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Our discussion on immodesty left us with two conclusions:

• Immodesty IS a problem
• As Christians, we must exercise grace in our speech and conduct with people–we are usually not at liberty to confront someone about dress (with the exception of maybe church authority?)

Given those conclusions, what, then, can we do? As a culture we allowed immodesty to reach a pornographic level; can we, as a culture, help turn it around?

I find it interesting that a hand full of people successfully had the phrase “Merry Christmas” banned from use in various public places. Now, even if I’m not a Christian, to what level would hearing those words actually “offend” me? I submit that if such an offense can be confronted on a public level, the public display of nudity can too. (BTW, in some areas, it is now illegal for a male to wear his pants below his underwear….that’s a little progress!)

I submit to you that while we must be gracious and loving in our response toward individuals about this and other matters, we are not doomed to be silent entirely. Silence (a.k.a. apathy) is one of the biggest problems in the church. Jesus was not silent, nor were the disciples and other saints of the past. We not only can, but are commanded to speak out against sin.

Now, let’s clarify…I hope you don’t think I’m walking around looking at every woman with a magnifying glass, asserting that she is immodest if her collar bone is showing. I’m not talking about questionable lines of immodesty where you and I may disagree. I’m talking about blatant immodesty; partial nudity, pornography.

I must practice discernment when dealing with people; but I do not have to be silently courteous about a business or public place allowing obscene displays.

To answer the question “what can we do”, we must first have to reveal (no pun intended 😉 the source of the problem. Is it not the media, the fashion industry, the marketing industry? Or maybe I’m wrong…any ideas on where it starts?

Provided it does start there, we can complain. We can talk about it. We can write letters to people responsible for those decisions. We can do the same thing people do when they successfully remove shreds of Christianity in the name of offense.

I entered a store last summer and was greeted, at the door, by a young (20 or so) girl wearing a tube top ? (which fell just below her bust line), revealing cleavage and a mini skirt. She was the “Budweiser girl” and she was not only greeting everyone who came in, but she was placing plastic necklaces (Mardi-gras type?) around the necks of the males that allowed her.

I was livid. I turned all shades of red and couldn’t even shop for the anger. (Remember, I believe in righteous indignation 🙂

I finally had to track down a manager, and I (believe it or not) calmly and politely stated my disappointment. I learned I was not the only shopper who had been upset and complained. I explained that I would leave the store if she remained there.

She did not stay. I’m sure I didn’t make major changes or anything, but I think 99 percent of the people who came in that store didn’t bother to say anything, even if they were shocked by the display. We are just apathetic, and I think it is to our detriment.

A friend of mine makes it a point to turn all the magazines around as she is standing in the checkout line. Little? Maybe…but it’s something. And it may just spur someone else into further action.

We don’t have to address people…but we can address immodesty. Apathy is not becoming a Christian. Just remember to smile while you’re turning the magazines around (that’s for those of you afraid of appearing anything but meek 🙂 I challenge you to get “concerned” enough about it to raise your voice.

By the way, “pornography” is defined in the Webster’s Dictionary as “obscene literature, photographs, paintings, etc. intended to cause sexual excitement”

Many fashion labels admittedly and publically claim to promote “sexy, alluring” clothing…some even use partial nudity in their advertisements. (One popular name brand specifically markets teenagers with explicit sexual advertising). Ask any man (who isn’t completely jaded) if the cover of Cosmopolitan “causes sexual excitement”…

Today I inhaled deeply…

Of the air, of the sound of rushing water–one of the most cleansing nature-gifts of God…

I inhaled the laughter of my children as they discovered peeling bark, felt the lamb’s ear plant and observed the intricate beaver dam.

I held hands with them as we walked to the gushing creek behind our house…we left the “to-do” list at home.

The perfect breeze, against a face squinting from the warm sun, hushed my heart and I smiled.

I leaned against a crooked tree that had itself, leaned toward this living water until it became permanently inclined…and I said out loud, to my children, that we must “be like a tree, planted by the rivers of water” until we, too, are “inclined” toward that Living Water.

Isn’t God great?

I could have stayed behind to squeeze in another chore……or blog 😉 or answer the phone.

And I could have missed a tender, important little memory in our lives–maybe just a paragraph, but a permanent inscription all the same, in the perpetual soul-books being written in the lives of my children.

(Thank you, Mom, for staying with the napping little ones!)

After reading this article I’ve had this unrelenting desire to get a cow…yes, a milk cow.

Doesn’t it sound glamorous? The other night when my friend and I were discussing how wonderful it was going to be to milk a cow (you know, with my sweet little milking-stool, and soft glow from the setting sun across my bonnet-framed face ; -), my husband cast a bewildered look at me and flatly said, “Sweetheart, sometimes you have to tie up the dumb cow’s leg to keep her from kicking you in the face.”

“Oh.” I replied. I’m the eternal optimist. (Perhaps a helmet would be more appropriate than a bonnet?)

Anyway, through a series of Providential events, someone gave my Dad a Jersey cow! (And since we live next door, it’s practically our cow too.) I learned through another embarrassing episode of my misguided optimism, that a cow does have to, in fact, give birth to a calf before you can milk her (yes, I must admit, there was a time when I thought a “milk cow” meant a cow that dispensed milk–anytime, anywhere! LOL!)

(And lest you think I’m a city-girl or something, au contraire! I grew up on a farm and have virtually always lived on or around a farm–cows, horses, chickens, goats, pigs, an occasional llama or weird donkey 🙂 I’ve just never milked a cow!)

So I was only partially hopeful that we would ever get milk from our new cow because “breed cow” just didn’t seem like it would rank that high on my father’s or my husband’s to-do list.

But wouldn’t you know it, the night before we picked up the cow, she gave birth! We call the baby “De-caf”, my friend suggests we call the mother “De-mommy”…(clever, Darb.)

My Dad gets the biggest kick out of my over-the-top expectations about everything, but especially about the cow. I’ve already got our business mapped out, how much money we’re going to make selling it (I know it’s illegal to sell raw milk–but I have an idea on that, too.), and of course, in the event of a national catastrophe, raw milk would sustain the health of the entire family.

Stay tuned for pictures and/or entries about my lofty expectations of cow’s milk.

BTW, I tried to make butter with some raw milk we bought nearby, and after the children shook a mason jar full of it for half a day, we had nothing but, well, really shaken milk. Nevertheless, I press on.

I have been having conversations with God this past week like, “Lord, I’m really tired of thinking about all this…can I just think about fluffy bunnies or something?”

I really have felt Jeremiah’s plea…

“I will not…speak anymore in His name. But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not.” Jer. 20:9

So….

On this subject of truth, and how the modern church is turning away from it in droves, I must speak. And if I sound a bit intense, it is because I am. And this subject is such a burden on my heart.

One of the prevalent notions in many modern churches, like that of Joel Osteen’s, (more on him later!) is that “we just want everyone to feel God’s love”. And that is true. But it’s not ALL of the truth….

A verse commonly quoted to make people feel bad about speaking the truth is John 3:17 “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” (I’ve had that one thrown at me a time or two 🙂

People, this is not a verse that supports the “tolerance” message of our day! This verse is bursting with the good news that God sent His son to be the Redeemer for a lost world…a world that was hopelessly condemned, but has received a Ransom!

But that world must first know that it is lost!!!

The next verse goes on to say that if anyone does not believe, he is condemned already. And then there’s the rest of the Bible, which “tolerance preachers” seem to just overlook.

Listen closely,

“Preach the word; be ready in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned into fables.” 2 Tim. 4:2- 4

The message of the modern church is

Don’t offend, at any cost; make everyone comfortable, at any cost; draw the lost in, at any cost–even if we must disguise the truth.

This was not Jesus’ philosophy of ministry! Many turned away from Him because His message was too hard to hear. He never, for one minute, watered down, hid, disguised, or mitigated the truth.

Not only that, but he spoke harshly of those who did! Scripture warns repeatedly of teaching to the “itching ears”.

And Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ…for it is the power unto salvation for those who believe.”

Back to Joel Osteen…

Osteen is a fabulous motivational speaker…no doubt. I would love to have his messages to listen to in the name of “Joel’s tips for positive living”. I have NO trouble with optimism. I am an optimist! I think it is good to be positive.

His fault? He preaches a self-help message to millions of people a week, and calls it the gospel! And it’s much more of what he DOESN’T say than what he DOES say that is the deception.

On Larry King Live, King asks Osteen, “Do you believe in the literal interpretation of the Bible?” “Yes, I do”, Osteen replied. But when King asked him if he thought atheists would go to hell, He told Larry King..”Only God can judge a heart” (sounds innocent and “godly” right?) So I can’t really say who is going to heaven or hell…I don’t know.”

Another time, Osteen, with his big, warm smile said, “I just don’t use the word ‘sinner’…I just don’t want to alienate any that God has died to save.”

Another time…”I just want to encourage people…there’s too much negativity (i.e. talk of sin) in the church.”

What?

Does this sound like the gospel our Lord preached?

A preacher of the gospel who doesn’t know who is going to heaven or hell? Who doesn’t use the word “sinner”?

“I am the Truth and the Life; no man comes to the Father but by Me.”

In his desire to demonstrate the love of Christ, he, and others like him, are doing the most unloving thing possible: failing to tell the lost of their deep need for a Savior. Because until I know how completely worthless I am in myself, until I know how depraved I am, until I know that I am nothing apart from Christ, I can’t fully surrender my life to Him. If I’m OK just the way I am, why do I need a Savior?

That’s not a message of condemnation! That’s the greatest message of hope there ever was!

I’ll stop here….my passion is welling…
I think I’m going to go run 🙂

The most devastating and terrifying trend has crept into the body of Christ.

It is the war on truth, and the distortion of God’s grace.

Please read this post carefully and consider deeply…if we don’t get this right, nothing else matters.

Truth.

What is it?

Does it even exist?

Is it the same for everyone?

There is a new message sweeping the church…a message that says, “Come as you are, and stay as you are”…and it is idolatry.

And if you argue against it, you’re called a legalist, or “self-righteous”, or a Pharisee.

It is so subtle, and it is deadly.

It is a gospel being “harmlessly” diguised in wolves’ clothing.

It is heresy.

I guess the real problem is that no one seems to agree on what “truth” is. But ultimately, we can trace it back to a dissolving of foundational truth–of God and His infallilbe Word.

“If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Psalm 11:3

We began to see the evidence of the blurring of truth in the secular world in the public school system, as God and His Word were slowly removed.

What followed was a curriculum based on man’s wisdom, which is fastly becoming a curriculum of humanism and the “worship of me”. Idolatry. In a nutshell, there is no God, therefore no Creator, therefore no standard of right and wrong for humanity. I decide what is best for me.

Now, we have children who are grown-up prodigies of that Godless education, who are leading and teaching the next generation–even within the church.

So it only makes sense that children who are saturated with an education void of absolute truth, would grow up to disassemble the foundations on which the church of God has always stood.

In school they teach our children “open-mindedness”. That kind that precludes any belief that a cerain lifestyle or choice of behavior is wrong. Which means that if you believe homosexuality is a sin, you’re a bigot, an idiot, and guilty of harboring hateful prejudices.

In school, they teach our children that truth does not exist….and then claim that this new philosophy is the TRUTH!

How can a child tolerate an entire life of humanistic brain-washing, and remain champions for the truth? A few will make it relatively unscathed, but not many. The change may be subtle, and for most WILL be subtle, and therein lies the real danger!!!


Christianity is synonomous with bigotry and prejudice. It is being attacked like never before. They want our children….Christian children. Because if they can erode the foundations of truth in their minds, they will raise a new generation of people. More dangerous than pagans. A generation of people who profess godliness with their mouths, but deny the power of Him they profess. God is near to their mouths, but far from their hearts.

These are the enemy. The sheep in wolves clothing we were warned about.

More to come..

I’m hearing the voice of the Lord in Jeremiah’s day…listen closely, you can hear Him too…ponder these words of God in your heart..

“What injustice have your fathers found in Me, that they have gone far from Me, have followed idols, and have become idolaers?” Jeremiah 2:5

“For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns–broken cisterns that can hold no water.” Jeremiah 2:13

“Know therefore, and see that it is an evil and bitter thing that you have forsaken the Lord your God, and the fear of Me is not in you,” says the Lord God of hosts….Saying to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ and to a stone, ‘you gave birth to me.’ “ (Is this not the same evolution our schools are still teaching?)

” ‘Stand and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it;
Then you will find rest for your souls.’ But they said ‘We will not walk in it.’…Behold, I will certainly bring calamity on this people–the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not heeded my words nor My law, but rejected it.” Jeremiah 6:16-19

“They hold fast to deceit, they refuse to return….they do not speak aright…….How can you say, ‘We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us’?…Behold, they have rejected the word of the Lord; so what wisdom do they have?…Everyone is given to covetousness…” Jeremiah 8:5-10

How many times are we told, by other believers, “God gives us wisdom to make this and that decision”, even when those decisions are contrary to what Scripture teaches? Careful! That “wisdom”, the wisdom of man is idolatry, and is just a pagan’s excuse cloaked in a spirtual disguise. And it is what God unleashed His fury against. And it is what we will stand in judgement for as well.

“Thus says the Lord: ‘Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom…but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,’ says the Lord.”
Jeremiah 9:23-24

“Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength….blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose hope is the Lord.” 17:5-7

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and despeately wicked; who can know it?” 17:9

(How does this hold up against the sweet-sounding “just follow your heart!”–Another catch phrase for the “new religion” being taught to our children.)

After pondering legalism and freedom in Christ, and a number of “Providential” encounters this weekend, I wanted to share my revelations about it all–prepare yourself for earth-shattering thoughts–*sarcasm* 🙂

Freedom in Christ is a gift…not to be taken lightly, and not to be abused or misunderstood. Paul said “all things are lawful for me, but not all things are beneficial”…freedom in Christ is not about seeing what I can get by with; it is about doing the things (or not doing the things) that are beneficial to the body of Christ–it’s about others.

Freedom in Christ is walking in the spirit, not the flesh. This is where it can so easily get misunderstood. Because we are fleshly, carnal, selfish–we love to justify our flesh with a spiritual tunic. “I am free in Christ, and therefore, you can not condemn my behavior, because I answer to no man, only God.” Well, that statement is true, but often it comes out of a selfish heart-motive. My freedom in Christ is not to be used to “take care of me” or my desires. If I am walking in the spirit, and not the flesh, I am dying to myself…daily. My cares are decreasing, and my love for God and others is increasing. If I find myself more concerned with what my freedom allows ME, then my focus is all wrong.

Freedom in Christ is about living for God not man. Since I am to live for God and not man, I must be careful to not use liberty as a license to offend, but I also must not use standards of behavior as a measure of my spirituality. Here’s a good litmus test: if your children misbehave in public (especially at church or around friends you admire), are you embarassed because of their behavior, or are you simply broken because of their sinfulness? Ooooooh…aren’t we all guilty!

See, raising obedient children is absolutely the only right thing for Christians to do–we’re commanded to. But if our reasons for doing so are carnal, then even as we carry out a biblical command we can be in sin!

The bottom line, as I’m learning, painfully, slowly, is that I must decrease, and He must increase. Everything I do must be because I long to live a life that is pleasing to my Father–nothing else. (Aren’t we women so prone to the “bondage of approval”?) And in my living, and in my freedom, I must always esteem others better than myself. Otherwise, the freedom I claim to have is not the same freedom my Savior taught. He was free to demand honor, and clout, and preference. Instead, he knelt down and washed his disciples’ feet.

Freedom in Christ is literally, freedom from myself and bondservice to Him!

Freedom from my need to cling to the flesh…in either direction. I must neither hold onto wordliness and justify it, nor must I put on spirtual hyprocrisy in my standard-keeping.

Is it about making a list of what I’m “free” to do, or making a list of what I “need” to do, or is it just about crucifying the flesh with all its lusts (approval of men and/or “offensive freedom”), and living a life of humility and love?

Jesus is our example. Holiness without hypocrisy, and freedom that yields to others.

True love is dying…could our Lord’s death have been more than our redemption? Could His blood cry out to us, this 2000 years later,

“Look at Me…to love Me, you must die“?

After our discussions and pondering this topic of legalism and freedom in Christ, I wanted to conclude with some excellent points I discovered by J.C. Ryle.

The thing that keeps coming to mind about these issues is, we make our mistake by wanting to separate freedom from holiness. Freedom in Christ is the indescribable condition of the believer; holiness and godliness are the natural outflow of his life. The two cannot be separated–“Be ye holy, as I am holy”…”Pursue holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” Heb. 12:14

Freedom in Christ means the finished work of salvation has been done, and I stand before the throne redeemed because Christ’s blood covers me.

Standing redeemed before the throne of grace causes me to give my life fully to the One who has redeemed me…it begs me to desire holiness and godliness in all I am, and in all I do. It compells me to strive to be like Christ.

J.C. Ryle has these profound thought on holiness…may we ponder deeply and inhale the glorious privilege to be called saints of God! (I was thinking that it would be great to print these off, and let our families ponder them often together.)

a) Holiness is the habit of being of one mind with God, according as we find His mind described in Scripture. It is the habit of agreeing in God’s judgement-hating what He hates-loving what He loves-and measuring everything in this world by the standard of His Word. He who most entirely agrees with God, he is the most holy man.

b) A holy man will endeavour to shun every known sin, and to keep every known commandment. He will have a decided bent of mind toward God, a hearty desire to do His will-a greater fear of displeasing Him than of displeasing the world, and a love to all His ways….

c) A holy man will strive to be like our Lord Jesus Christ. He will not only live the life of faith in Him, and draw from Him all his daily peace and strength, but he will also labour to have the mind that was in Him, and to be “conformed to His image” (Rom. 8:29). It will be his aim to bear with and forgive others, even as Christ forgave us-to be unselfish, even as Christ pleased not Himself-to walk in love, even as Christ loved us-to be lowly-minded and humble, even as Christ made Himself of no reputation and humbled Himself.

He will remember that Christ was a faithful witness for the truth-that He came not to do His own will-that it was His meat and drink to do His Father’s will-that He would continually deny Himself in order to minister to others-that He was meek and patient under undeserved insults-that He thought more of godly poor men than of kings-that He was full of love and compassion to sinners-that He was bold and uncompromising in denouncing sin-that He sought not the praise of men, when He might have had it-that He went about doing good-that He was separate from worldly people-that He continued instant in prayer-that He would not let even His nearest relations stand in His way when God’s work was to be done. These things a holy man will try to remember. By them he will endeavour to shape his course in life….

d) A holy man will follow after meekness, long-suffering, gentleness, patience, kind tempers, government of his tongue. He will bear much, forbear much, overlook much, and be slow to talk of standing on his rights….

e) A holy man will follow after temperance and self-denial. He will labour to mortify the desires of his body-to crucify his flesh with his affections and lusts-to curb his passions-to restrain his carnal inclinations, lest at any time they break loose….

f) A holy man will follow after charity and brotherly kindness. He will endeavour to observe the golden rule of doing as he would have men do to him, and speaking as he would have men speak to him. He will be full of affection towards his brethren-towards their bodies, their property, their characters, their feelings, their souls. “He that loveth another,” says Paul, “hath fulfilled the law” (Rom. 13:8). He will abhor all lying, slandering, backbiting, cheating, dishonesty, and unfair dealing, even in the least things. He will strive to adorn his religion by all his outward demeanour, and to make it lovely and beautiful in the eyes of all around him….

g) A holy man will follow after a spirit of mercy and benevolence towards others. He will not stand all the day idle. He will not be content with doing no harm-he will try to do good. He will strive to be useful in his day and generation, and to lessen the spiritual wants and misery around him, as far as he can….

h) A holy man will follow after purity of heart. He will dread all filthiness and uncleanness of spirit, and seek to avoid all things that might draw him into it. He knows his own heart is like tinder, and will diligently keep clear of the sparks of temptation. Who shall dare to talk of strength when David can fall? There is many a hint to be gleaned from the ceremonial law. Under it the man who only touched a bone, or a dead body, or a grave, or a diseased person, became at once unclean in the sight of God. And these things were emblems and figures. Few Christians are ever too watchful and too particular about this point.

i) A holy man will follow after the fear of God. I do not mean the fear of a slave, who only works because he is afraid of punishment, and would be idle if he did not dread discovery. I mean rather the fear of a child, who wishes to live and move as if he was always before his father’s face, because he loves him….

j) A holy man will follow after humility. He will desire, in lowliness of mind, to esteem all others better than himself….

k) A holy man will follow after faithfulness in all the duties and relations in life. He will try, not merely to fill his place as well as others who take no thought for their souls, but even better, because he has higher motives, and more help than they…. The Lord Jesus puts a searching question to His people, when He says, “What do ye more than others?” (Mt. 5:47).

l) Last, but not least, a holy man will follow after spiritual mindedness. He will endeavour to set his affections entirely on things above, and to hold things on earth with a very loose hand. He will not neglect the business of the life that now is; but the first place in his mind and thoughts will be given to the life to come….

Read entire article HERE

The last post on legalism seems to be quite a popular topic, with many more things that could be addressed.

I like what one reader said in her comment about how the strength of the Christian influence is weakened when we are at war against each other! This should not be, and we are warned in Scripture to “be like minded” and to be of one accord.

*sigh* Why is this so hard?

I guess because either direction can become a slippery slope if we are not careful to keep ourselves (and our sinful nature’s) in check.

If I focus too heavily on my freedom in Christ, it becomes more than freedom. It becomes a license, which is not biblical. Being led by the Spirit without using the Bible as a solid gauge for
living, is a lot like trying to go somewhere using merely my “directional instincts” without the road map. The Spirit is given as a Comforter, and as a means to give me understanding of the Word of God. The Spirit is an aid along with the Word, not to be used alone as my only Guide.

It seems that “living by the Holy Spirit” has become a substitue instead of a compliment to the Word of God.

So when the Word of God says.. “dress in modest apparel”…”be careful that you do not become a stumbling block”…”if your liberty offends your brother, you do not walk in love”…

then wearing an article of clothing that is questionably immodest in front of men because “I’m being led by the Spirit” is not exercising my freedom in Christ; it is disobedience to the Word of God.

But if in my desire to please the Lord I raise a standard that I hold as “necessary” for salvation and require others to meet it, I have crossed over into legalism. Legalism IS real; and many have fallen into it.

Here’s the litmus: is my conduct an approach to win God’s favor, or is it a response to having already received it? If it is an approach, it will be burdensome; if it is a response, it will be a delight.

It is interesting to consider an illustration that Jesus gave about the Judgement. He said MANY would call Him “Lord” on that day, but He would say “depart from Me, I never knew you”. And when they ask “why”, His reply will be, “because I was naked and you didn’t clothe me, hungry and you didn’t feed me, in prison and you didn’t visit me”.

All His reasons involve a lack of “doing”…a lack of obedience. These days, Christians are afraid to even use that word. But Jesus wasn’t…”If you love me you will obey me.”

I hope you don’t think I am undermining the free and complete work of Christ on the cross for our salvation. Please understand that I am in no way insinuating that we must add to that work in order to complete it.

What I’m trying to convey, is that we who have received that incredible gift of grace, should joyfully seek to please the One for Whom we live; we should gladly do all we can to be set apart in a dark world; we should not even be afraid of erring on the side of caution with those issues that are cloudy. Why err on the wrong side?

Thoughts to ponder…

P.S. Blogger’s spell check hasn’t been working for awhile, so don’t be too harsh with my spelling…I don’t have a lot of time for editing!