Feelin' Feminine Day 1

Fall is my favorite season for several reasons:

1. It finally starts to get cool again!

2. The trees in the country are absolutely gorgeous!

3. The clothes that I get to wear!

What I'm Wearing:

An olive green sweater,

brick red scarf (or at least that was the closest crayola color I could find to match!)

multicolor scarf to (green, orange, pink, brown)

Brown ballet flats (sorry you can't see them)

Modesty and Femininity

    
"Unaffected modesty is the sweetest charm of female excellence, the richest gem in the diadem of their honor."
Noah Webste's 1828 Dictionary

Starting tomorrow, I will be participating in the "Feelin' Feminine Challenge hosted by my dear friend Jessica. I encourage you to check it out and hope that you will decide to take the challenge as well.
Since I have started this blog, I have wanted to do a post on this topic and this seems like the perfect occasion for it, so here goes:

  "So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31
 
As in all things, whenever when we are choosing clothes to wear we should be primariliy concerned with promoting God's glory. But what exactly does that look like? If you're like me, you like things spelled out to you. But the beauty of God's Word is that it does not do that. Rather, it chooses to focus primarily on the issue of the heart.

 "Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." Proverbs 31:30

"....Women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness---with good works." 1 Timothy 2:9


"Do not let your adorning be external----the braiding of hair, the wearing of gold, or the putting on of clothing--but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imiperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious."  1 Peter 3:4

The first requirement in the area of modesty is that our heart should be in the right place. We should not be concerned primarily with the external and forget about the importance of  a gentle and quiet spirit. It does not matter how "modest" your apparel is if your attitude is rebellious.
  However, I personally do not believe that these verses mean that you have to be plain or frumpy in order  to be considered modest in God's eyes. On the contrary, the Proverbs 31 woman, the model for all godly women, was dressed beautifully:

 " She is not afraid for snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet. She makes bed coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple." Proverbs 31:21-22

Another example for us is the Bride of Christ, of whom (I hope) we all are a part:

 "Let us rejoice and exult and give Him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure.."
Revelation 19:7-8

I believe that God wants us to dress modestly. But I also believe that it is important to be feminine as well.

" A woman shall not wear a man's garment, nor shall a man put on a woman's cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God." Deuteronomy 22:7

 God has created us women to be beautiful and lovely. Yes, we are supposed to dress modestly. But I do not believe it follows we are supposed to sacrifice feminity for the sake of modesty. I think they are both important in the sight of God. And when they are both present, there is nothing more beautiful.

"Stength and dignity are her clothing and she laughs at the time to come." Proverbs 31:25

 I do not know exactly how it is supposed to look like for everyone. For me, skirts are what makes me feel both modest and feminine. But I would never say anyone who does not wear skirts is sinning. To be honest, I have met some people who are more modest in pants then they are in skirts. Once again, the issue comes back to the heart.
    I hope that, at the very least, this will remind you of the importance of modesty and feminity and cause to re-examine your motive behind the way you dress. Rember Webster's words: it is the richest gem in the diadem of our honor!

A Song to Ponder

 The Glory of the Cross

"What wisdom once devised the plan

 Where all our sin and pride

 Was placed upon the perfect Lamb

 Who suffered bled and died?

 The wisdom of a Sovereign God

 Whose greatness will be shown

 When those who crucified Your Son

 Rejoice around Your throne

 And, oh, the glory of the cross

 That You would send Your Son for us

 I gladly count my life as loss

 That I might come to know

 The glory of, the glory of the cross

  What righteousness was there revealed

  That sets the guilty free

  That justifies ungodly men

  And calls the filthy clean?

  A righteousness that proved to all

  Your justice had been met

  And holy wrath is satisfied

 Through one atoning death.

  (Chorus)

  What mercy now has been proclaimed

   For those who would believe

   A love incomprehensibile

  Our minds cannot conceive?

  A mercy that forgives my sin

  Then makes me like Your Son

  And now I'm loved forevermore

  Because of what You've done

Written by: Bob Kauflin

Isn't that just beautiful? I could spend a very long time just thinking about the truths of that song.

Here are several  Scripure verses that coincide with this song:

"Oh the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgements and how inscrutable His ways!" Romans 11:33

"But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." Isaiah 53:5-6

"......the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction. For all have sinned and fall short of the glroy of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a proptiation by His blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness because in His divine forbearance He had passed over former sins. It was to show His righteousness at the present time that He might be both just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." Romans 3:22-26

"For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers." Romans 8:29

"But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus Christ my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ....." Philipians 3:7-8

In Christ

Friends

Saturday, we went with several families to a corn maze.  Here are some pictures of us with the Courters before the corn maze.  
 Note: The sun was in our eyes so please excuse the squinting

Rebekah, Me, Esther, Jessica

The boys being boys

Left to Right, Top to Bottom:

Elijah, Isaac, Lincoln, Caleb, Josiah, Joshua, Eric, Daniel, Brett, and Aaron

The whole clan

As I was reading I came across this passage in Zephaniah:
"Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion;
shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
The Lord has taken away the judgements against you;
He has cleared away your enemies.
The Kind of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
you shall never again fear evil.
On that day it shall be said to Jesusalmem:
"Fear not, O Zion;
Let not your hands grow weak.
The Lord Your God is in your midst,
a mighty One who will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness:
He will quiet you by His love;
He will exult over you with loud singing."
Zephaniah 3:14-17
Is this not a beautiful passage? It is filled so many beautiful truths from Scripture. Even if you believe that this passage is intended specifically for the nation of Israel, I believe it's principles can be found in the rest of Scripture:

"The Lord has taken away the judgments against you; He has cleared away your enemies"

"Since therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved from the wrath of God." Romans 5:9

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of Life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

"You shall never again fear evil"

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me" Psalm 23:4

" 'O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting' The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:55-57

"But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one." 2 Thessalonians 3:3

"For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace." Romans 6:14

And my favorite:
"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died --- more than that, who wa raised--who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of God? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written: 'For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

"The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty One who will save."
"Who is this King of Glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle." Psalm 24:8

"She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." Matthew 1:21

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16

"Consequently, He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them." Hebrews 7:25

"He will quiet you by His love...."
"He brought me to the banqueting house, and His banner over me was love." Sg. of Solomon 2:4

"I have loved you with an everlasting love..." Jerimiah 31:3

"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved." Ephesians 2:4

At this moment, I am in awe of God's great mercy to me. Even though I deserved judgement, because of His great mercy He has taken away those judgements. Not only that, He has also poured out His love upon me and even "exults over me with loud singing!" "Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord." I hope you were blessed even half as much as I was.

In Christ

A Delicious Recipe for Fall

As Fall is in full swing now, I thought it would be appropriate to share a delicious recipe I found:

Pumpin Pecan Muffins

2-1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanialla extract

1/2 cup chopped pecans

TOPPING:

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup finely chopped pecans

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cold butter

In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, pumpkin, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in pecans. Pour in greased or paper lined muffin cups three-fourths full.

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, pecans, and flour; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkled over batter.

Bake a 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out cles. Cool for 5 minutes before removing pan to wire rack. Serve warm.

Giveaway at Growing in Grace

Growing in Grace is having a giveaway for these curly cloths. I would encourage you to check it out. You can learn more about Curly Cloths here.

Hymns

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to the God the Father through Him." Colossians 3:16-17

Studying hymns is something I really love to do. There are so many treasures found in them. Unlike most (not all) of the contemporary hymns today, many hymns are so rich in true theology. I love it when I find a hymn that is rarely ever sung anymore but is such a rare gem. Here is a list of some of my favorites (in no particular order):

"Be Thou My Vision"

"Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing"

"And Can it Be?"

"O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing"

"Hallelujah, What a Savior"

"Show Pity, Lord"

"How Sweet and Awesome"

"Arise, my Soul Arise"*

"My Song is Love Unknown"

"My Lord, I did not Choose You"

"Crown Him with Many Crowns"

"When I Survey the Wondrous Cross"

"Praise to the Lord, the Almighty"

All of these songs can be found at http://www.hymnary.org. This is a great site for anyone who loves hymns. I would love to hear some of your favorites!

*There is one line in the second verse that I do not agree with. I usually just skip that one.

Welcome!

Welcome readers! This is my first attempt at blogging so please bear with me.I hope to be able to cover a wide range of topics (theology, books, music, movies, as well as what is going on in my life. ) and that it will all be glorifying to God.

Thanks for stopping by!

In Christ Alone