couple days ago, I was awarded the "Blogging with a Purpose" Award by my very dear friends and sisters in the Lord, Jade and Autumn S., who blog over at Handmaidens With a Mission. I am so honored and completely humbled! I have to tell you, Jade and Autumn, that I was so excited when I discovered that I had recieved my first blog award!! :) Thank you so much for awarding me. I'm sure I don't deserve this great award, but I'm very thankful for it. :) You two are so kind.

This blog was begun with the purpose of bringing glory, honor and praise to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It was also begun with the purpose to edify, encourage and strengthen ladies and young girls. They truly need encouragement and edification, for we live in such a feministic and ungodly culture. I truly hope this blog is successful in both of those important purposes. Whenever I receive an e-mail from one of my readers, telling me that I'm changing their life, bringing them closer to God, etc., it truly makes my day! That's the reason this blog exists, and I truly hope and pray heartily that it continues to be a blessing, encouragement, edification and strength to all of you dear ladies!

And now, it's my turn to award 5 blogs. The following are 5 very dear ladies, whose blogs I absolutely love!

Anna S. from Domestic Felicity

This young woman is an amazing writer! Her posts on Biblical womanhood, feminism, femininity, modesty, purity, etc. are such an inspiration! She's such an encourager, and a true shining light in this feministic world. I have been richly blessed to get to know her, and I will always treasure her friendship.

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Hannah and Geneva from The Heritage Sisters

These sisters are my dear friends from church. They are so likeminded, and have been such a blessing to me! They're such a joy to be around, are true examples of Christ's love, and I feel very blessed to be their friend. You're sure to enjoy their blog, where you'll learn about the life and times of a wonderful, joyous, Christ-honoring family of 11.

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Allison from Letter From Christ

This girl is such a sweet friend!! We haven't known each other all that long, but already, I can tell that she's such a dear, dear sister in Christ. We are both huge lovers of Anna Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin's book, So Much More, as well as their documentary, The Return of the Daughters. We're very likeminded, and I've been tremendously blessed by her friendship. Be sure to visit her blog; it's awesome!

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Kathleen from Liber Fides Veritas

I adore this blog! Kathleen is such an amazing light for the Lord. She enjoys refuting feminism, embracing femininity, and living out her roles as a godly young woman. I'm so thankful that the Lord brought me to her blog; I enjoy reading it so much, and know that you will, too!

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Lydia from Pearl's Gleanings

Yet another amazing blog!! This girl is so sweet, and her blog is so amazing! She delights in being a young woman for God, she refutes feminism often, embraces femininity, and blesses her readers with an amazing blog. Go check it out; it'll become one of your new favorites!

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Allright ladies, those who I awarded are now supposed to go on and each award 5 more blogs. :)

Thank you again so much, Jade and Autumn for awarding me! You two are so sweet. May the Lord richly bless you and your family!

Wednesday's Devotional

Hi, ladies! The following devotional is yet another really great one by Oswald Chambers. I thought you all would be blessed from it, so I decided to post it instead of posting my own devotional today. But don't worry-more of my devotionals, articles on feminism, exciting announcements, answers to questions, etc. etc. will all be posted soon, so be on the lookout! :)

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"This is the will of God, even your sanctification." ~1 Thessalonians 4:3

It is not a question of whether God is willing to sanctify me; is it my will? Am I willing to let God do in me all that has been made possible by the Atonement? Am I willing to let Jesus be made sanctification to me, and to let the life of Jesus be manifested in my mortal flesh? Beware of saying, "Oh, I am longing to be sanctified." You are not, stop longing and make it a matter of transaction-"Nothing in my hands I bring." Receive Jesus Christ to be made sanctification to you in implicit faith, and the great marvel of the Atonement of Jesus will be made real in you. All that Jesus made possible is made mine by free loving gift of God on the ground of what He performed, my attitude as a saved and sanctified soul is that of profound humble holiness(there is no such thing as proud holiness), a holiness based on agonizing repentance and a sense of unspeakable shame and degradation; and also on the amazing realization that the love of God commended itself to me in that while I cared nothing about Him, He completed everything for my salvation and sanctification(see Rom. 5:8). No wonder Paul says nothing is "able to serparate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Sanctification makes me one with Jesus Christ, and in Him one with God, and it is done only through the superb Atonement of Christ. Never put the effect as the cause. The effect in me is obedience and service and prayer, and is the outcome of speechless thanks and adoration for the marvellous sanctification wrought out in me because of the atonement.

Daily Bible Verse

Truly my soul silently waits for God; from Him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.

~Psalm 62:1-2(NKJV)

Meal Mondays #4!

For today's Meal Monday, I wanted to share with you one of my very favorite recipes! The following recipe is for whole wheat bread. It's very healthy for you, and is truly the best tasting whole wheat bread I've ever had! This bread will quickly become your favorite addition to any meal! You can use it as toast, sandwhich bread, or as a side for your favorite dinner, but however you eat it, one thing is guaranteed: you'll love it!

Whole Wheat Bread

1 1/2 cups hot water

1/3 cup oil(we use extra virgin olive oil-it's healthier!)

1/3 cup honey

2 tsp salt

1 egg

2 TBSP lecithin

1 tsp gluten

about 4 3/4 cups whole wheat flour(enough so that the dough is not sticky)

1/2 cup ground flax seeds

1 TBSP yeast

Here are the step-by-step instructions along with photos for some help if you need it.

Combine oil, honey, salt, egg, lecithin, gluten, ground flax seeds, and hot water in a mixing bowl(you can use the dough hook attachment of your mixer, but we usually don't). Mix well.

Add the yeast and allow it to proof a couple of minutes(don't dump the yeast in all at once in one clump, but rather spread it out as this picture shows).
Add one cup of flour and mix well. Then add a second cup and mix it thoroughly as well.
With the third and fourth cups of flour, mix by hand(with a spoon) or use the dough hook attachment-it gets way too thick for a regular mixer attachment. After you've mixed in the 4th cup of flour, cover your cabinet with some flour, take the dough out from the bowl, and place on cabinet. Work the dough and add more flour as needed. Knead the dough for approximately 10 minutes. Use enough flour and knead enough to where it isn't too sticky.
After kneading the dough, place it back in the bowl and cover it with a towel. Let it rise until it's about double its original size. After it's risen, punch it down. Then knead again for about 3 minutes.

Divide dough into 2 equal segments and place in bread tins(they measure approximately 3 1/2" X 8").
Let it rise until just over double.
Place in preheated oven at 325 degrees F(adjust to your oven's temp if needed) for about 25 minutes. Then take them out of the oven, butter the top of the loaves, and allow them to cool.
Afterwards, we use this really handy bread-cutting machine.



ENJOY!!!

Making bread makes you feel so domestic and old fashioned-it's so much fun! :)

Let me know how you like the bread! It's sure to become a family favorite.

If you're reading this and you're an unmarried young lady, I highly encourage you to begin making this now-don't just give this recipe to your mom and let her make it for the family. If you begin making this bread now, once you're married you'll be so glad that you took the time to learn how to make it. Preparing for your life as a wife, mother and homemaker is so important, and making fresh, homemade, healthy and nutritious bread is a great way to serve your family!

*a big thank-you to the Hugheys at church for this great recipe!