What to do.....

I know its been forever since I last posted. I'm sure many of you thought you would never hear from me again. I guess the lack of posts are because I'm just not sure what to do about this blog anymore. It started out as a platform for me to sort out my thoughts and write them down. Figure out what was of Christ and what wasn't. What was legalism and looking to rules to receive God's blessing instead of a relationship based on Christ's work for me. Hoping for input and insight from others, I started this blog and I started reveiwing the book "So Much More" That book, I felt, was one of the biggest areas I let other peoples convictions become "rules of Scripture" for me (even when it wasn't) and shape the whole course of my life (up until now) But I guess I just got bogged down. I'm not at the point where I have the answers and can figure out what of that book is true and what isn't. I'm not sure I'm ready to finish tackling it. Even though truth should be taught and lies exposed I also didn't want to become a people or ministry bashing blog. I needed to step back. Stop trying to figure it out and instead let Jesus teach me on His time table. I'm not sure what I'm going to do in the future on this blog. Maybe this will be my last post here. Maybe not. I just don't know. Thanks for all who read and commented. I hope you continue to seek and know more of Jesus. I hope He is and remains the center of your existence. That He stays the main thing. God's Blessings.

Hello again! :)....and my thoughts on Quiverfull teaching.

Wow, summer apparently is a bad idea for my blog! Oh well, maybe now that fall is coming I will get into a good routine.

I don't have anything earth shattering to share, but as I was thinking over things this summer, I stumbled upon a thought. In the quiverfull movement Ps. 127:3-5 is quoted a lot:

Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

First of all let me preface by saying that I want lots of children. Personally, I happen to think large families have many benefits. That being said I do not make a doctrine out of the above verse. The above verse is not a command.

Second, just because something is good does not mean you must go to the extreme. Children are precious, but they are not a contest or spiritual status. I remember a speaker who said, "Children are a blessing. Why would you want to cut off God's blessings by only having a couple?" Basically he was saying every time you say no to trying to have a child is like saying no to God's blessings. Who would do that?!?!? Then it dawned on me that 1 Corinthians 11 says hair is a women's glory. So if we interpret 1 Cor. 11 like we do Ps. 127 we must conclude that women should keep their hair as long as possible and never cut it. Why would you want to cut off your glory? Yet the speaker doesn't follow his own logic. His wife cuts her hair all the time. I don't think I've ever seen it much longer than her shoulders. How is that for consistency!

My third point is Ps. 127 is talking about a man in his youth. ("so are children of the youth" or another translation says "children born to a young man") Many times those who chose not to have anymore children because they are older and their wife's safety and health are a concern are looked down on as not trusting God. I would beg to differ. Maybe they are just being wise and prudent. (I am not talking about a women who has already gotten pregnant and discovered that there are complications and now wants to end the life growing inside of her. That is a different matter!)

Prov. 24:13"...eat thou honey because it is good.
Prov. 25:16 "Do you like honey? Don't eat too much, or it will make you sick!"

Maybe too much of a good thing ends up a bad thing??? Children are a blessing!!! But that doesn't mean have so many that you end up abusing them. (spiritually, physically, or mentally) Each couple should seek God's wisdom. The number of children God wants each family to have will be different. We as Christians need to stop making doctrines out of side issues that were never commands in Scripture. We need to focus on the main thing and that is Jesus.

Happy 4th of July!

Hope you have a wonderful 4th of July!

Remember to thank God for living in a free country! I don't think many of us realize how amazing that privilege really is! Please pray for those who don't get to celebrate and live in freedom. Jesus, please strengthen persecuted believers and those living in spiritual and/or physical bondage. Show them your Love!

So Much More Chapter 10-Fathers, Daughters and Highest Education

Pg. 129 The wrong education can pollute her mind, corrupt her heart, and make her useless as a tool for God's glory.

I would say, in many ways I agree with wrong education polluting one's mind. Growing up I was not firmly grounded in Christ. I didn't have a solid relationship with Him. It was more about standards than Christ. If I had gone to a public school or college I know I would have wandered in my faith. However, I am not saying that all institutions are sinful to go to. (nor am I implying that the authors are saying that) I know kids who have gone to public school and college and came out fine. In fact it amazes me and I have more respect for them. Its not hard to stay pure when you aren't tempted everyday. Its not hard to be "different" when you aren't pressured to conform.

That being said, personally I don't see the huge benefit of going off to college. It is extremely expensive and not the most efficient. (in my opinion) Whoever came up with the idea of distance college learning was a genius. I never understood the whole degree thing. I have seen people with a degree who hardly knew anything. They were just going for the diploma and not the knowledge. I have seen others who didn't have a degree and who really should have been teaching at a college since they knew so much! Yet they wouldn't get hired simply because they didn't have a piece of paper?!?! Really?!?! It drove me crazy!

I think that's one of the reasons why I jumped onto the So Much More bandwagon. I felt like it gave me "permission" to do things unconventionally. It sounded so good to say to people "No, I'm not going to college. I think God wants me to train to be a keeper-at-home" Who could argue with God? At least if people didn't agree or thought I was crazy they respected the fact that I was trying to please God. In reality, I was just afraid to say, "No I'm not going to college. I'd prefer to learn in a way I think best" Gasp! Have my own opinions and be willing to stand up for them?!?!?

I think this post ended up being my own thoughts of why I didn't do college and the reason I should have had instead of a book review. Oh well. It's my blog. :-)

I apologize

I apologize for the complete lack of posts. Its not that I don't have things to write. I do. I guess I've been to busy living life to write it down. I will attempt to have a new post in this next upcoming week.

So Much More Chapter 9: Career

Some of my thoughts:

Pages 105-107 talk about women being provided for. I think this is a good admonition. Often times women are left high and dry to support themselves and raise their children alone when husbands just walk away. This is not the way it should be. Women should not be abandoned.

Page 108 talks about women called to be keepers at home. They quote Titus 2:4-5. I have a problem with this. So often this passage is applied to unmarried women as their calling in life. I'm not sure that was what was meant. Notice the passage says these young women should love their husbands (doesn't sound like they are talking to single girls!), love their children (again married women, siblings are NOT to become sisters responsibility), subject to their husbands (again not talking to single girls) So often single girls put themselves under this passage as a rule to live by when it doesn't even seem to be talking to them!

Pg. 113 According to Scripture is chasing a career outside the home a sin? Because only God can dictate what sin is, and because sin is a very serious thing, we must be very cautious about what we label as sin. Careerism may not technically be a sin in theological terms, but doing one's best to get out from under God's order for families and society may be a sinful action done with sinful motives. It may not be "want of conformity to the law of God, but it does appear to be want of conformity to His design for civil society.

They may claim that they can't say that it is a sin but I know in those circles that girls who don't conform to these standards are not accepted, gossiped about, and looked down on for not being "enlightened" as to what God wants for every single girl. It seems a lot of girls who hold to these standards have an outward form of righteousness but ignore the matters of the heart (loving others, not gossiping, etc)

They then go on to talk about the Proverbs 31 women. My own personal note, I find Prov. 31:16 interesting. With her own earnings she buys a field. This women was earning money. She didn't go to her husband for everything she needed. So often people are trying to create rules to live by: A women shouldn't work outside the home. Why do we need to create rules if Scripture didn't? Maybe when God gives a women a love for her husband and children she will be able to see how to earn some money in a balanced way without harming her husband or children and without needing to be bound by rules that aren't even in Scripture anyway!

Pg. 115, 116 I appreciated the admonition here that women who are childless or whose children are grown and gone don't have to go to work but instead can be ministering to the body of believers. So often women are made to feel worthless or lazy if they don't go and get a job when their children are grown. Personally I think money isn't the most important thing. If women want to help other believers instead of getting a job I think they should be free to do so without being looked down upon.

So Much More Chapter 8

pg. 93 The word "femininity" is also fraught with derogatory misinterpretations. It is a common misconception that femininity is all about being fluffy, pink, prissy, flirtatious, bimbo-like or trivial. These are descriptions that the world brings to mind when the word "feminine" pops up, but nowhere in Scripture are such things mentioned as being signs of godly womanhood.

I appreciated the above statement because so often I was told that to truly embrace godly womanhood I had to basically look like I came from the Victorian era. Not everyone likes lace, ruffles, or the color pink. Just because one dresses with less frills doesn't mean they are trying to rebel against femininity. Maybe they are just being practical. Imagine having to wash yards and yards of material for just one dress! I think I'll pass....