The Pioneer Woman

Most Saturday mornings, I watch The Pioneer Woman on the Food Network Channel.  Her food looks delicious.  She isn't into my kind of healthy eating but the recipes I have tried of hers are wonderful!  What I love about the show is simply watching a family function as God intended for it to function.

Ree Drummond loves her husband.  I read her blog years before she became famous.  For many months, she shared her love story with us.  She is always building her husband up and thinks he is wonderful.  He does seem wonderful.  He loves God, his family, and he works very hard.

They live on a huge cattle ranch.  All the children get up early and help out on the ranch.  They all work very hard.  Ree homeschools all her children.  You can tell they are very happy children.  The family goes to church every Sunday and is involved in their church.

She loves to entertain and has people over all the time.  She loves her in-laws and is kind to everyone she meets.  She is very funny.  I still follow her blog and laugh while I am reading it.

It is difficult to find television shows anymore with happy, whole families.  It is becoming out of style much to the detriment of children and society.  It will never be out of style with God, however.  It is His plan and His plans are always the best.

And the Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.  And the man said, "This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh;  She shall be called Woman because she was taken out of Man."  For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.

Genesis 2:22-24

And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply."

Genesis 1:22

The Valley Of The Shadow Of Death

Nik Wallenda tightroped across the Grand Canyon as many of you know.  As he was walking across the valley of the shadow of death, he was continually saying, "Praise you, Jesus.  Praise you, Lord," over and over again.

This is exactly what the Lord wants us to do whenever we go through any trials. 

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials.
James 1:2

It isn't always easy, that is for sure.  However, the Bible tell us to rejoice always so we will have endurance and become perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

As you walk on this tightrope called life begin praising Him by saying something like ~

Thank you, Jesus.  I love you, Lord.  You are kind, merciful, loving, faithful, longsuffering, patient, and forgiving.  Thank you for living inside of me.  Thank you for all the blessings you have bestowed upon me.  You are holy and pure.  You are mighty and awesome.  Thank you, Jesus.  Thank you for forgiving me and making me a new creature.  Thank you for saving me from the wrath to come.  I praise your Holy Name...

Dwell on the lovely, good, and the pure.  We are not of this world.  Our home is in heaven.  He has a wonderful plan for our life.  He works all things together for our good.

Our past is forgiven, our present is filled with his power, and our future is filled with hope.  We should be the happiest people around!

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 
I fear no evil, for You are with me; 
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Psalm 23:4

Picture is from Discovery Channel

My Love Of Mason Jars

We use mason jars a lot. In fact, we don't need any Tupperware type containers since mason jars are so versatile, plus we have learned of the many dangers of storing food and drinks in any type of plastic.  I love how tight mason jars seal the food so it keeps fresh a lot longer.

These jars are great for safely storing my homemade chicken broth. I have a large mug of it every morning seasoned with sea salt since I know it is full of minerals that are good for bones, ligaments and digestive health. It may not sound too tasty but it is delicious, warm and soothing! It would be GREAT for children and for when anyone in your home is sick.  We use the mason jars to drink out of all the time. 

The jar in the middle has fresh lemonade with the juice of one lemon and a bit of stevia to sweeten it up. We both have a big glass of this each day since lemon what is so alkalizing and cleansing. It tastes great also! You can use mason jars for hot and cold drinks.

I also use mason jars to store my homemade homemade kefir. We use it in our smoothies mostly. The other two jars are salted, soaked and dehydrated nuts that I make quite often since they are our favorite snack foods. I also salt, soak and dehydrate sunflower and pumpkin seeds. They are wonderful on salads. The soaking, salting and dehydrating makes nuts and seeds crunchy, easier to digest, and healthier. 

You can also use them to store grains, flours, soups, etc. They are very inexpensive and last forever as long as you don't drop them. Most major supermarkets, Walmarts, and Targets carry them so they are easy to find. You can order the lids online when you need new ones. They look great lined up in a pantry!

Praise ye the Lord.  O give thanks unto the Lord; 

for He is good: for his mercy endures forever.

Psalm 106:1

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Raising A Happy Family

In order to have a happy family, you must have a happy marriage.  When there is disunity and discord between the parents, it is not a happy home.

I have seen happy homes where the parents are crazy about each other.  There is peace and unity.  It permeates the whole home.  The children are happy since the parents are so happy.

You can have a good home without a happy marriage.  I was raised in a good home and so were my children.  The parents stayed married.  The dad worked hard to provide.  The mother was a stay-at-home mom who took good care of her family.  The family was in church every Sunday.

However, now we have a happy home and my children {all grown up now} can absolutely tell the difference.  When there is conflict between the parents, the whole family feels it and suffers.  They truly don't know what they are missing until the parents become happy with each other and the children then can sense the difference in the atmosphere of the home.

We didn't argue in front of the children so they didn't know we didn't get along.  But you can't hide disunity.  It is felt.  When a husband and wife are smiling a lot at each other, enjoying each other, affectionate with each other, and loving each other, everyone wins.

Working at having a happy marriage benefits everyone, especially your children.  Society benefits also, however, when they are modeled happy marriages which helps produce secure children.  I can hardly remember any happy homes when I was growing up.

Our children deserve happy homes in this very unhappy world.  Do what you can to have a happy marriage, thus creating a happy home.  It is the best gift you can give them.

A merry heart doeth good like medicine.

Proverbs 17:22

***My beautiful niece just got married in France.  
She was raised in a very happy family!

Couples Choosing Childlessness

One in five women are choosing to be childless compared to years ago which was one in ten, according to CBS Sunday Morning show.  The "expert" on the show said it cost a million dollars to raise a child now and who wants to spend all that money to have that child grow up and tell you he hates you when he turns fifteen.

He also said that America is below the replacement rate which means we will turn into Florida.  There will be a ton of old people living on government assistance without enough young people to support them.  He also said that raising children isn't that fun.  There are a lot of not so fun times.

Tell me.  What job is always fun???  Even when you vacation in Hawaii, it is not always fun.  Sure, raising children takes a lot of hard work but there are also many rewards.

One does not have to spend a million dollars to raise a child.  There are many frugal ways instead.  You can buy almost everything used today at garage sales.  You can make your baby food from scratch.  You can use cloth diapers.  You can homeschool them.  There are many ways to save money.

Not one of my children ever told me they hated me.  You can't always determine how children will turn out but you can do the best you know how to raise disciplined, hard-working, and honest children.  Yes, it takes hard work but there was nothing else I wanted to do more.

We have been hearing so long that the world is overpopulated but now we are hearing couples aren't having enough children to sustain societies.  This is why we must never listen to the lies of society but always listen to God instead.

He calls children a gift and a blessing.  He commands for us to be fruitful and multiply.  He wants us to have children if possible.  

And God blessed them, and God said unto them, 
Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
Genesis 1:28

A Minister's Wise Advice

A minister tells about a wife who left his office full of hatred towards her husband.  "I not only want to get rid of him, I not only want to divorce but I want to hurt him as much as he has hurt me."  

The minister suggested an ingenious plan.  "Go home and act as if you really love your husband. Tell him how much he means to you.  Praise him for every decent trait.  Go out of your way to be as kind, considerate, and as generous as possible.  Spare no effort to please him.  Enjoy him.  Make him believe you love him and after you have convinced him of your undying love and that you cannot live without him then drop the bomb and tell him you are getting a divorce. That will really hurt him and boy, will he be surprised."  

And she did it with enthusiasm.  For two months playing this game, playing this part, acting if she loved him all the while thinking about how much she could hurt him in the end.  She continued to do this.  She never called the minister back.  After two months, he called her and said, "Are you ready now to get the divorce?"  She said, "Divorce? Never!  I've discovered I really do love him!"

Yes, he had been mean to her and she wanted to get back at him.  Instead, she acted the way God told her to act instead of how she felt like acting.  THIS is a spiritual battle, not a human battle.  When marriages are falling apart, Satan is busy at work.

In order to fight this battle, you must put on the full armor of God everyday.  When husbands are mean and angry, they are being controlled by the enemy of their soul.  Wives who are being controlled by the Lover of their souls have a mighty weapon in this battle.

Be in God's Word daily, meditating upon it.  Pray consistently.  Listen to uplifting sermons and music.  Dwell on the lovely and the good.  Be mentored by an older, wiser woman that can help you keep up the battle to win your husband.

Always remember, you can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens you! Fight for your marriage.  Be the wife God has called you to be.

Put on the whole armor of God, 
that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
Ephesians 6:11 

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Fervent Love

The Bible commands that we love one another fervently.  Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently. {I Peter 2:22}

According to the dictionary, fervent means ~

having or showing great warmth or intensity of spirit, feeling,

enthusiasm, etc.; ardent: a fervent admirer; a fervent plea.

hot; burning; glowing

Do the people around you feel that kind of love emanating from you?  Especially your husband?  Does he feel you accept him for his faults and love him any ways?  Are you happy to see him when he walks into a room?  Does he know you defend him and always speak good about him to others?  Are your children deeply secure in the love you have for their father?

It is good to examine ourselves and make sure we are walking according to Scripture.  The Bible tells us that in the last days people's love will grow cold.  Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold. {Matthew 24:12} 

We see it happening all around us.  Marriages are crumbling.  Families are being torn apart.  Evil and hate are growing.  Immorality is rising.  What is right is wrong and what is wrong is right.  We, who are called by His name, must be diligent to love others fervently for love overcomes a multitude of sins. Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. {I Peter 4:8}

So, for now on, don't make your husband, children, family, and friends guess if you love them.  Love them deeply, consistently, and earnestly even when they don't deserve it.  Let us continue to be salt and light to this rapidly decaying lost world.

Stop Being Angry!

Are you angry with someone? Your husband?  Your children?  Your neighbor?  Democrats?  Liberals?  Conservatives?  If you claim to be a Christian, there should be no anger in your heart.  God calls us to love others and when you are angry with others, you are not loving them.

We are to live lives that are full of forgiveness and mercy towards others.  We need to accept them the way that they are and let them live their lives the way that they want to even when we disagree with them. 

Most people use anger to try to manipulate and control others.  I know I sure did that with Ken for many years.  Let me fill you in on a little secret...It doesn't work.  Anger just pushes people farther away from you.  Love and acceptance is what pulls people towards you.

For the wrath of man works not the righteousness of God.  {James 1:20}  But now you also put off all these:  anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.  {Colossians 3:8}

Bottom line ~  Getting angry is not God's will for your life and it accomplishes nothing good.  Be patient with those people around you.  Do not give into your feelings, but choose to walk in the Spirit and do what is right.

Be a cheerleader for those in your life.  Get rid of your anger and critical spirit and love all those that God has graciously put into your path.

Sunshine Mary's Advice

You know, ladies, it ultimately does not matter if you are in love with your husband, if you are attracted to him, or even if you are happy with life in general, though certainly these are nice things to have.  Despite what you may have been taught, your personal feelings of happiness are not the greatest good and you should not trust your own deceitful heart to lead you.  If you are a mother and you actually love your children, you will not do anything to jeopardize your children's chances of growing up with their father in the home.  Instead, you will obey God, take up your cross and follow Him.

Rather than allowing the world to influence us to prioritize our own happiness above all else and to seek to fulfill the lusts of the flesh, let us instead remind ourselves of what God calls women to be: faithful, Godly, reverent, loving, gentle, kind, selfless, patient, pure, wise, and self-controlled.  And if you were blessed enough to have a mother who embraced the cross of self-sacrifice to raise you, take a moment to thank our Lord for her.
{Sunshine Mary}

This advice is completely contrary to the advice one hears today, even in the churches.  However, it is the advice the Bible gives and I have seen it work over and over again.  Is it easy?  Walking in obedience is rarely "easy" but practice makes perfect.

Begin loving others more than yourself.  Being serving others and putting their desires above your own.  You will be amazed at how much more rewarding your life will become.

I appeal to you therefore, brothers,
by the mercies of God,
to present your bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and acceptable to God,
which is your spiritual worship.

Romans 12:1

Naked With A Smile

This is all most husbands want...a naked wife who smiles a lot.  They want a joyful wife that enjoys life with him.  One who doesn't feel it's her "duty" to keep him fulfilled sexually, but enjoys pleasing him in this way. 

Gabrielle Reece is being lambasted for saying things similar to this and that she chooses to serve her husband.  She even uses the word "submission."  Ken and I were discussing this recently.  It's okay for a mother to serve her children out of motherly love.  It's okay for a woman to serve her boss for the sake of getting a paycheck.  But serving her husband out of love for him...NO WAY!

Most men aren't that complicated.  They don't care if their wives look like models.  They want a woman who will love them as they are, not argue with them, allow them to be the leader, fix them good food, be happy, and give them lots of sex.

I have known women who dress in the closet.  They don't want their husbands to see them naked.  They want the lights out and the covers over them.  What does their husband want?  Have they ever asked him?  I doubt it because most men wouldn't put an order in for a wife like that.

Find out what pleases your husband.  What will make you most beautiful to your husband is a happy, joyful spirit and being naked for him a lot!

She that is married cares for things of this world, 
how she may please her husband.
I Corinthians 7:34

Dealing With A Daughter's Weight

Diet and weight are huge issues in our society.  Huge!  I read HERE how you should never say about yourself that you are fat and ugly in the presence of your daughter or her life and body image will be ruined forever.  The author ended the article with ~

Let us honour and respect our bodies for what they do instead of despising them for how they appear. Focus on living healthy and active lives, let our weight fall where it may, and consign our body hatred in the past where it belongs. 

Then I read THIS where the author responded to something posted on Facebook.

The post on Facebook ~ If I ever have a daughter:  She will always know how gorgeous she is.  There will be no scales in the house.  The words 'diet' and 'fat' will be like swear words.  I never want her feeling like I do.  The author responded in her article with ~

If you are going to try and control something, control what your child eats so they don't get fat in the first place.  Teach them good eating habits, teach them to adhere to a healthy diet.  That will save them far more grief than turning the words "fat" and "diet" into swear words.  They won't have a bad connotation if you don't let your daughters get fat.

This is not an easy subject.  We were careful with what our children ate when they were younger.  I fed them very healthy food and wanted them to play outside a lot.  We wouldn't let them eat much junk nor would we let them overeat.  We were definitely considered "strict parents."

As our daughters got older, if we thought they were gaining weight, we would talk to them about it.  I know this is supposedly a "taboo" subject but we felt no subject was "taboo" with our children.  If we saw any sin in their lives, we would talk to them about it.

Do they think we did it the right way?  I am not sure.  I am not sure there is an exactly right way to handle this situation.  Food  and weight are extremely sensitive subjects but I don't think they should be avoided.  Most men do like women who are in shape.  Not necessarily thin but in shape and healthy.  Being at a decent weight is much healthier also.

Each couple must seek wisdom in this area but I think it should definitely be talked about, modeled, and confronted in your children's lives.  Even if you do everything right, they may struggle with their weight since we live in a society of abundance and junk food everywhere.  We are admonished to be known for our moderation, however.  This is a good quality to teach your children.

Let your moderation be known unto all men. 

The Lord is at hand.

Philippians 4:5

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Are Women Happier Today?

Are women happier now than years ago?  We are taught to be strong, independent, and make a name for ourselves.  Most women seem to be in a continual fight with their husbands because they want to wear the pants in the relationship.  Here is what a commenter on another blog wrote on this very topic ~

Would you rather be happy or right? That’s a question my father once asked me when I asked him why he was putting up with a veritable hail of whining from my mother. As it turns out, he should have been asking my mother the question.

Men tend to ask themselves this question on a regular basis, opting for happy. For women, the idea never occurs. Everything is about truth, justice, and the feminine way.

The fact is women were self-reportedly more satisfied with their lives when they spent their days caring for their children, maintaining the house, cooking delicious meals, and exercising so she could flash her husband a view of her shapely thighs as she headed upstairs for the night. Never mention this fact to the modern woman as it will give them the vapors. “But that’s, not right! Women didn’t have CHOICES! They were basically SLAVES! They didn’t have INDEPENDENCE! There’s no way they could have been happy.”

  
I think he is right.  I know I lived most of my married life wanting to be right rather than happy.   Happiness comes from doing things God's way, not my way.  Happy is the man that finds wisdom, and the man that gets understanding. {Proverbs 3;13} 

Most women don't seem too happy today.  Many woman I mentor are angry, bitter, and resentful towards her husband.  It usually starts with an unthankful heart.  "He's working too hard."  "He doesn't help me around the house enough."

As I have grown older, the more I realize that the relationship is much more important than being right.  God didn't make us the same.  Every human being is unique, made in the image of God, and is gifted with different skills and abilities.  It is so sad that we have forgotten this solid evidence and tried to make everyone the same.

P.S. The beautiful picture from White Ironstone Cottage.  She lets me use her pictures whenever I want so when you see a beautiful picture like the one above, it is probably from her blog!

His Power To Provide

He calms the raging sea.  He fed thousands of people with a few loaves of bread and a few fish.  He walked on water.  He healed people of their diseases.  He raised Lazarus from the dead.  He conquered death and won the battle over sin, yet we fear for our future?

He fills us with His Spirit and gives us eternal life.  He promises us that all things work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.  We have all we need for life and godliness.  He has give us exceeding great and precious promises.  Why is so easy to fear?

He is preparing a mansion for us.  He loves us.  We are His children.  He has saved us from the wrath to come.  The righteous will never have to beg for bread. {Psalm 37:25}  We should be the happiest, most joyful people around.  People should be attracted to our optimistic spirit since we know the end of the story.

Don't allow the events that are happening around you to get you down.  Yes, weep with those who weep and mourn with those who mourn, but never forget to share the hope we have and the joy He shares with us.  Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus Christ and His righteousness.  He has made us righteous!!!

Oh, the depths of His riches and love.  We cannot even begin to fathom.  We must simply believe like a child and trust Him.  Trust and obey for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life,

what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink;

nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. 

Is not the life more than meat,

 and the body than raiment? 

But seek ye first the kingdom of God,

and His righteousness;

and all these things shall be added unto you.

Matthew 6:25,33

Happy Father's Day!!!

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Curing a Sinus Infection without Drugs!

When I had brain surgery, they went up my nose and through my sinus cavity to reach my tumor. After the first surgery, I healed without incidence. The second one was a different story, however. I had never had a sinus infection in my life and my head was pounding a month afterwards! I finally was able to do a nasal wash and a ton of thick, green and hard mucus came out. I had a raging sinus infection. 

I tried doing the neti pot but all I was getting from it was a worse headache. I researched the Internet for a better solution since I refused to take antibiotics. Drugs damage the gut and cause side effects. ALL drugs have side effects and are toxic to the human body. 

I finally found a post written by a woman who had cured her sinus infection by putting different things in the neti pot. However, near the end of the article, she had an update since she got another raging sinus infection and her neti pot wasn't working.

She found a cure by putting 8 to 10 drops of Best Process Trace Minerals in a dropper half filled with sterilized water. {I just used my reverse osmosis water and boiled it.} Then you lay flat on your back and put in a half of dropper full into each nostril. You'll get some in your throat so I keep a cloth with me that I can spit in. It will sting very badly at first but lay there for a few minutes and do that multiple times a day until it no longer stings, which can sometimes take a week or more. This means it is healed. You may just want to start with a few drops at first since it does sting if there is infection.

This was the only way I was able to heal my sinus infection. I want you to know that I am not a doctor and take NO responsibility for your experience with this product. I love to share natural healing means with others and it sure worked for me!

UPDATE 2018: I recently got a sinus infection from a cold and nothing I had previously done helped it to get better. I finally boiled some water, put one drop of oregano oil in the water, put a towel over my head, and breathed in the steam for about ten minutes. This cured it completely in a week! It loosened all of the mucous in my sinus cavity and healed it. It was great to find this cure.

***Remember, I'm NOT a doctor. I'm just a homemaker who loves to research 
natural cures and have found many that have worked for my family and me. Information I have given is for educational and informational purposes only and to motivate you to make your own health care and dietary decisions based upon your own research and in partnership with your health care provider. Any statements or claims about the possible health benefits conferred by any foods or supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Nothing you read here should be relied upon to determine dietary changes, a medical diagnosis or course of treatment.

My Favorite Non~Toxic Hair Products

Since the majority of shampoos have many toxic chemicals that are not good for your health,  I am always looking for the most non-toxic shampoo I can find.  Everything we put onto our skin is absorbed into our body. We need to, therefore, pay close attention to the products we are using on our skin and hair.

I tried baking soda and vinegar for awhile but didn't like it at all. My sister has been using this method for years and loves it! Her hair always looks great but my hair always feels greasy and my head itched!

I have also tried bar shampoos in the past but had little success. The soap build-up got to be too much and my hair looked dirty.  I think they work best if you have soft water.  I have hard water and my hair feels heavy if I use it all the time.

Aubrey Organics is a great line of products. I love their shampoo and conditioner. Giovanni products are great also. I have using their hair spray for years!

These products work great for me. What are your favorite hair products?

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Psalm 51:7

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Content And Emotionally Stable

Do these words describe you? They are suppose to if you are a believer.

But godliness with contentment is great gain. 

I Timothy 6:6

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear;

 but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 

2 Timothy 1:7 

Many women are controlled by their emotions and hormones.  If they feel well, they are friendly and happy.  If they are not feeling well, they are grumpy, mean, and discontent.  This is why it is so important to be continually renewing our minds with God's Truth.

He tell us that we have everything we need for life and godliness.  He reminds us that all things work together for good to those who love Him.  His Spirit gives us self-control. We must remind ourselves of these truths continually and believe them.

Every one will go through many trials on this earth.  Every one has their own personal struggles but when those around you see you going through them with peace and joy, God is glorified.

Therefore, be content with the husband the Lord has blessed you with.  Be content with the home that you live in and the way it is decorated.  Don't go looking for another husband or home. Be content with how much money your husband makes and learn to live within your means.  Be content with the weather and your neighbors.  Learn to be content!

Let the Word of God dwell in you richly so when trials come, you will have a sound mind as you remind yourself of all of God's promises.  Don't dwell on the news and the stuff going on in the world.  That will just lead to depression.  Remind yourself who wins in the end.

For now on, tell yourself you are content and emotionally stable.  Speak positive words to yourself, not negative ones which come from our enemy.  Start believing God and His life giving words and not the words the world wants you to hear.  For they are life and give life abundant and free.

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Purpose For My Blog

You claim the "clear" teachings of Scripture, and yet against strong biblical support for contrary views you defend your own with personal anecdotes and prooftexting. Seems it's less "Always Learning" and more affirming your current beliefs. 

But I don't blame you. After many years in the church, I blame the church itself, who teaches both men and women to parrot their lines without proper exegesis. This is what I take umbrage with.

I'll leave you with this: 1 Cor. 7:8. {I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I am.} It's right there, freeing women to reject marriage. You're free to tell women they CAN be homemakers. It's shameful and unbiblical to tell them they MUST.

These are the words of another reader upset with what I am teaching.  They forgot to add the verse right after verse 8, "But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn."

The purpose of my blog is based upon Titus 2:4,5 "The aged women...may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed."

I have never stated that all women MUST be homemakers.  I am teaching what the Bible commands for me to teach.  Also, in the beginning, God knew it was not good for Adam to be alone so He created a help meet and commanded they be fruitful and multiply.  He said, "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife:  and they shall be one flesh."

God created marriage and it is good.  I have never personally met a woman who didn't want to be married.  I know there are some out there, nuns for instance, but the large majority want to be married and many want children.  This is who I am writing this blog for.

Standing Against Evil

Stand firm in the fight against evil. Never admit compromise. Prefer to lose everything, life, salary, conditions, rather than sacrifice your conscience.  {Solzhenitsyn}

The picture above is a French Women's Traditionalist Group.  These young, and maybe one or two not so young, women belong to a group called Les Antigones, which seems to have been formed expressly to oppose Femen, the "Ukrainian" feminist group that protests topless. 

Do you notice how modest and feminine they all look?  My hat is off to these brave, young women who stand firm against evil and embrace their femininity.  The quote above is from a man who refused to give up his fight against communism.

We must never stop standing firm against evil in every form.  It surrounds us, especially as our society gets darker and darker.   We must always remember that greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world.

If your desire is to be a full time wife and mother, 

never be ashamed to admit it.

If you don't want to use birth control but want to have many children to show the world what a blessing they are, go for it as long as your husband agrees.

If you refuse to wear bikinis but want to be modest even while swimming, 

wear a modest bathing suit and be an example to others.

If you believe in being submissive and allowing your husband 

to be the head of the home, 

model what that looks like to your children and those around you.

Let love be without hypocrisy.  

Abhor what is evil; cleave to what is good.

Romans 12:9

Purity Before Marriage

"Ryan and Erin are a breath of fresh air.  We hardly ever get to mentor a couple like them anymore where both were raised in families who loved God and they both have deep roots in Jesus.  Even couples in the church are usually sleeping or living together."

These comments were made to us from a couple at our church who have been giving pre-marital counseling to couples for the past twenty years.  It is a sad statement to me about the condition of the church today.

It is quite clear where the Bible stands on chastity, yet 80% of young unmarried adults aged 18-29 who self-describe as evangelical Christians have had sex. The church seems to be doing a poor job of teaching these verses and instilling a desire to be obedient to God’s Word in single Christians, and single Christians are doing a poor job of maintaining their chastity in obedience to God’s Word. {source}

God gives us commands to protect us. When we disobey His commands, we will suffer the consequences.  Yes, God will cleanse us from our sins but we will have scars.

I had my neck fused a few years ago.  A disc was pushing into my spinal cord causing all kinds of problems.  The disc has been taken out now but I still suffer from some issues from the surgery and the injury.

Sin is the same way.  It can be taken out of your life but you will still suffer scars from your disobedience, especially sexual sins for the Bible says we reap what we sow in our own bodies.  God knows what He is talking about when He commands us to flee sexual immorality.

Jennifer Moses in her article Why Do We Let Them Dress Like That? writes,  "It has to do with how conflicted my own generation of women is about our own past, when many of us behaved in ways that we now regret.  A woman I know, with two mature daughters, said, "If I could do it again, I wouldn't even have slept with my own husband before marriage. Sex is the most powerful thing there is, and our generation, what did we know?"

So here we are, the feminist and post feminist and post pill generation. We somehow survived our own teen and college years {except for those who didn't}, and now, with the exception of some Mormons, evangelicals and Orthodox Jews, scads of us don't know how to teach our own sons and daughters not to give away their bodies so readily. We're embarrassed, and we don't want to be, God forbid, hypocrites.

Still, in my own circle of girlfriends, the desire to push back is strong. I don't know one of them who doesn't have feelings of lingering discomfort regarding her own sexual past. And not one woman I've ever asked about the subject has said that she wishes she'd "experimented" more.

Be bold and teach your children truth.  They aren't animals who have to act upon their instincts but human beings created in the image of God with self-control.  Let the Word of God dwell in them richly and teach it to them often.  As they grow up, continue encouraging them in the ways of God and pray for them daily.  For with God,  ALL things are possible.

Let marriage be held in honor among all,

and let the marriage bed be undefiled,

for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.

Hebrews 13:4

His Outdated Grandmother

My grandmother is the antithesis of what our feminist foes want every girl to be.  She goes to the gym every day, despite being 70+ years old.  She cooks massive delicious meals every time from scratch, feeding everyone in the family with plenty of leftovers. She cleans, takes care of her husband and never complains. She is what used to be the epitome of a housewife.

He {my grandfather} works everyday from 8am-6pm and comes home tired to his wife.  But given her traditional ways, he absolutely and utterly loves her. He brings her flowers from time to time, and grandmother is genuinely excited every time. He tells her he loves her. There is no “beta” here, because this is the true nature of man and woman, the former the provider of security and the latter the provider of family. Traditional gender roles foster actual love.

When I am at these dinners despite the fantastic satiety I inevitably feel I do get sad. I think about how this is very unlikely to happen for me in America. I start wondering if these brainwashed girls here realize that they are sacrificing their true happiness for some fabricated ideal of the independent female. But most of all I feel bad for any son I may eventually have — as by the time he will be dating, even these smaller sects of non-corrupted females will have died out and eventually become like the dodo…extinct.

The man who wrote these words isn't a believer, I don't think. Believer or unbeliever, however, most men long for wives like his grandmother. A wife who is joyful, cares about how she looks, and loves taking care of him.

The Bible always turns out to be right. This grandmother fits the definition of the Proverbs 31 woman and the women the New Testament encourages women to be. When women lived like this, society was a much better place. Husbands and children were well cared for and much happier.

So what if you are outdated. You are biblical and that is all that matters, pleasing our Lord and Savior. Be that extinct wife and mother and show the world that it is still very much in style.  Then pass it down to your daughters so men will still be able to find wives that enjoy the traditional, biblical roles.

I will therefore that the younger women marry, 

bear children, guide the house,

 give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully. 

I Timothy 5:14