What's stopping us?

I'm an idealist. I dream of a world and a time much much different from my current surroundings. A time when men were men and women were women, and it was okay. A time when people didn't raise an eyebrow if a woman wore a skirt outside of church, children would never have thought to be disrespectful to an adult, and men actually adhered to a certain code of conduct that brooked no room for wimpiness. It's interesting to listen to people talk about those they consider idealists. There's the idea that those individuals need to "get with it" and "come back down to the real world". Well, at one point the world I'm talking about actually did exist. So maybe, we idealists don't need to "come back down", maybe everyone else needs to climb on up. Rather than be content and/or resigned to the way things are, how about we actually make a move towards change? I'm not talking BO change, no, I'm talking about something far deeper, more everlasting. People say our current reality is too corrupt and gruesome to ever allow for the world I dream of. In actuality, there was sin and sorrow in the world of which I dream. Plenty of it. It wasn't as shamelessly pasted on every corner and every screen, but it was there...going on behind closed (and sometimes locked) doors. The sinfulness of a society doesn't excuse it from still holding a certain standard. If anything that actually makes the case for why higher standards should be set and held on to. Giving in to the pressure and collapsing under the weight of fleshy, worldly whims and desires doesn't make you more sophisticated, nor does it make things better. Easier, maybe...but not better. Mind you, I'm at the top of the list for giving into the whims and desires of my flesh...rather than fleeing, I've run headlong into them. I'm still sorting things out on this topic, but for the time being, this is where I am. Perhaps I haven't arrived at any real, concrete point in this post...if that is the case, I'm okay with that.

Duh

I'm annoyed with myself right now. As some of you know, I had a terrible week last week, and it had everything to do with the fact that orginal sin is a real thing. Rather than inspiring me to pray for all of my babies (one of my friends says I have like 100 babies...which I'm totally fine with), I've just let myself turn inward and think..."I've got to work harder and just hope that things will get better." The Lord just totally slapped me all upside my head with this foolishness. "Beloved, change starts on your knees." Enough said.

Papa, can you hear me?

I love my church for many reasons, but one of the big ones has got to be the men. Now, before you get all fired up to preach at me about keeping myself focused on things above, let me explain. I love that the men in my church are real men. They lead their families with strength, humbleness, integrity, and an earnest fear of God. I feel like across the board in both secular and religious circles, fatherhood is making a comeback, Praise the Lord! Children desperately need daddies. In a day and age when young ladies are seeking affection (physical and emotional) from practically any and every man they come in contact with, never has the demand for strong male headship in families been more prevalent. I'm a huge fan of www.fatherhood.org, and their mission. Below is one of my favorite ads, it's absolutely precious. If you are a father (doesn't matter if your children are grown or still growing), I encourage you to check out this website, then take action! You have buckets of influence over your child's emotional, mental, and physical well being both now and in the future.

Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.

Sorrowing I shall be in spirit,
Till released from flesh and sin,
Yet from what I do inherit,
Here Thy praises I'll begin;
Here I'll raise my Ebenezer;
Here by Thy great help I've come;
And I hope by, Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.

Jesus saught me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood;
How His kindness yet pursues me,
Mortal tongue can never tell;
Clothed in flesh, till death shall loose me
I cannot proclaim it well.

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Hear's my heart, O take it and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

O that day when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothed then in blood washed linen
How I'll sing Thy sovereign grace;
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,
Take my ransomed soul away;
Send Thine angels now to carry
Me to realms of endless day.


-words by: Robert Robinson, 1758

Mmm...pumpkin soup

I love this time of year. It's the time when everyone starts being a little nicer, the weather is toned down, and fall colors are starting to creep in (commercially, and naturally). This is also the time of year when pumpkins are once again lifted onto a pedestal, and everything from ale to ziti is pumpkin flavored. It's a beautiful thing. I've been busy with work, and spending time with dear friends.

I've had a few people ask me how I manage it all, and I just can't help but think, "You make time for things that matter to you....God didn't make a mistake in putting 24 hours in a day. That's plenty of time to do all the things HE wants you to do...but maybe not everything you want to do." I've got 4 jobs, and a decent social life. I'm happy, somewhat healthy, and most importantly, I haven't missed a meal. Anywho, I'm excited about coaching a little league basketball team for the next 6 weeks. As some of my long time readers will remember, I learned quite a bit from coaching the soccer team. Let's hope I can say the same of my basketball babies. Just get ready to laugh, I'm sure stories will be coming soon!

My progress towards transitioning from pants to skirts/dresses is going, but not as quickly as maybe I'd like sometimes. I have noticed that I'll immediately go look through skirts/dresses in the store rather than look through pants. I can't help but wonder sometimes why women who like to be fashionable even bother with pants. Honestly, there's only so much you can do with pants. Skirts/dresses, on the other hand, are almost limitless in their possibilities. From fabrics, to cuts to styles, they are just way more user friendly.

I have more to chit-chat about, but I'll just have to save that for another post. Until then, my dearies....God bless.

The doughboy's gonna get it.

Oh my goodness, I love this article so much, I could barely contain my glee while reading it. I'm sure many of you aren't too surprised this article makes me happy. I think more than just the divorce rate would decrease...this is also a health issue. How much healthier would our families be if momma took the time to COOK our food, not warm something up out of a can? I'm not saying every woman has to grind her own flour (though I'm wanting to head that way), I'm just saying making meals from scratch is a way to demonstrate love. Think about college students, military folks, and the like. What do they always say they miss/never get? Home cooked meals. I'm just sayin'.

Another link to the article, just in case you missed the other 4.

Beep, beep, BIFF!

Today I took one of my weekly treks around the bear trail on campus. For those of you who don't know, there is a 2.5-3 mile trail that goes around Baylor, where students and community members alike enjoy walking, jogging or biking. This trail is notorious for being a place where "Baylor girls" (stereotype) and "Baylor guys" (again...stereotype) go to show off their bodies by prancing about scantily clad, and occasionally oiled up.

Anywho, as I was walking, I passed blonde, tan, Baylor girl, after blonde, tan, Baylor girl. Trucks full of boys would drive by, slow down, stare, honk, and yell out things to the girls. Then came the most horrific thing of all....the girls actually smiled. Even after the trucks would pass by, these girls kept a little smile on their face as if they'd been paid a grand compliment, rather than a humiliating insult. As if those boys had really affirmed their worth and now they could die happy. Some girls even stopped and waved at the boys....SERIOUSLY!

My heart breaks for these women that feel like this is what it means to feel beautiful....to depend on the crude comments and obscene hand gestures tossed their way by little boys who should have been taught better. I wanted to pull them aside and yell at them, "YOU DESERVE BETTER. YOUR WORTH IS NOT DETERMINED BY THESE IDIOTS." While I generally don't really appreciate these Barbie wannabes, as a woman, I hate that they feel like they have to perform for these creeps.

As a society, we don't really expect men to be men anymore. As women, we've become accustomed to the idea of settling for less for fear we won't get more. Men have gotten lazy, because they know women won't wait any longer for them to step up. I'm guilty of this myself, I'll admit. If you've seen any of the guys I've dated, you'd know this is true. We no longer expect men to behave like gentlemen, and when someone actually does; we don't know how to handle it. If this was 50 years ago, and these same guys had made these comments to these girls, they'd still be getting the tar knocked out of them.

Now, I'll admit, women can occasionally bring the disrespect on themselves by dressing immodestly. We need to be more considerate of our brothers in Christ and the image we're presenting. Though it may not be our intention, if we walk around dressed a certain way...people are going to assume certain things about us. Jogging in a sports bra and barely-there shorts, almost screams "LOOK AT ME!!" People sometimes get so offended when you tell them they need to cover up or that the way they're dressing is immodest, but for the life of me, I don't understand why. When you see a white priest' collar, you assume the wearer is a clergyman. When you see a person with a cop's uniform on, you assume they're a cop. So why then, should a half naked woman be offended when someone thinks...well, you get my point.

Anyway, I'll say this, ladies....your worth, beauty and everything else are determined by Christ, not some foolish college freshman in a truck with other foolish college freshmen. Don't give them that power. Guys, respect the women you encounter and remember these dear women are precious to someone, even if that someone isn't you. A whistle, finger snap, or holler is NOT a compliment; it is an insult.