What Makes A Beautiful Woman, Part 5

...likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire...1 Timothy 2:9

Do I avoid extreme or excessive fashions (hair, clothing, jewelry, make-up) that could call attention to myself or cause people to be distracted from focusing on the Lord?

Do I avoid extravagant jewelry or clothing that could flaunt my wealth or cause others to be envious?

Do my wardrobe and outward appearance portray a spirit of moderation, sobriety, purity , and reverence?






Biblical Portrait of Womanhood,
Nancy Leigh DeMoss

What Makes A Beautiful Woman, Part 4

...likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire...1 Timothy 2:9

Do I dress modestly?

Do my clothing styles encourage men to think pure thoughts, rather than stimulating them to have sensual thoughts or desires?

Do I dress in such a way as to draw attention to the herat and spirit of Jesus within me, rather than to my physical body?

Biblical Portrait of Womanhood,

Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Theology Thursday

NATURAL EVIL

Any evil that comes about that cannot be attributed to a personal agent such as man or God. Natural evils included weather disasters, cancer, and starvation. They stand in direct contrast to “moral evils” which are attributed to the volition of man. Sometimes natural evils are known as “surd evils.” Surd is the Latin translation of the Greek alogos meaning “without reason” since they do not seem to have any apparent mitigating good.

MORAL EVIL

Any evil that happens which can be attributed to the volition of a personal agent, whether God, angels, or man. Moral evils are those which have an intent or reason, often without benevolence, but sometimes with a benevolent “greater good” in mind. Murder and killing in a just war are both moral evils, but not to the same degree. Moral evils stand in contrast to natural evils which are those events, such as weather disasters, that come about without a personal agency and without any apparent reason.

MORAL LAW

A term used to distinguish between the types of representative laws in biblical and systematic theology as well as philosophy. In biblical theology, the moral law represents the laws of the Mosaic Law that transcend both cultural and temporal barriers such as murder, adultery, lying, and stealing. This is to be distinguished from both the civil and ceremonial laws which are relative to the theocratic government of Israel and dissolved when the theocracy ended. In systematic theology, the moral law applies broadly to the entire moral code of ethics which is inherently represented in all of humanity. These include but are not limited to the moral laws of the Old Testament. In philosophy, the moral law is associated with the “Categorical Imperative” of Immanuel Kant.

RATIONALISM

[rash‘-uh-nuh-liz’-um] (Latin rationalis, “reason”)

The theory of epistemology (the study of knowledge) which limits knowledge to that which is intuitively known without regard to experience (contra empiricism). Rene Descartes is often referred to as the father of rationalism, believing that all knowledge must be justified by innate intellectual deduction. John Locke and David Hume challenged the rationalistic assumption.

OPEN THEISM

Open Theism, also referred to as “free will theism” and “openness theology,” is the belief that God does not exercise meticulous control of the universe but leaves it “open” for humans to make significant free will choices that impact their relationships with God and others. A corollary of this is that God has not predetermined the future. Open Theists further believe that this would imply that God does not know the future exhaustively.Among proponents of this view are Gregory Boyd, John Sanders, and Clark Pinnock.

Credit: www.relaimingthemind.com

What Makes A Beautiful Woman, Part 3

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

Am I more concerned about cultivating my relationship with the Lord than about being fashionable, stylish, or physically attractive?

Do I live in the constant, conscious recognition of the presence of God?

Do I desire to please God more than I desire the approval of others?




Biblical Portrait of Womanhood,
Nancy Leigh DeMoss

What Makes A Beautiful Woman, Part 2

For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves...1 Peter 3:5

Am I more concerned about being holy than about being happy?

Am I placing my hope and trust in God rather than in people?

Biblical Portrait of Womanhood,

Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Hold Me Jesus

Well, sometimes my life

Just don't make sense at all

When the mountains look so big

And my faith just seems so small

CHORUS:

So hold me Jesus, 'cause I'm shaking like a leaf

You have been King of my glory

Won't You be my Prince of Peace

And I wake up in the night and feel the dark

It's so hot inside my soul

I swear there must be blisters on my heart

CHORUS

Surrender don't come natural to me

I'd rather fight You for something

I don't really want

Than to take what You give that I need

And I've beat my head against so many walls

Now I'm falling down, I'm falling on my knees

And this Salvation Army band

Is playing this hymn

And Your grace rings out so deep

It makes my resistance seem so thin

CHORUS

You have been King of my glory

Won't You be my Prince of Peace

What Makes A Beautiful Woman, Part 1

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

Do others see in me an inner radiance and beauty that are the result of a grateful, yielded, trusting spirit?

Do I focus more time and effort on cultivating inner spiritual beauty than I do on matters of external beauty?

Biblical Portrait of Womanhood,

Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Why Was I Created As A Woman, Part 4

The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.  Genesis 3:20

Do I recognize and accept my God-created calling to be a bearer andnurturer of life?

Do I consider it a high and holy calling to be a "mother," whether of physical or spiritual chilren?

Am I actively involved in bearing and nurturing life?





Biblical Portrait of Womanhood,
Nancy Leigh DeMoss





Biblical Portrait of Womanhood,
Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Frugal Friday: Brita Water Pitcher

Several months ago I started buying bottled water at Sam's.  It was really cheap, at $4 for 35 bottles.  Then it starting getting hot outside and my family was drinking more and more water; nearly a case a week.  That meant spending $16 of my monthly budget on water!!!  I just didn't want to do that.  About a month ago I went to a bridal shower and the sweet bride got a Brita water pitcher.  It got me to thinking and researching.  I discovered that the price of a case of water from Sam's was the same as a Brita filter from Sam's.  So for the same $4 I was spending on 35 bottles of water, I could filter 40 GALLONS with a Brita pitcher.  That was a no brainer!  I bought a pitcher from Bed, Bath & Beyond and a pack of filters from Sam's immediately!





http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=12828969



http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/product.jsp?productId=132048&navAction=

Why Was I Created As A Woman, Part 2

"For man was not made from woman, but woman from man.  Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.  I Corinthians 11:8-9

Do I recognize and accept that God created the woman to complete, complement, and help the man?

Is my life helping and blessing the men around me in ways that promote holiness and godliness?










Biblical Portrait of Womanhood,
Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Why Was I Created As A Woman, Part 1

"Then the LORD God said, "it is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him." Genesis 2:18

Have I embraced my God-created design to be a helper to the man?

Am I willing to sacrifice my own ambitions and aspirations in order to fulfill my primary role and aspirations in order to fulfill my primary role and calling as a helper to my husband?

Am I providing companionship for my husband?

Am I completing and complementing my husband, rather than competing with him?

How could I better help my husband fulfill God's purpose for his life?

Am I promoting healthy, godly marriages in the ways I relate and respond to other women's husbands?

Am I maintaining the kinds of boundaries in my relationships with men that promote biblical standards of purity?

Biblical Portrait of Womanhood,

Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Theology Thursday

SCHOLASTICISM

(Greek scholastikos, “schooled” or “educated”)

Scholasticism was a school of thought which sought to reconcile the established Christian belief within a body of reason or rational thought, especially that of Greek philosophy. The “scholastic period” primarily refers to the period during the late middle ages (eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth centuries) in the West when Christianity was experiencing a renaissance of learning and education and was being challenged by the rational thought of Islam. Early Christian scholastics include Anselm, Peter Abelard, Albertus Magnus, Duns Scotus, William of Ockham, and Thomas Aquinas. The term can also refer to any system of thought which seeks a reconciliation of their beliefs with rationality and philosophical inquiry (i.e., Protestant scholaticism).

CHRISTMAS

The annual holiday observed by most Christians on December 25 celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. He was likely born somewhere between 7 and 2 BC. Though December 25 is probably not the actual date when Christ was born, it was designated as such in the 4th century in order to substitute for pagan celebrations of the winter solstice. The designation “Christmas” comes from a combination of “Christ” with “Mass.” Often the Greek X (Chi) is substituted for “Christ” making “Xmas” (as was the custom in the early church when abbreviating Christ’s name). Although there is no command in Scripture to celebrate Messiah’s birth, Christians believe the Incarnation is the foundation to salvation and, according to many, the greatest miracle in the history of mankind.

AGNOSTICISM

[ag-noss''-tih-siz''-um] (Greek a-, “no” + Greek gnosis “knowledge”)

Properly speaking, agnosticism is the theological suspension of belief in God or a creator. An agnostic can be “hard” or “soft.” The “hard” agnostic does not believe that anyone can know whether or not there is a God. A “soft” agnostic is one who has not personally made a decision about God’s existence but does not believe that others cannot come to solid conclusions about the matter. The term agnostic can be used more generally in other contexts in which people do not take a definite stand. For example, a person can be agnostic with regard to their belief in the age of the earth, which simply means that they personally don’t know how old the earth is.

HAMARTIOLOGY

[huh-mar''-tee-awl''-uh-gee] (Greek hamartia, “sin”)

The study of the doctrine of sin. Hamartiology includes an investigation into the origin and effects of sin on all creation. Included in this study is the doctrine of imputed sin, inherited sin, and personal sin. Imputed sin refers to the belief that all mankind is held guilty for the sin of Adam. Inherited sin speaks to the transfer of the sin nature from generation to generation. Personal sins are the individual acts of sin that each person engages in.

Credit:  www.reclaimingthemind.org

Diligently Lead Your Children to God

We must labor to do good to our children even from their earliest years.  If Satan begins so early to do them harm, we must not be behind him in diligence to lead them to God.  How soon in life a child becomes responsible and accountable, is a difficult question to solve.  Perhaps far sooner than many of us suppose.  One thing, at all events, is very clear-it is never too soon to strive and pray for the salvation of the souls of children-never too soon to speak to them as moral beings, and tell them of God, Christ, right and wrong.  The devil, we may be quite sure, loses no time in endeavoring to influence the minds of young people.  He begins with them even from childhood.  Let us work hard to counteract him.

J.C. Ryle

Amazing Love

Remember to turn off the player at the bottom of the page.

I’m forgiven because You were forsaken,

I’m accepted, You were condemned.

I am alive and well, Your spirit is within me,

Because You died and rose again.

(Repeat x2)

(Chorus)

Amazing love,

How can it be

That You, my King, should die for me?

Amazing love,

I know it’s true.

It’s my joy to honor You,

In all I do, I honor You.

I’m forgiven because You were forsaken,

I’m accepted, You were condemned.

I am alive and well, Your spirit is within me,

Because You died and rose again.

(Repeat chorus x2)

You are my King

Jesus You are my King

(Repeat x4)

(Repeat chorus x2)

You are my King

(Repeat x8)

Are You Ready For A Relationship

"God has called us to commit our lives to our spouses.  That's what marriage is.  If it's great, praise the Lord!  If if goes down in the dumps, we can't go anywhere.  Our spouses aren't always going to be the person we thought they were.  They have weaknesses we didn't even know they had and in areas we would prefer them not to.  God did that!  Why?  Because marriage is about our being conformed to the image of Christ and when we sum up conformity to Christ, it's the learning of unconditional love.  Here's the question, how can we learn unconditional love if we're married to someone who meets all our conditions?  How can we learn to practice grace if we're married to someone who does everything right?  We have to ask oursleves these questions over and over again.  What am I about?  Am I about this life, this world?  Am I about God or am I about me?  Am I about being conformed to the image of Christ?  Do I want what God wants?"  Paul Washer

Cheese Fries! YUM!!!

Frozen Fries

Cheese

Bacon 

Parsley

Chives

Salt 

Pepper

Bake fries according to the package.  Add cheese and bacon; bake until melted.  Sprinkle with chives, parsley, salt and pepper.