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So important
 A Biblical understanding of the role of women and the distinctives given for her in Scripture is so important. GirlTalk explains why: Why do we make such a big deal about promoting biblical womanhood here at girltalk? Because... "Today the primary areas in which Christianity is pressured by the culture to conform are on issues of gender and sexuality. Post-moderns and ethical relativists care little about doctrinal truth claims. These seem to them innocuous, archaic, and irrelevant to life. What they do care about, and care about it with a vengeance, is whether their feminist agenda and sexual perversions are tolerated, endorsed, and expanded in an increasingly neo-pagan landscape. Because that is what they care most about, it is precisely here that Christianity is most vulnerable. To lose the battle here is to subject the church to increasing layers of departure and surely it will not be long until ethical departures (the church yielding to the pressures, for instance, of women's ordination to the pastoral ministry) will yield even more central doctrinal departures, like questioning whether Scripture's inherent teaching about manhood and womanhood renders it fundamentally untrustworthy for the Christian life." (Bruce Ware, professor of theology at Southern Baptist Seminary – quoted in “Preface (2006)” by J. Ligon Duncan and Randy Stinson, Recovering Biblical Manhood & Womanhood, edited by John Piper and Wayne Grudem.)
"The church has been called to counter and bless the culture, not to copy and baptize it. All too often our churches reflect, rather than constructively engage, worldly culture. Perhaps worst of all, many evangelical leaders claim that if we want to reach the lost, we must become like them. This is a recipe for disaster. Dorothy Sayers refuted this notion: 'It is not the business of the church to conform Christ to men, but men to Christ.' That is precisely the challenge we face in this area of biblical manhood and womanhood." (J. Ligon Duncan and Randy Stinson – “Preface (2006),” Recovering Biblical Manhood & Womanhood, edited by John Piper and Wayne Grudem.) "Someone is teaching women principles of womanhood. Is it the church, or the world?" (J. Ligon Duncan & Susan Hunt, Women’s Ministry in the Local Church)
We yearn for the answer to be "the church." That's why.
May God raise up a host of men and women who turn their backs to the world and embrace the Biblical role of women - not only as head-knowledge, but as daily practice!
Touches of Fall
I just love Fall! It is my favorite season of the year - the smell of pumpkin pies, the crisp leaves crunching underfoot, the beautiful shades of foliage! I can't believe tomorrow is the first day of September and that means all the wonderful Autumn sights, smells, and sounds are near at hand!  Mrs. Wilt is sharing all kinds of great Fall decorating tips and ideas this week so I thought I'd join in and share a picture of a fall touch we added to our bedroom this week - this beautiful wreath which we hung above our bed. I loves wreaths, they so warm and welcoming! Now, if only I could tell you that I had made it, then I would feel really fulfilled. I did, however, get it free in a barter I did with another woman. I guess free is almost as good as homemade! Maybe someday I'll be able to whip up beautiful wreaths... I'm still working to perfect my basic knitting skills (I promise I'll share pictures soon, I have to have my little sister help me finish off one of the projects as I've never sewed knitting pieces together and don't trust myself to try it the first time around!).
It's entertainment overload!
Homemakerang sent me a link to her post from this morning about "What are parents coming to these days?"I concur. One of my biggest pet-peeves are the little portable video game and DVD players that it seems very few children can go anywhere without anymore. They can't be unplugged long enough to even enjoy dinner out with their family. It's entertainment overload! It reminds me of a time a few months ago when we were at a hotel enjoying swimming in the pool with my family. All of my siblings were being their usual in-the-pool rambunctious selves (trying to see who can swim the most laps the fastest, who can dunk who first, etc.) when I noticed a little boy, probably six years old, sitting in a chair off to the side of the pool. He was with his mom and grandma, it appeared, and he had his swim trunks on alright, but he wasn't a drop wet. Instead, he was sitting there engrossed in his Gameboy (well, it's probably not called a Gameboy nowadays - I think I'm dating myself!). He never looked up once, even when his mom or grandma talked to him. When they finally left, he could hardly walk because his eyes and concentration were completely absorbed in his electronic game. Hello? Whatever happened to good, old-fashioned play and fun? Does everything have to be electronic nowadays? And we wonder why there is an obesity problem?
A baby and a prayer request
Congratulations to Candy and family on the birth of their baby girl!Pray for Amy the Humble and family: Our two-year-old, Rebekah, was taken to the hospital today at 2 p.m. Her symptoms include excessive vomiting, chills, hallucinations, and a fever of 105.4 (taken under her arm). Early results show that she has an extremely high white blood cell count, most likely indicating a bacterial infection. The next step is to wait for a 24-hour culture to tell us more. Our family is praying for her quick recovery and a clear diagnosis. (This same thing happened to her when she was about 10 weeks old, but she was never diagnosed with anything.) She has a wonderful Christian neonatologist managing her care. My husband is with her now, and I will stay with her tomorrow. I am calm but concerned, of course.
Is this normal?
I have a very juvenile question for all you professional mommies. You see, I used to be able to sleep like a rock - and I mean a rock. I'd hit the bed and wouldn't wake up until my alarm clock jolted me out of my complete peaceful oblivion. Then I got pregnant. Everyone knows normal sleeping patterns are anything but normal when pregnant. Then I had Kathrynne. And everyone knows any kind of sleep you get with a newborn is to be considered good sleep. That was all good and well. To be expected, even. I was happy to be a pregnant mommy and happy to be the mother of a newborn. Sleep or no sleep. But, since I was still nursing Kathrynne up until a few weeks ago, she usually woke up at least one or two times every night - sometimes three or four times. Now that she's weaned, she's sleeping very well at night which I'm thrilled about. Problem is, I'm not. I assumed that as soon as Kathrynne started sleeping well through the night, I'd go back to sleeping like a rock. Well, that is, until my next pregnancy. But, I seem to have forgotten how to sleep through the night. For some reason, I wake up multiple times. I thought maybe it would just take a few days for my body to adjust but it's been two weeks and I'm still waking up incessantly at night. Is this normal? Is this a mom thing? I'm not complaining, I'm just curious. Any insight or experienced wisdom for this novice?
Two wonderful new CD's
We just added two new CD's which I've been so anxious to tell you about. Jesse and I listened to these more than once over the past few weeks and have been so blessed. Manliness - CD by Doug PhillipsWe only carry a few products for men because our main focus is women, obviously. However, ever once in a while, we come across a gem for men which we just cannot pass by. This CD is one of those. We recommend all men and boys and families listen to this powerful message on the importance of Biblical manliness in our culture. To read more, click here.Strength and Dignity for Daughters - CD by Anna Sophia and Elizabeth BotkinI know so many of you have read and been challenged by that the message Anna Sophia and Elizabeth Botkin share in their book, So Much More. This CD of two messages by them is equally as good and is worth every penny! I wish I could get a copy into the hands of every young woman as I think it would be such an encouragement. To hear their love for their father and their incredible vision for the powerful asset a young lady can be to her father, to her family, in her home, in her community, and ultimately to the world. I especially appreciated the many practical examples given in their messages. You cannot help but be blessed and inspired! To read more, click here.
Works-For-Me-Wednesday: Easy Breakfasts
 Okay, so for about the last eight weeks, I've been hoping to post something for Works-For-Me-Wednesday. It looked like such fun, the problem was that I always remembered about it on Thursday or Friday. I'm so excited that I realized it was Wednesday today - Yahoo! I could actually participate. Wonder of wonders, I didn't forget this week. But then, what on earth would I say actually works for me? I'm just a new mama and a pretty new wife and I could sure tell you a lot of things that DON'T work, but something that has actually consistently worked and been a help to our family? Hmm... that's a bit trickier. However, here's one simple thing that I do a lot (usually at least once every week or every other week) - I'll make a big batch of pancake, french toast, or waffle batter one morning and then only use part of it. It will keep in the refrigerator for about a week and so we have an almost ready-made, no fuss breakfast for a few more mornings later on in the week. For some reason, pancakes, french toast, or waffles are much easier for me to make if the batter is already made. Another tip: We have trouble with milk expiring before it is used up around here (I know, I know, most families probably don't have that problem, but we do!) and so I'll freeze what's left in the jug or transfer it to a smaller container and freeze and then I use this in the pancake batter. I also often buy milk that is almost-expired and reduced in price at the store and freeze it to use for pancake batter. Since most pancake batters are best made with sour milk, it's completely okay if it is "spoiled." Save money, save time, save calories - it works for me!
Hate mail always welcome
I get lots of interesting mail. Good, bad, and ugly, I've seen it all. It's part of opening up yourself and sharing about what you believe on the internet. I usually don't post much of my mail and I rarely post those I would consider to be more of the "bad and ugly" but two from yesterday were interesting, to say the least: I am not writing to offend harangue or disrespect any one at BWH, I only want to ask you what you are doing. The females are slaves who don't own their own lives and bodies game that christian fundamentalist women are playing is endangering all females.You are cheapening our lives and that leads to more rape, pedophilia, and murder. Stop it. Stop now. It must stop. Crime against females is increasing sharply world wide; it is because of religious fundamentalism. I value my life so I insit you stop. -Unsigned email
Stop what? Stop saying that women are created in the image of God for His glory? That women are created beautifully unique and different from men to fulfill a beautiful purpose alongside men which neither could fulfill on their own? That women deserve something better than what the world has to offer? I guess I'm still shaking my head over how I'm cheapening women? Maybe someone could enlighten me? Or how "Christian fundamentalists" are to blame for the problems of the universe?
I could talk about how feminist ideologies have cheapened life for both male and female - through abortion, through contraceptives, through eliminating the distinct differences of men and women, but I won't go there. Instead, if this unsigned emailer is reading, I encourage you to read God's Word, you will quickly find the high value and worth that God places on women. He says that virtuous women are more valuable than rubies, they are to be treasured, cherished, loved, protected, and nurtured by their husbands. I encourage you to value your life enough to cry out for God's mercy and saving grace, to seek Him through the Scriptures, and to find the fulfillment, joy, and eternal life which comes from Christ.
This next piece of mail gave both Jesse and I a good chuckle: Your husband by choice is sentenced 25 yrs to life with a frompy, homely, 90lb, baptist legalist. What did he do to deserve such a self inflicted punishement? He allowed all that legalism to be his god. -Anonymous
My poor, poor husband. Honestly though, what pictures are you looking at of me? I haven't been 90lbs since I was, gulp, like 14. And I most certainly hope (as does my husband) that we have more than 25 years of this, ahem, "bondage" because we're sure enjoying it.
I've learned to let things like this roll right off my back but I never can quite shake the sadness I feel in my heart for these people who have nothing better to do than to send these kinds of emails. It really seems like they must lead a miserable life if they have nothing better to do with their time than write emails like this. I pray for these people that the Lord would open their eyes to the truth, that He would show them His mercy, and pour out His compassion upon them. Only through Christ can they find life.
So, be my guest, keep the hate mail coming and I'll add your name to my prayer list, too.
A covenantal marriage
For those who were asking for more information on the wedding I posted about earlier, Doug Phillips shares some additional details and insights in his post, The Return of the Marriage Covenant. I encourage you to read the entire post, especially the beautiful vows. They left me awestruck. What an incredible covenant and testimony before God and man. May God raise of hundreds of thousands of such marriages! On August 26, my personal assistant, Mr. Peter Bradrick (son of Michael Bradrick, President of aWashngton state home school organization) married Miss Kelly Brown (author of Coming In on a Wing and a Prayer and daughter of NCFIC Director, Scott Brown). In so many ways the marriage and the wedding was a defining moment for a community of Christians yoked in the bonds of love and friendship. The marriage meant the realization of years of hopes and dreams and prayers. First, the marriage represented the coming together, not merely of two individuals, but of two families of generational vision, Gospel emphasis, and tremendous doctrinal and orthopraxic agreement. Both families have been at the forefront of the battle to restore the biblical family to the condition, status, law, and jurisdiction presented by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in Holy Scripture. Both families have demonstrated a life-time of love and self-sacrifice for the people of God. Both have suffered the slings and arrows of persecution for godly stands, and both have known the blessings of joyful spiritual victories. Both committed their children to the Lord early in life, and both specifically raised them with a vision for purity, for bold action, and for the strenuous life in Christ. For all of us, marriages like these are the blessed first fruits of a historic reformation which God is doing within His church, turning the hearts of sons and daughters to their parents, and parents to their sons and daughters. Second, the marriage was conceived in moral purity. Long ago both Peter and Kelly had pledged their bodies and their hearts to the one true love with whom they would someday be yoked in marriage. Recognizing that the successive emotional relationships promoted through the dating culture of our era are fraught with trouble and lead to physical and emotional defrauding, they purposed to take the more difficult, but higher path, which involved receiving wise oversight, direction, and blessing from their parents in laying the foundations for a true biblical espousal. Third, their marriage was a covenantal marriage. Both bride and groom have demonstrably lived lives as covenant keepers with the God of their fathers. Also, they have honored their parents and, as God has promised, “It is well with them.” Consequently, they have reaped not only the blessings which flow from a life of obedience to the Savior, but the benefits of receiving an enthusiastic and unqualified blessing on their marriage from both sets of parents. Moreover, both bride and groom have honored the Lord by keeping covenant with their local churches. To put it another way: They have been faithful churchmen, honoring their committments to the local church. Consequently, when bride and groom desired the support of their respective local congregations and their church elders. both received the public, verbal, enthusastic blessing of the people of God in their lives. The Bible teaches that men reap what they sow. Covenant keepers reap blessings. Covenant breakers reap judgment. This couple reaped not only great blessings, but they inaugurated their life together by proclaiming to the world that their marriage is about more than themselves. It is about a joint dominion mission for the glory of God. It is about children and grandchildren yet to be born. It is about an unfolding generational vision which they will share together, as together they spend their life in the service of Christ. And it is about the richness and permanence of the marriage covenant. Read the full post here.
Update: More pictures and thoughts on the wedding from Kelly's dad are here, here, here, here, and here. There are also some incredible pictures here.
More to life than materialism
I received the following from a lovely young lady engaged to be married soon. This is a blog post her fiance wrote about why he wants her to stay home. He gave her permission to send it to me for possible posting here. It is encouraging to know that some men still want to be the bread winners in this day and age so that their wives can stay home and be the bread-bakers. Some men still realize that there is more to life than materialism. How refreshing! Marriage to such a man is bliss - I know from personal experience. Girls, don't settle for anything less than a manly man. A man who realizes that it is his God-given job to be your provider and your protector and that it is your God-given role to be his helper. - Crystal
Why My Future Wife Will Stay Home (even before we have kids) by S. L. I've gotten more than one incredulous look when I tell people that my fiancee (hereafter referred to as "M") will stay home when we get married. Below is a rather unstructured rant about why we believe it will be best for our marriage if she stays home. -Errands, of which there are many categories. For one, groceries. I'm sure all of you working people LOVE to run errands after you get off a long hard day of work. Right? Wrong. Wouldn't it be much nicer to be able to go right home? -Car maintenance. To me, it's a big hassle to have to take time off in the middle of the day to go get the car when it's done being fixed. -Cooking. We both value our health and wish to put as good food as possible in our bodies. Sure, all the working moms say that they do this anyways. But to us, we look at the label before we buy. Making healthy and delicious food can be difficult, and so it takes extra time and effort. -Cleaning. This might not be such a big issue to people who don't mind filth. But I like a clean household. If both of us have to come home from work and have to clean, don't you think we'd get really tired? Please don't try to tell me that it's not tiring, because for me, it is. -Finances. When both people are working, it is difficult to keep on top of budgets and bill balances and stuff. If one person is in charge of keeping track of these things, it would be much easier to make sure bills get paid on time. I do not think that both of us coming home to a dirty house, with no food, after doing lots of errands, would be good for a budding marriage. I believe that having my wife devoted to taking care of the house will be extremely helpful to our marriage.
Another big point relates to money. Inside, both of us would love to be rich. If M got a job in her field (polymer engineering), I'm sure that we COULD be rich. Trust me, I would love to have a lot of nice things, like a really awesome sound system, a huge widescreen TV that we can hang on the wall, really nice furniture, etc. it goes on and on. Materialism runs wild in America. And materialism is wrong, any way you look at it. Especially for Christians. I'm not saying that anyone that has these things is wrong, but I do believe that it would be wrong for me to make M work, just so we can have nice "stuff." To us, there are much more important things than money and cool stuff. For example, a happy marriage, a happy home, a happy family. Wealth is deceitful. The Bible says that it is easier for a camel to walk through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. The less excess wealth we have, the better. We need money to live on, and I personally don't think it's wrong to save for retirement and loss-of-job funds, but there's a point where the saving up of money becomes hoarding of money. This is excessive, and I believe it is wrong. With some couples, both work, but they say that once kids come along, the woman will stay home. Can anyone attest to the fact that it is difficult to go from "TWO people with TWO INCOMES" to "THREE people with ONE income." That sounds difficult to me.
I want M to be at home with the kids. One reason why I chose M to be my wife is because I know that she will be a great mother to our children. And for that reason I want her to raise our children. I do NOT want someone else raising our kids. I do NOT want my kids to be raised in a filthy daycare. I do NOT want my kids raised by a nanny. How do I know what sort of morals and standards these people have? How do I know that my children's minds aren't going to be corrupted by daycare people or whoever? I believe there are few things more important in this world than raising your own children to be strong in the Lord. The person I feel safest raising my children is my wife. That is what we're going to do, and I'm sorry if you don't feel happy for us. I'm sorry for you if you are a woman and are not raising your own children (exceptions had for single parents or other extenuating circumstances). And another thing, if both of us are working when we have kids, the cost of childare is EXPENSIVE. I do not believe that the net gain of her work will be worth it. Tons more work and stress, less happy marriage, a little bit more wealth....or less stress for both of us, happier marriage, and not having to pay for childcare? I know my answer. -S.L.
Looking for budget-savvy individuals
I am hoping to start a new series on budgeting and frugality in the next week. If you live or have lived on a tight budget and would be willing to share about this with us, could you email me. I am specifically wanting to hear about the nuts and bolts of your budget and what areas you have done without in order to survive on a small income. I am also going to share a few posts on coupon-shopping and would love to have the input from any of you who would like to share on this as well. I'd like to hear practical testimonies from those who save money by grocery shopping with coupons - specifically how you organize your coupons, how you find time to do it, and, if applicable, how you accomplish grocery shopping with coupons and little children. So, all of you wonderful, experienced pros, email me with your stories, your testimonies, and your practical examples. Have any questions on these subjects that you would like to see covered in this series? Email me those, too. biblicalwomanhood{at}sbcglobal.net Thanks for helping to make this blog an encouragement to many women. It certainly would be quite boring if I were the only person sharing here!
From work to home - Part 4
 This is the last post in our From Work to Home series. It is rather lengthy, but so worth the read. Enjoy! Thanks to the different women who contributed to this series. I know it has been a blessing to many. By Jennifer R.
I haven't always been a stay-at-home mama. Once upon a time, I had a full-time job. One that I absolutely loved. That is, until I became a mother.
As a small child, I always wanted to be a nurse. I never wavered from that... from the age of 5 until the age of 18. My mama was a nurse (she was home with us as children) and I thought it the most glamorous position in the world. (Mama later got her master's degree and now teaches/is an administrator in a nursing program at a local college.) I was fascinated with science and the workings of the human body all throughout my school years, and excelled at those subjects.
Time flew, I went away to college, and obtained a bachelor of science degree in what else?? Nursing. So there I was, a single girl with a degree and the world at my feet. And I jumped in headfirst. I went to work on a cardiac unit, loved what I did, and couldn't wait to get to work everyday. Then, a friend and I embarked on a stint as travel nurses in New England, and then back to the good ol' Mississippi where I began working in open heart recovery unit/post heart transplant recovery unit/cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) at a large teaching hospital. I fell in love. With my work, that is. I adored my job. I loved the intensity, the drama, the high stress environment, the complexity and I loved my patients. I cried with them, prayed with them, and became close to so many of them. I was single, and never minded the long hours, overtime, and rotating shifts. At the encouragement of my parents, I began to pursue graduate school. I had always harbored the idea of becoming a nurse practitioner, and began my curriculum at a school 90 minutes away, all while working full-time. I bought a new house and a new car. And life was good.
And then... in walks Prince Charming. To say I fell in love with Andy rather quickly was an understatement. I was in love with him before I met him. You see, I had prayed for him for so long. When I was in college (I went to a private Christian college) the girls on our floor did a bible study, and part of that study was to write down all the things that you desired in a mate and pray over them. And pray I did. I found the "original" list a few weeks before our wedding, tucked away in my cedar chest. I cried when I read it, and marveled at the faithfulness of our Lord. Andy was every single thing that I had written on that list. Every last one. The Lord had granted me the desire of my heart.
So, now I had a new love - my husband - and my career diminished in importance to me. We settled into our new home, became a part of a wonderful new church family, and I continued graduate school (full-time) and worked part-time in our local hospital. But work wasn't so much fun anymore. Oh, I still loved it, but many other things were on my mind and in my life. We prayed together for the Lord's direction for our lives, and shortly thereafter received an amazing surprise and blessing - two very bold lines on a home pregnancy test. We had been married all of about 5 months, I had a semester of grad school to go, and we were scared, but ecstatic at the same time. We both knew that this was all a part of God's master plan for our lives. A new chapter was about to unfold, one that would bring many, many questions, tears, hours in prayer and "discussions". To work or not to work? What about my "new" degree? What about working full-time, part-time, not working at all? What were we to do about the TWO house notes we were paying (my house from my single days still had not sold). The future seemed so uncertain. So, there we were - newlyweds, expecting our first, me in grad school, and those two mortgages - wondering what in the world to do. I finished grad school the end of May, and walked across the stage to proudly accept my diploma at 6 months pregnant. Hallelujah, I was through!! My sister finished law school the same weekend, and was going to work in the city where my house was, and so, you guessed it, she bought it! The perfect, perfect solution for all of us. The Lord answered our prayer, and we were thrilled I continued to work about two days a week that summer at the hospital and took my Certification Exam to practice as a NP (and passed!). We celebrated our first anniversary (with me 8 months pregnant) and laughed at the way our lives had changed in such a short period of time.
And then the blessed event happened that changed our lives forever. We became parents. Our precious, darling firstborn son Andrew made his arrival on August 26th. We came home, settled into a routine, and I fell in love all over again. This "new man" in my life had captured my heart totally and completely.
The discussion about working vs. staying home was revived and after much praying and soul searching, we decided for me not to take any type of full-time job, but perhaps something part-time. But as far as NP jobs went, there was nothing available for someone wanting to work maybe a day or two a week. Shortly thereafter, I received an offer from the nursing dept. of our local college. It was a job offer for teaching nursing students two mornings a week in the clinical setting. It required a master's degree nurse, but not necessarily an NP. We thought about it, talked about it, prayed it over, hashed and rehashed it, and decided for me to do it, since Andy was off on Tues. and Thurs. mornings (the exact mornings I would be gone) and would be home with the baby. I took my little part time job, had a blast teaching these tentative, scared students how to be good, competent, and confident nurses in the clinical setting, and things were great. I left at 6 a.m., was home by 11 a.m., my baby was well cared for, (and slept practically the whole time I was gone). Our little household was running smoothly, my hubby was happy, our baby was happy, I was happy. Things went on this way for about 8 months.
I wish (oh, how I wish) that I could tell you that the story ended here. But it didn't. It took a long, ugly detour before I found my way home again.
You see, I began to worry. And fret. And question my (our) decision for me not to take a full-time NP job when I had worked so long and hard for that degree. I worried that I had been out of school almost a year and hadn't practiced. I worried that I would lose my NP credentials because I hadn't worked. I worried my husband. I just flat worried. And I quit trusting. And the detour began. I took a full-time job as a NP for a group of cardiologists. I told myself that it would only be for a year, just to get some experience, and that if I didn't do it now, I would never do it (which was true). We put our precious baby son (who was now 8 mos. old) in the daycare at our church. The first day that I left him there, my heart was broken. What had we done? I cried a river that first week or so, but kept telling myself that I had to do this, and had to stick this out for this one year. I made it 9 months. I worked very, very long hours, took call on the weekends, and hired a maid to do the housework. I got that experience, all right. But at what price? I became an expert at treating patients, writing prescriptions, writing orders, looking at cath reports, you name it. But where my expertise was needed the most-- at home-- it was sadly absent.
We were living the American dream, right? I mean, according to today's standards, we had it all... I had a “perfect” husband, beautiful son, new home, new car, we had two great careers... and I had never been so miserable in all of my life. My son visited the pediatrician's office about 15 times during those months. He had ear infection after ear infection. He had tubes placed in his ears. He had bronchitis, upper respiratory infections, you name it. I began to wonder, what was the point of all of this? Why was I in this rat-race? How had I lost my way? We didn't need my income to make our monthly budget. Oh, of course it was nice for all the extras (that we THINK we need!) but our needs could be met without any contribution on my part. My husband and I saw little of each other (remember, my life was not my own, I even took calls on a lot of weekends), someone else was tending my home, someone else was raising my child, and I had ... a career. That I now hated. That I now dreaded doing. But I was oh, so determined to stick it out for that 1 year. And I began to pray. And God answered. In a BIG way.
Pregnancy and Pneumonia. We found out that blessing #2 was on her way into our lives and our hearts and we rejoiced. I became terribly ill with "morning sickness" (more like ALL DAY LONG sickness) and threw up at least four times a day. I lost weight. I wanted to sleep all the time, I could hardly function, and then little Andrew got pneumonia. He had a 104 fever the day I went to get him from daycare. I took my listless little boy to the pediatrician, X-rays were done, the diagnosis was given, breathing treatments and antibiotics were started, and I drove home. I got home and just collapsed onto the floor with my little, precious 16-month-old son in my arms and wept and prayed. My husband came home, took one look at me, and told me that I was NOT going back to my job. That my career as a full-time NP was OVER with. Year or no year, I was DONE. He handed me the phone, and told me to call my employer right then to tell them I would not be back. I was too weak to argue, and deep down I knew he was right. I dried my tears, called the office, and walked back into our kitchen a free woman! As sick as I was, and as sick as my baby was, I felt great. All of a sudden, it seemed as if the light broke through. God answered my cry for help, and placed me smack dab in the middle of where HE wanted me. Here at home. Being my husband's helper and #1 fan, cooking, cleaning, raising my babies, singing lullabies, reading stories, kissin' boo-boos, and doing exactly what I was created to do. And that was the end of the long, ugly detour.
Since that awful, dark time, God has been consistently faithful to us. My husband is now working at his "dream job"... being a full-time pilot. I could go on and on for pages about the ways God has blessed us and met our EVERY need. Didn't he promise us in his word that he would? That we never had to worry? Yet for so long, the peace and rest that could have been mine, I chose not to partake of... because I quit trusting.
I thank God everyday for his patience with someone like me. A selfish, strong-willed girl with a lot of lessons yet to learn (like dying to self everyday!!). He IS still working on me, and Oh how happy I am for that! And now I know that I am where he wants me. At home. I truly feel that this is my place. After taking the long way, I'm so thankful to be here.
-Jennifer R. - Visit her blog here. Graphic from Art.com
Just a heads up
Those of you who are perceptive will notice that my blog is undergoing a few minor layout changes. I'm in the process of trying to make things more navigable and organized for readers and making this more of a "real blog" (hence, the "About Me" and "Comment Policy" on the sidebar). My blog has looked so "busy" for so long and I very much dislike the "busy" look. So, I'm trying to reorganize things with that in mind. I moved all of the blog links to a separate page. If you link to this blog on your blog, let me know so that I can consider adding your link to the "Great Blogs" page. I've also been quietly catching snippets of Kathrynne's naptime to get the majority of the substantive previous posts organized by topic (thus the categories on the sidebar). This is not finished yet, but should hopefully be done in another week or two. Many have asked for this and I am finally obliging. I'm also working on cutting down the advertising on the sidebar. Thanks to someone who is taking me up on my business idea, it looks like I might have an advertising representative for my blog now which means I can have fewer, higher-priced ads - something I will readily jump on! (By the way, if you are a Christian blog with more than 1000 visitors a day who would be interested in having someone procure nice advertising on your blog for you for a nice amount of pay, email me and I'll pass your name along.) As always, thanks so much for reading here, for your encouraging emails, and your kind comments. God is so good to me.
From work to home - Part 3
 By Christy B. I went to college and I was very career driven. I was finishing college and working full time when my husband and I got married. Two years later, we had our first child. It broke my heart to leave her everyday...all of a sudden none of my 'career plans' mattered. I wanted so much to be at home with her, but I had always been encouraged to get a degree, a good job, etc. After a lot of prayer, my husband and I decided I would quit work. At this time, we had already been living on two incomes and had known my income would go way up after graduating from college (the place I worked at had promised me a management position the summer after I graduated). On paper, my husband's income would not pay our bills. However, we trusted in the Lord that this WAS His plan for our family and I quit work. I can't even begin to tell you the ways that He provided for us! Financially, we made it, in fact, we had had quite a bit of debt and once I started staying home we felt convicted that we must get this paid off. Because I was staying home, I was able to focus on cheaper menus, grocery planning, and I was able to be creative in our frugality. Within 3 years we were completely debt free, other than our home! This was NOT my husband and I - it was the Lord! Our oldest of 4 children is now almost 13. I look at her and am so thankful I have been able to cherish every day spent with her! Time has flown!! If every young mother knew just how fast the time will go they would cherish every day!! In a few years, my babies will all be leaving to start their own homes, I am tremendously thankful that I am able to focus on relationships with them, and quality (and quantity, for those who argue which is better!) time! Our lives are so different than they would have been if I would've continued working. I spend every day playing, singing, reading, schooling, etc. with my children. I couldn't ask for a better life! I wish someone would have shared all of this with me 13 years ago and taught me that life is not about your income, your house size, or your position. As a wife and mother, our lives are to be about being keepers of home and training up children. I am so thankful the Lord showed me this. The Lord is so faithful, He will provide all that one needs as long as we obey Him. As for staying home before a wife has children, I think what a couple of other ladies on your blog have said is so true. It is during that time, you can focus fully on your husband and being his helpmeet. What husband wouldn't just absolutely love that? Because I quit work after having a child, I was staying home for my child. But the Lord soon convicted me that I my first priority was to be a helpmeet to my husband. That was harder for me to figure out how to balance the two - to be honest I even fought those convictions at first. If I would have started out our marriage at home, each transition would have been much easier. Not to mention what I could have learned and worked on staying at home! -Christy B.
Graphic from Art.com
Frugal gift-giving for the uncreative and unartistic
 Homeliving Helper has a great article up on affordable gifts. This is something I've been thinking about a lot recently. I love giving gifts to people, especially gifts that aren't just something I hurriedly went out and bought. In addition, spending $25 (or even $15) on each birthday and wedding and graduation can very quickly kill our budget. I like to give meaningful gifts - gifts that the receiver will really appreciate and be able to use. However, I am not a very creative person, nor am I a very artsy person. I might be able to come up with a great idea, but actually being able to do it, is another story. For a long time, I let the fact that I wasn't an artistic person deter me from at least trying. But in recent months, I've made a real concerted effort to push myself to try and develop skills in this area, even if it doesn't come naturally. And I've actually surprised myself. I'll probably never be able to decorate an elaborate cake or sew a wedding dress, but I'm excited that at least I can knit basic patterns and not have to throw them out when I'm done! I never thought I'd be able to do that. One reason I want to develop these skills such as knitting and crocheting is so that I might be able to give special and affordable gifts to our friends and family. And who knows, maybe I'll be good enough to do so soon? I'd love to hear what you all give for gifts - especially in the way of affordable gifts. Are there any "non-artistic" people like me who have come up with some great (and easy!) homemade/handmade gift ideas for the likes of us to put together? I'd love any ideas and inspiration you can pass along!
Reason #9877 to homeschool your children
I read this repulsive article this morning (not for younger readers) and thought it was a perfect example of what feminist ideologies have done to destroy the innocency of childhood:
When we lose sight of the beautiful and glorious differences that God created for men and women, it quickly leads to confusion. More and more little children are being brainwashed with all of this nonsense from Kindergarten in the name of "education." This is the future generation of America. God help us. How we need more parents to wake up and take responsibility to raise their children with the understanding of the beauty and wonder of God creating them either male or female and to realize that when men and women fulfill their God-given roles together, it is a glorious thing. Let us raise our children to be bright and shining lights to this sin-darkened, confused culture!
Cookie, please
Kathrynne came up behind me last night and started lovingly rubbing my shoulders. I was thinking what a dear precious daughter I have when she comes around in front of me and says, "Cookie?" What I can never seem to figure out is how children learn exactly how to "butter up" parents all on their own?! Oh, she melts our hearts and gives us unending reasons for laughter in our home!
Is chivalry dead?
The Rebelution has a great post up on the Modern-Day Gentleman. Here's the opening: For decades gentlemanly behavior has experienced decline. Not only are men becoming less apt to offer service, but ladies are much more likely to refuse it. A man gives up when his assistance is consistently shunned and so does the poor lady left sitting in the car waiting for a gentleman to open the door.
In an attempt to remedy this sad situation I could, as many do, lay out the rules of basic etiquette, encompassing the obvious doors, chairs, boxes, bags, and other such practices. Yet while all of these now uncommon courtesies are admirable they are merely signs that one is a gentleman or lady, not the means of becoming one. And as such a mere review of the appropriate actions is unlikely to cause lasting change.
You see, gentlemanly behavior is an attitude of heart, not a set of rules. Once the proper mindset is attained opening doors, offering chairs, carrying baggage, and the like become merely the predictable consequences of the changed attitude, and become voluntary rather than compulsory. I loved their appeal to ladies: Now, I appeal to the ladies, and especially to my sisters in Christ. If you don't embrace your role as the recipient of our consideration we cannot act effectively as the gentlemen. You can show your care and serve your brothers by making it possible for us to become the kind of men God wants us to be.
Give us opportunities to do the right thing. We may need subtle hints such as, "Will you open the door for me please?" You know we need to be reminded sometimes. And when you can see us trying, please encourage us and allow us to serve you. If our actions are made from a servants-heart don't take it as implying that we don't think you can open the door or carry the box. You may not need our help, but we need to help. Please don't take your side of this process lightly, your response is just as important, as our initiative. Read the whole article.
Not merely a housewife
 Susan sent me a link to her post this morning and I have to post the entire thing - it goes to the heart of the issue, the heart of what I want to communicate on this blog. I tried to say it somewhat in this article, but Susan does a much better job. Statistics are interesting - especially when they line up with what we've known to be true in the word of God for hundreds of years. But statistics alone are never good enough to base your life on. We want to base our life on the whole counsel of Scripture. Susan's piece hits the nail on the head:As probably all of you are already aware, Forbes recently ran an article written by a man and titled Don't Marry a Career Women. They pretty quickly posted a counterpoint article written by a woman and titled Don't Marry a Lazy Man. The two articles are now posted side-by-side on the Forbes website.
No surprise - I didn't agree with the rebuttal article by the woman. I didn't like the tone of her writing, which was demeaning to men, nor her apparent disvaluing of the role of women at home. The man's article was interesting and factul and stated what I consider to be the obvious: career women are less likely to have a healthy and happy family life. But do you know what? The more I pondered the man's article, the less I liked it. It was true, it was to the point, and it was information that needs to be heard - not glazed over as it normally is in our society. But I didn't like the way it was presented.
There was no love spoken with the truth. I found no hint that the author valued women. Statistically, non-career women mean a more stable marriage, but there was no heart in his statements, no inkling that women are precious and have a special role. I could just as easily criticize the female author's demeaning attitude towards men (which is a topic for another post entirely!), but I won't, because the conservative blogosphere has already done that in abundance - and correctly so! Instead, I'm left pondering the message the male author is sending. On second reading I came away wondering if the author even liked women, if he was married, and if his own marriage was happy. He's a real candidate for misogyny.
Most issues can either be painted as very glorious or very repulsive, depending on the wielder of the brush. I think the role and place of women is just such an issue. It is too easy to either view women as equal in role to men, thus brushing over the glorious distinctions God has given the two sexes, or conversely to harp on the servitude of women and their need to keep a "proper place" in society. The male writer of the Forbes article did not do either, but there was still no beauty in his painting of a woman's role, no esteem for her position. She was a statistic who shouldn't compete with men. Period.
The Bible paints a different picture, though. Women have a different role than men. Woman is created to be his helpmeet, walking beside him hand in hand through life. Marriage is a union, a binding of two lives that the two might work together more effectively than apart. In that beautiful union, woman does take the role that is often deemed "demeaning." She is a guard of the home, a nurturer of children. She takes the home as her sphere of influence gladly, not because it is statistically better but because she belongs there. She was created for a special purpose. She is not free household staff, but a cherished wife and a mother. And yes, she is an obedient wife.
Here again, with the topic of submission, I am very afraid that it is easily painted in two opposing and equally unbiblical lights. We have the feminists, who recoil at the very word and try to explain away such a clear Biblical teaching. Then we have the quintessential fundamentalist, who preaches submission, submission, submission in a way that comes across as utter servitude. The Bible teaches differently.
Ephesians 5 is the classic passage on headship. I find it a very comforting passage, albeit a challenging one. I find myself wondering if someday I will be able to follow Paul's command to submit to my husband as to the Lord. Submit in everything?, wonders my rebellious heart. I see the beauty of the husband and wife positions though, and I find in them a beautiful picture of Christ in his church. I hope to someday stand before God and man and pledge to love, honor, and obey my husband until death do us part.
But as my pastor preached a few months ago, Ephesians 5 is no good without a necessary perspective. One cannot talk about headship rightly apart from the gospel. Without the gospel, headship is an ugly truth; with the gospel, headship is a glorious picture. To properly understand Ephesians 5, one must first read Ephesians 1-4. After reading Ephesians 1-4 and then reading Ephesians 5, including the verses that charge husbands to love their wives as Christ loves the church, I cannot feel cheated, torn down, or demeaned by my call to submission. I am to aid my husband as the church aids Christ. What a beautiful mission! My husband, though, is to act as a type of Christ to me and our household! Wow.
What a beautiful role given to the man, but what a heavy responsibility, and a responsibility I would not snatch from any man. That is obligation; that is a set of very big shoes to fill. Unless a man can speak of women's roles in light of the gospel and his own call to serve his wife as Christ, than I must stand with the feminists and find his writings to be demeaning and void of any real esteem for women. The husband and wife roles of Ephesians 5 are beautiful because they are complimentary. Either, without the other, is ugly; together they are a beautiful picture.
Woman is not merely a housewife, but a helpmeet. Without the gospel, the womanly roles that are painted in Ephesians 5 and Titus 2 are not beautiful, but constrained and subservient. But with the gospel, women have a special role and a purpose!
-Susan Garrison
Related: See my recent post Recapture the Nobility of Home
My heart is at home
 Spunky has a great post up in response the Noer/Corcoran debate:Sorry Ms. Corcoran, but Mr. Noer won this debate in our home. We're encouraging our boys to follow his advice with the addition that they also marry a Christian. An we're encouraging our daughters to choose home when their heart is swept away by the man of their dreams. I'm sure that sounds pretty narrow minded, but it's the way we see it. A house divided cannot stand.
And I have to say, our lives are pretty exciting as well.
We may not be "beaching it" in Maui, or "hitting the slopes" of Vail; and no, we don't have a cleaning lady to do wash the bathrooms while we trade office gossip over dinners out. But we're not exactly lacking in excitement ourselves. Like the day I taught my child to read, and he hugged my neck and said, "Oh thank you, momma! Now I can read the Bible for myself." Or the day my husband carried our sixth child into the waiting arms of her five siblings. That same little girl is now nearly three and just recently that realized that seeds really do grow up to be sunflowers. I gotta say, those were pretty exciting days. No match for an office meeting I'm sure. But exciting to us.
They'll be time enough for exciting mountain adventures and oceanside retreats long after our children are grown and gone. After all, they haven't changed much in the last couple hundred years. A few more years won't matter too much. But children are a lot like sunflowers, you blink and they're four inches taller!
And the working world, it'll just have to get along without me I guess. I'm sure there are enough women out there who wouldn't want the drudgery of my life to more than make up for my absence. I'm sure of one other thing too. No secretary or school teacher will ever take my place as wife and mother.
My heart is at home with my family. And my husband, he seems pretty glad he didn't marry a career woman. For those of you who are stay-at-home wives and/or mothers, why did you choose home? Have you always been at home or did you work at one point? What blessings have you received by being home? Do you have any regrets? Do you feel like you are missing out on things by staying home? What encouragement and advice do you have for those women who would love to be home and it seems an impossibility at the moment? Graphic from Art.com
Don't waste your life!
 A lot of thoughts have been swirling in my brain surrounding the "Don't marry a career woman" discussion.One thing I feel that most feminists don't understand is why a woman would want to give up a career, financial success, and independence. It doesn't make a lot of sense from the world's point of view. That is because most people today live only for today. Without God, there is nothing else to live for besides the moment. However, in Christ, you can find a whole new life, a life that is so much more than today. It is for Eternity! There are a lot of things in this life which may seem urgent, but there are only a few things which are important.
"For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is." (1 Corinthians 3:12)
In Eternity, the money we made, the houses we lived in, the cars we drove, the clothes we wore - none of this will matter. You have a choice...a choice to build your life around things which will satisfy you for the moment (wood, hay, stubble) and may give you pleasure and enjoyment here and now, but which will leave you sorely lacking at the end of your life. Or a choice to build your life on the foundation of Jesus Christ and to live for His glory. It is not an easy, carefree life. It is a life of serving, giving, and loving (gold, silver, precious stones). It is a life lived not for yourself, but for the glory of God. It is a life of the greatest blessing, fulfillment, joy, and peace you will ever know. Those who are choosing to live only for that which will someday burn up, won't understand why I would give up all the earthly riches, honor, pleasures, and fame in exchange to serve my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by being a help meet to my husband, by endeavoring to have our marriage be a testimony of Christ and the church to the world, by raising up my daughter in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, by seeking to make my home a beautiful haven for my family and all who enter. It doesn't make sense to them and that's okay. I don't base what I do upon what other people think. My life is not a wasted life in God's eyes and that is all that matters. Pouring our lives out for others might seem like a waste to the world, but it is not a waste to God. Giving up a career and financial independence in order to be a help meet to our husband and to train and raise the next generation to the glory of God might seem like a waste to the world, but it is not a waste to God. Staying at home and serving rather than pursuing college and a career might seem like a waste to the world, but it is not a waste to God. A life lived for self is a wasted life. A life lived to God's glory is never a wasted life. Which life are you choosing? "...Choose you this day whom ye will serve...but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:15)
Bombarded
Do you ever feel like you have at least 30 posts you really want to write right now and about 100 others you want to write very soon? That's been me for the last month or so and this week I've been bombarded with post ideas which keep nagging at my brain (Thanks in part to so many of you readers sending me articles and post suggestions!). During my computer time, my fingers can't seem to type fast enough! I really and truly promise that I'll finish posting the "From work to home series" soon and then I'm planning and mentally working on a series of posts on budgeting, frugality, and couponing. People have been asking me for the nuts and bolts of how we lived on $800-$1000 through law school and my husband has given me permission to share specifics on our budget in hopes that it might be an encouragement to many of you. I also promised a show and tell on my knitting and sewing projects which I haven't forgotten (honest!) and then I have a file full of reader questions I hope to get to soon as well. And I don't want to forget to tell you about all the fun things we've been doing as a post-law school family (we forgot what it was like to have free evenings!) and about all these wonderful books I've been reading... my to-blog-on list is endless it seems. Hope I'm not dizzying anyone with all these posts. The more I blog, the more I have to blog!
Three cheers for modesty!
 Jessica emailed me this great story earlier today:
An amusing and beautiful thing happened this morning and I have to share it with you . . and also thank you for encouraging modest dress on your blog!
Please know that I am not being judgmental in telling this story. It is just a testament - at least in my opinion - to the way men react based on how a girl chooses to attire herself. In NYC, for women, walking past or through a construction area is always an "event." I'm not saying that the men are always crude or inappropriate, but you never know what comments are going to be made and it can be extremely uncomfortable. Most women and girls I know have gotten used to it, ignore it, and avoid it when it's possible.
This morning, I saw barricades and workers in their jackets and hard hats milling around up ahead of me, as I was about half a block away from my office. As I crossed the street I realized there was no way I was getting to the building entrance without passing through the pedestrian walkway that had been put up to allow people to navigate through the construction site safely. There was a young woman ahead of me, also going into my building, who was dressed in a very short skirt, high stiletto heels, and a nearly-sheer sleeveless blouse.
A few of the men whistled and some of them called out to her - a few of them even jokingly stood in her path. She lowered her head and started walking more quickly which, of course, didn't really help the matter at this point.
I kept on walking, figuring that I might be in for it as well, since this was clearly a rowdy group. Most of their eyes had now turned to me, in my pretty-but-simple capped-sleeve dress, with a skirt that hit my knees, and "boring" low heels.
And what did one of the men say to the rest of the group standing on the walkway?
"Make way for the lady."
-Jessica Graphic from Postmark Press
Business brainstorm
I have a business idea - one that I think is a really good idea, but I'm not in the market for any new business ventures, so I'm throwing it out here in hopes that some of my savvy readers will consider picking up the baton and running with it.
I read this article earlier this week (which, by the way, all of you bloggers and wanna-be bloggers really should read it. You'll be inspired!) and I got to thinking: Why doesn't someone set up a similar company devoted to accruing and selling ads for Christian websites - maybe even narrowing the field to specifically conservative Christian homeschooling mom sites or something? There are literally thousands of those - many of whom garner thousands of visitors per week. It's a niche market, and I can think off-hand of hundreds of advertisers wanting to target that niche market. Yet, most of these mom sites are run by moms (duh!) and moms usually don't have a lot of extra time. However, most moms would jump at an opportunity to earn extra money from their blog or website. I know I would. I make a nice little sum of money off of Blogads each month, but very few of the advertisers that Blogads is going after would consider my website their target audience. So, I propose that someone with enough tech experience, business experience, and sales background consider setting up a company similar to Federated Media which is specifically for sites like mine and the thousand other Christian homeschooling mom blogs and websites out there. If you already have the tech knowhow, setting up the company wouldn't be too hard at all, the overhead costs would be extremely minimal, and getting people on board would be a snap. A husband-wife team would be great for this, or a homeschooling family with some older children to help. I foresee that you could easily make a very good sum of money off of it and, like most internet businesses, your overhead is basically nada. Yes, you wouldn't probably make as much as Federated Media, but from experience with working as an Ad Sales Manager for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and very often being apporached by companies who want to buy ads on my site, I know there are a lot of companies willing to spend a LOT of money to target homeschoolers, moms, and Christians. So, any takers? If you are seriously interested in jumping on this, I'm your first publisher to sign up. And I'll be glad to get a lot of others on board, too. That was my brilliant idea for the day. Didn't think it was brilliant? That's okay, I'll stop talking now.
Debaters take note
For those of you who like discussions and have missed the lively debates and discussions we used to have on this blog, you're in for a treat today - I'm opening up the comments thread on the "Don't marry career women" for discussion and you are welcome to chime in from all sides so long as you are respectful. I posted a few comments and thoughts to get things started. For those who don't like discussions, just disregard this post and the aforementioned post. :) If you've wondered why the lack of discussions in the last year and why there is often little opposing commentary - it's not because I'm afraid of anyone disagreeing with me or because I always think I'm right and don't ever want to have anyone question me. I appreciate any and all comments, especially those that respectfully challenge what I believe in light of Scripture. They make me think, examine what I believe, and why I believe it. My main reason for limiting a lot of debating here and not posting probably 50% of the dissenting comments is mainly due to lack of time on my part. Most opposing comments deserve some sort of response and I often don't have the time to respond. I've also learned from previous experience that certain topics can become so touchy and heated I could spend most of my day moderating a debate. It sucks up my time and thoughts and energy and it sucks up the time and thoughts and energy of many other people who probably have many more important things to do than debate online. Though I think that discussion is good many times, it can easily become unproductive and deteriorate to being downright unkind. I want this blog to be a wholesome, warm, and inviting place. Not a place that brings people down or angers and upsets them (well, some of that I can't help, but I think most of you know what I mean). I know this probably makes me a very bad blogger and is probably very bad blogging etiquette, but it's just the way it has to be right now. If you don't like it, you don't have to read my blog. There are plenty of other bloggers who welcome debate and you can become regular readers of their blog instead. I've just had to determine what is best for me regarding blogging and this is the way it works best for me. Blogging is very low on my priority list. Instead of giving up blogging, I've had to curb comments. That way I'm able to focus my blogging time on writing, which is the whole reason I blog in the first place. There, I've been wanting to make that explanation for some time and am finally getting around to it. Thanks for bearing with me and being patient with me as I learn the ropes and seek to glorify God through this blog. Any questions? Feel free to ask.
Curler time!
Kathrynne is such a girly girl! Despite the fact that she already has quite curly hair, she decided she needed a curler in it last night. After tryling unsucessfully to put it in herself, I helped her out.   She thought it was fabulous! (By the way, the Pretty in Pink t-shirt is courtesy of TheMiniTee.)
Engaging the culture
Catherine posted a very thought-provoking post today on engaging the culture. Go read it.Here's a quote: Not to put too fine a point on it, but why do we assume that Christians need to play Christian video games? Shouldn't we give some serious thought to the games we play or the movies we watch or the music we listen to? It's pretty dangerous to assume that you're "safe" with Christian arts and media. I don't think Christians should let their guards down when it comes to any aspect of culture - we need to be wise and discerning about what we put into our heads and hearts. Some things that aren't explicitly Christian can still lead us toward Truth, and some things that are labeled as Christian can still lead us away from Truth. I feel like this is serious business, especially when it comes to children that you are trying to train up in the way they should go.
Don't marry career women
Thanks to two readers for pointing me to this very interesting article from Forbes.Here's the opening: Guys: A word of advice. Marry pretty women or ugly ones. Short ones or tall ones. Blondes or brunettes. Just, whatever you do, don't marry a woman with a career.
Why? Because if many social scientists are to be believed, you run a higher risk of having a rocky marriage. While everyone knows that marriage can be stressful, recent studies have found professional women are more likely to get divorced, more likely to cheat, less likely to have children, and, if they do have kids, they are more likely to be unhappy about it. A recent study in Social Forces, a research journal, found that women--even those with a "feminist" outlook--are happier when their husband is the primary breadwinner.
Related: My husband sent me the links to these clips by Rush from today on this article: Clip 1 and Clip 2. Note: I'm not a huge fan of Rush (apologies to all you Mega Dittoes people!) but I thought he had some interesting things to say. Especially on the definition of FemiNazis. I never knew where that term was coined. Enlightening. Update #1 - 6:10 p.m.: I'm not sure what happened, but about 15 minutes after I posted this, it disappeared off the Forbes website. I've looked everywhere and can't find it on there. I have the article in it's entirety (Thanks to Andrea) and so if you want to read it, just email me: biblicalwomanhood{at}sbcglobal.net. I was surprised Forbes would publish something like this so maybe they changed their mind? I have no clue, but if anyone finds that it has reappeared on their website, please let me know. Update #2 - 9:15 p.m.: The mystery is solved! Forbes pulled the | | |
A Biblical understanding of the role of women and the distinctives given for her in Scripture is so important. GirlTalk explains why:
