tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72798083297812343312024-03-13T11:08:52.087-07:00A Fine Collection of Lint and FuzzThe Random Navelgazings of One Young MomEmilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345150537761858299noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279808329781234331.post-35891245948909751272010-03-08T06:15:00.000-08:002010-03-08T06:25:38.984-08:00What Am I Missing?I wanted to write about moms working outside of the home. It's a dynamic topic, and one that I openly admit I don't understand the other side of. So, here is what I do understand, from my perspective.<br /><br /><strong>First, Biblically</strong><br /><br />Should women work Biblically? YES, YES, YES! The Bible spells out clearly that women are to be productive members of their household. The Proverbs 31 woman was entrepreneurial, selling her goods while running her household well. The modern woman might have an Etsy shop in the same spirit, or simply do the work around the house that it is customary to pay others to do for us, like making all our food from scratch or changing the oil in our car. It is not wrong for women to make money for their families; it is right. But it seemed that the Proverb 31 woman's work did not take her away from her family much.<br /><br /><strong>Second, The Time-Money Debate</strong><br /><br />This isn't about how much money our time is worth. This is about what we think is more important to our family, our time or our money. My needs list is simple: food, shelter, clothes, and love. We are willing to make the trade for me to be able to stay home with the kids by living in a small apartment with no yard, having a twelve-year-old car, and having me do a lot of household labor that others take as though they are granted.<br /><br />You may be thinking, "but I don't want to live like you." Unless your husband works at Walmart while going to school, you probably don't have to live exactly like me.<br /><br />I have a hard time understanding why someone would choose money over time. I don't know any kids who would rather have more toys or a bigger yard (parks are free around here) than a mom who is home with them. The only reason I can think of is if there is debt that cannot be handled with one income.<br /><br /><strong>Third, Pleasure and Satisfaction</strong><br /><br />I admit ignorance on this one. I worked as a grocery store cashier for five years until I got pregnant and I <em>loved</em> that job. I loved that job more than most people love their jobs. I got to meet people all day and chat. I had my favorite customers. I understand that work can give a sense of accomplishment: I was the fastest cashier on the front end.<br /><br />My three-year-old, Daniel, and I have been working on our writing goal. Instead of wanting to write "Daniel", he wants to write "Thomas" (the train, not the brother). We started with "T" because it's pretty simple, and he mastered it quickly and started identifying T's wherever we went. Then we went to "A", which is also pretty simple to write. Then, I wanted to do "S", since it's his favorite letter. It is hard for him to draw, and it sometimes came out looking like a backwards "Z", but every once in a while, his "S" is perfect, as good as the "S" I put on the page for him to copy. I have never felt so deep a satisfaction.<br /><br />What am I missing? What is work offering moms that I don't understand?Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345150537761858299noreply@blogger.com95tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279808329781234331.post-54210150826658097252010-03-01T07:00:00.000-08:002010-03-01T07:17:05.609-08:00There.That felt good and it was a long time coming.<br /><br />For a few months now I've felt like I had this stress that could not be relieved. I knew what it was, but I wasn't ready.<br /><br />This past week it became too much.<br /><br />Day after day of readers I liked saying nasty things to me; numerous people were telling me they were leaving and not coming back.<br /><br />When someone tells you they are leaving and not coming back, it is always a predecessor of growth. It would start all over again, and just get bigger and bigger.<br /><br />I was exhausted. I didn't want more growth.<br /><br />I had gotten used to the haters. They were pretty stupid; I wrote them off as willfully ignorant. In the same comment they would tell me I was stubborn, arrogant, unwilling to change or admit I was wrong, <em>while</em> declaring that I contradict myself SO MUCH, citing examples of how I did things one way here, then changed my mind, denouncing that way of doing things and deciding to do it a different way some where else. What the frig?! Maybe they were pulling my leg, because it is hard to believe that people are that stupid.<br /><br />It wasn't the people that I thought were idiots that drove me to shut down the blog, it was the people that I liked.<br /><br />I had been asking Dan all week if we could shut it down yet. He said I had good things to say, things that people needed to hear, that I should give it more time.<br /><br />Finally, on Sunday, I hit my limit. I begged Dan to let me shut it down. He saw how exhausted I was and conceded.<br /><br />Then I reconsidered... and thought maybe I could keep it.<br /><br />I went to church uncertain.<br /><br />Our pastor is doing a series on fear and each week I've been moved to trust God more deeply, fearlessly.<br /><br />This week it was about money. I had made a combined income of close to $1500 in February. I knew God was our safety net, but I wanted an <em>extra</em> safety net as well. God was telling me to trust him and only him, so I did.<br /><br />I'll still write here maybe once a week, and I want to continue to be the Wednesday contributor at <a href="http://frugalhacks.com/">Frugal Hacks</a>, so I'm not going into hiding. I'm still here, sharing my ideas.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345150537761858299noreply@blogger.com108tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279808329781234331.post-8888305742306952872009-05-28T16:18:00.000-07:002009-05-28T16:34:36.075-07:00Dumb Things That Parents Buy For BabiesThere are a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">number</span> of dumb things that parents buy for babies. Some are obviously dumb, as there is a plethora of technology that has been tailored to baby rearing. In my mind, baby essentials are: clothes, crib (or similar enclosed sleeping arrangement so baby does not hurt himself), blanket, car seat, possibly a Johnny Jump-Up and diapers. Everything else is questionable, including baby toys that your baby is entertained by, momentarily.<br /><br />Here are the top three items that most parents see as essential that are really quite useless.<br /><br />#3 Bibs- Seriously, my babies have never made a mess on the bib only. It is all over their shirt. And now they have bibs with pockets. Those pockets don't keep banana off the babies' sleeves. Feed them in just a diaper, or nothing if you EC, or understand that feeding is messy business and you'll have to wash the whole <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">outfit</span>.<br /><br />#2 Diaper Wipes - Have you ever heard of a wash cloth? Babies hate the chemicals, and so do you. Wet wash cloths clean better that wipes, too, try it.<br /><br />#1 Baby Towels - Just because babies are small, doesn't mean they don't feel. Baby towels are too small to effectively swaddle after the baby is a few months old. And if you do get the towel to cover the baby, it is instantly soaked through because it is too thin. That's just not nice for the baby. Give them a real towel.<br /><br />Motherhood is sold as a hard job. If you read any of the baby and parenting magazines, you read of exhausted mothers who can't think straight. But, is it really that hard? Maybe I have abnormally easy babies, but it seems obvious that they are portraying motherhood as so hard so that they can sell you stuff to make it easier.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345150537761858299noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279808329781234331.post-22036360617603430312009-05-19T18:40:00.000-07:002009-05-19T19:18:24.558-07:00Don't Tell Me What You Don't KnowI've been reading a lot of blogs from unmarried young women about how to treat a husband. What? Unmarried women telling me how to do something they've never done?! Why would they think that they can pass on that wisdom. They can quote Scripture, but they cannot <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">intelligently</span> expound on it.<br /><br />I agree with Scripture about how a woman should treat her husband. I strive and desire to fulfill my end of a Godly <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">marriage</span>. But these women, who have never been married, cannot explain to me how to treat my husband.<br /><br />A <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">marriage</span> is an intimate union of two perpetual sinners. The closer you draw together, the more painful that sin becomes, for both of you. Unmarried women have never experienced this pain and can only imagine it. For them to write their aspirations and goals of being a godly wife is great and noble. For them to tell me how to do things in my marriage when that have no idea of the depths of joy and pain that go with marriage is unreasonable and illogical.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345150537761858299noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279808329781234331.post-69859727679400558222009-05-12T09:18:00.000-07:002009-05-12T09:28:34.034-07:00Good Riddance, Miss California"We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. And you know what, I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that's how I was raised."<br /><br />Because of this statement, the Christian community rallied around Miss California. No one noticed that the answer was not well thought out or articulated. It was a "this is how was raised..." answer. No one <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">cares how</span> you were raised. We care if you know how to think and articulate yourself, which you proved that you don't.<br /><br />Not to mention, she is Miss California. In order to be Miss California, you have to parade your body around as meat and eye candy for men, instead of respecting it and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">honorin</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error">g</span> it as God's creation and a gift to your husband.<br /><br />She claims that she is a Christian and a model. Now, I think Christians can be models, dressed modestly and to show off clothes, not the body that is wearing them. She is not a Christian model. I can say that with confidence. She has been doing provocative modeling for years, and is still not repenting. The <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Holy Spirit</span> does not allow this. He does force his people to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">repent</span>, and if you haven't been forced to repentance by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">the</span> Holy Spirit, you might want to ask <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">yourself</span> if you <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">know</span> him.<br /><br />Good <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">riddance</span>? But her crown remains. Yes, but <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">hopefully</span> she will shut up about her poorly <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">thought</span> out views.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345150537761858299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279808329781234331.post-48957253693542100442009-05-09T05:05:00.000-07:002009-05-09T05:30:36.294-07:00Homosexual ChristiansThere has been a lot of talk in recent years about a gay gene. The premise is that homosexuals were born that way, demonstrating homosexual behaviours or tendencies from an early age. Homosexuals will tell you that they didn't chose to be this way, it is just who they are.<br /><br />The Christian community has <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">back lashed</span> against this idea in a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">monumental</span> way. The gays say, "We were born this way, thus God made us this way, so he doesn't want us to change." Christians, agreeing with that logic, attack the root of it. They attack the idea that homosexuals were born that way. Homosexuals, they say, could not have been born that way because that would be God going against his word when he says that homosexuality is amoral.<br /><br />But would that be God going against his word? Why, no, not at all. The Bible tells us all about sin, graphically demonstrating it in people's lives, then recording in the Scriptures. We know that all mankind, and all of creation is cursed from sin. We know that all of humanity is born with a sin nature. We know that homosexuality is a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">symptom</span> of this sin nature. So why do we fight so hard at this point in the homosexual's argument against change? Of course they were born with a sin nature!<br /><br />What should we attack in their reasoning? If someone is born with a sin nature, regardless of which sins they practice most heavily, they are still called to repent. When anyone says that God made them to enjoy any type of sin, so God doesn't want them to change, that is the error in their reasoning. God has called all sinners to repentance. He has also given us power to overcome in the Holy Spirit. If we don't rely heavily on the Holy Spirit, we will fail. I know what my stumbling blocks are. I know that over the course of my lifetime, God will guide me into surrendering my sin further and further. My real hope, however, is in heaven. I know my sins cannot haunt me there.<br /><br />Why do we not expect the same thing to happen with homosexual Christians? Why would we say that there are no such things as homosexual Christians? Of course, they will continue to struggle, as do we all. Why do we judge their sin as being more severe than our own? It is only because we think we are good enough to be Christians, and that they are not.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345150537761858299noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279808329781234331.post-3367933028783258412009-04-09T16:20:00.000-07:002009-04-09T16:27:46.524-07:00Things I've Learned About CookingThese are recent tips I've learned about cooking and food.<br /><br />1) Refrigerate an onion for at east a half hour before cutting. This way, you won't cry. For a crybaby like me, this is awesome. I've tried lots of things to not cry from onions and this works well. I didn't have a tear!<br /><br />2) Salt eggplant before cooking. After you slice your eggplant, salt one side and let it sit for 15 mintes. You will see the liquid droplets on the surface of the egglant. Then turn the eggplant over and salt the other side. Let it sit for 15 minuttes and proceed to cook. This makes it much more flavorful.<br /><br />3) If you want the medical benefits of garlic, use it within 15 minutes of chopping. After that, it loses 90% of it's potency. Bad news for me, who just bought one of those massive jars of prechopped garlic!Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345150537761858299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279808329781234331.post-22615759217798526852009-04-07T14:53:00.000-07:002009-04-07T15:04:48.883-07:00Review of Aramahk.comI checked my email this afternoon and it had a failure notification, as an email I had sent earlier was not deliverd to all the addresses I had sent it to. The problem was, I was not home earlier, when the email was sent. This email was sent to everyone in my contact list, including some friends from high school that I hadn't seen or spoken to in years, some business contacts, and my grandparents. It wasn't long before I started getting emails in response, wondering why I had sent this letter. It read:<br /><br /><strong>Hi,<br />Hope you everything goes well.I find a good company to buy electronic products recently. Now it is under sales promotion.they provide the attractive service and price to customers, It is really a good chance for shopping. Just grasp the opportunity, Now or never! When you are free, please visit </strong><a href="http://www.arimahk.com/" target="_blank"><strong>www.Arimahk.com</strong></a><strong> .</strong><br /><br />So, I went to write an apology letter to everyone it had been sent to saying to disregard it and it was not from me. But all of my contacts were deleted. So, I started to investigate this Arimahk. Now, if you google "Arimahk," you will find a profile about a girl named Arimahk, or maybe it's her nickname, or something? Nothing about the company. There is also a complaint from someone who had the same experience I had. A spam email was sent to their account and all of their contacts were deleted.<br /><br />So, I went to the website, <a href="http://www.arimahk.com/">www.arimahk.com</a>. It is a foreign electronics website. It may or may not be legit. I did not purchase anything to find out. There was a chat option. I told them what happened. They said they wouldn't do it again, and it was the first and last time they had done it. I knew this wasn't true, since there was another report of it. They said they'ld tell their sales department to stop, then cut me off from chat. So, if you want to encourage these people to hack into other people's email accounts and send spam on their behalf, then give this company your money. If however, you think that practice is sleasy and should not be rewarded, go somewhere else to find electronics.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345150537761858299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279808329781234331.post-21245830348226897102009-03-19T06:56:00.001-07:002009-03-19T08:15:20.091-07:00Welcome to Our Sub-CultureThe American evangelical church is huge, massive. I must say, I hate the term "evangelical." It is implying that these people are evangelizing, but evangelizing into what. They pull people into their church and their way of life. It is relatively moral way of life, but many people are already living their life in a relatively moral manner.<br /><br />What is the difference <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">between</span> evangelicals and the world? Evangelicals do everything different from the world. Instead of going to rock concerts, they go to Christian rock concerts. And sometimes they hold their concerts in church. Instead of going to public school, they go to Christian school. Girls make sure that their clothes cover more of their body, although their clothes are just as skin tight as the girls of the world. Guys where Christian t-shirts that say "Will work for Jesus" and "My boss is a Jewish carpenter."<br /><br />Apart from these exterior alterations, there must be some deep down moral changes, right? They are family people and raise great kids, right? Unlike the rest of the world. Well, actually the evangelical divorce rate is the same as the national average. Statistics show 34% of adults in America are evangelical, and only 4% of teens are evangelical, so they <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">obviously</span> fail at raising their children in the love and admonish of the world. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">At least</span> they do go to church on a semi regular basis. There, they hear other people's <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">regurgitation's</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">of</span> the scripture. That will lead to their own repentance unto salvation, right?<br /><br />What is the difference <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">between</span> evangelicals and the church? The true church, the gathering of the redeemed, is made up of unique, peculiar people. They are clearly <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">distinguishable from</span> the world by their radical devotion and obedience. They sin and repent and sin and repent. Evangelicals sin and cover it up, are caught then step down from leadership. The redeemed seek the Messiah by searching the scriptures and repenting of false beliefs. They repent and repent and repent because they don't want anything between them and the Christ. They must constantly "lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us." (Hebrews 12:1)<br /><br />Matthew 13:31-32 "Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">becometh</span> a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof."Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345150537761858299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279808329781234331.post-11996586528114432242009-03-19T06:55:00.001-07:002009-03-19T07:24:50.292-07:00The Recession is Over, but the Economy is NotThe recession is over. I know it. I have proof.<br /><br />I got a bread-machine off of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">eBay</span> in January. I thought I could save about $0.60 per loaf, which I could. So I went about making my bread. It was pretty easy. I just had to put the ingredients in and turn it on. Several hours later, out came my loaf. Well, the size was larger than the average bread slice, so I had to trim off the crusts every time. The crusts I turned into bread crumbs, but I didn't need that many bread crumbs. The taste was good, better than store bought bread. But it was hard to slice thinly and evenly. And it went bad faster than store bought bread.<br /><br />So, bread is on my list for next week's shopping. Tonight is burger night and instead of making the bread for the burger bun, I am doing a mystery shop at McDonald's.<br /><br />Laziness is a huge factor in our economy. One ubiquitous tip is to make your <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">coffee</span> at home. My husband and I have always done this, as have both of our parents, so this was a no <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">brainer</span>. Obviously, not everyone does this. They like their over priced fancy coffee. If I want fancy coffee, I get a little wild in the dairy creamer aisle of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Walmart</span>. But that's how they prefer it. After a while, these people will <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">realize</span> that their home made coffee is not the same as the coffee at the shop coffee. That combined with the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">perceived</span> extra effort makes it bound to fail.<br /><br />Why would it be bound to fail? People have always cut corners when funds are short. This is true, but funds, for most people, actually aren't that short. Over 90% of the country has not been laid off. They have no reason to cut back unless it is the thing to do. It's not going to be the thing to do for long because cutting back is not as much fun.<br /><br />Our economy is the cumulative result of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">individual's</span> decisions. My purchase of bread combined with all that coffee being purchased will make a difference. As people start to go back to normal spending levels, the recession will cease.<br /><br />The economy, however, will not cease. We are a consumer driven society. We purchase but don't create. We <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">organize</span> and advise, but what makes us believe that these skills cannot be outsourced? Our economy has no foundation. We will continue to spend, maybe not at exactly the same level, but we will continue. Combine that with the spending and borrowing our government is undertaking and the value of our dollar will <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">inevitably</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">plummet</span>. So maybe we won't resell our bread machine on eBay.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345150537761858299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279808329781234331.post-35230527547146670962009-03-13T15:32:00.000-07:002009-03-13T16:07:40.516-07:00What is the Consequence of SinFirst, what is sin. The typic<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2fmU6xuEu1I/SbrnDc4GthI/AAAAAAAAAD4/mvviMIHO_rc/s1600-h/bullseye.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312812756914058770" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 231px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2fmU6xuEu1I/SbrnDc4GthI/AAAAAAAAAD4/mvviMIHO_rc/s320/bullseye.jpg" border="0" /></a>al <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">neo</span>-evangelical definition is anything you think, say, or do that is displeasing to God. That's a nice definition. It covers it, but <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Biblically</span>, sin is "missing the mark". What is the mark? Many people use the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">analogy</span> of a bull's eye but I'm not sure that's accurate historically, although helpful. The goal, or mark, is absolute perfection in every area. Any time you come short of that it is sin. This includes error in judgement and thought.<br /><br />How can anyone meet that standard? It seems hopeless. Well, it is. I'm sure you know that you have not met tat standard. And if you tried really hard from this moment on and gave it all your effort and never sinned again, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">you'd</span> still fail because you sinned in the past.<br /><br />So what now? What happens because you sinned?<br /><br />Well, there is the shame and humiliation of the sins you commit and the consequence those sins have on your loved ones. This is the personal consequence.<br /><br />Then there are general consequences, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">which</span> effect all humanity for all sin. One general consequence is aging and decay. We get old, get diseases, then we die. Yippee. When we die, our good deeds are weighed against our bad, and since our bad are infinitely offensive to God, our good deeds are <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">counted</span> as rubbish. The verdict is the same for everyone, we are guilty and condemned and must be punished... eternally.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345150537761858299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279808329781234331.post-88148847820206218182009-03-13T15:08:00.000-07:002009-03-13T15:32:16.752-07:00Face Lift or Hair Dye?Women are going to great lengths to look just the way they want to. Some women put on a little mascara and lipstick. Others go to reconstructive surgeries to recreate their own bodies. So what does God think of all this? It is clear that he created women to be beautiful and to want others to think they are beautiful. So what should women take into their own hands and what should be left up to God?<br /><br />Let's start with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">the most</span> radical- plastic surgery. Any plastic surgery that alters the way God created you, from a boob job to a nose job, is contrary to God's design for you and is sin. What about age-defying surgery like face lifts? Aging is a part of death and decay, which is a consequence of sin. As far as I can s<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">ee</span>, staying young in appearance should be seen the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">same</span> way as staying young in health, as it is combating the consequence of sin. If you endorse heart medication, it is hypocritical to frown upon plastic surgery.<br /><br /><br />Younger girls blush and their lips redden easily. After a few years of marriage, you may not blush every day when your husband comes home. Simulating this effect with makeup is a way to make him feel special.<br /><br /><br />Hair dye is another way women alter their appearance. Many women dye to hide the gray. This seems perfectly acceptable under the pretense of fighting the consequences of sin. Others dye because they want a different color. They are saying to God- "You made a mistake in designing me, but I can correct it." Changing your God given hair color is the same as getting a boob job.<br /><br /><br />There are a few factors to take into consideration in all of this. One is the heart. If you are getting a face lift or putting on make up, is your motivation pleasing God and pleasing your husband? The other major factor is money. I'm sure that at the thought of me endorsing some plastic surgery, ma<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2fmU6xuEu1I/SbreRQltLzI/AAAAAAAAADw/AMdiXHj358w/s1600-h/hp_miss1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312803098529181490" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 160px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 86px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2fmU6xuEu1I/SbreRQltLzI/AAAAAAAAADw/AMdiXHj358w/s320/hp_miss1.jpg" border="0" /></a><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">ny</span> would protest that it costs a lot of money, money that could be better put to use <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">furthering</span> the kingdom of God. This is true. <a href="http://www.gfa.org/sponsor"><span style="color:#000000;">Several native missionaries in Asia could be supported for a year's worth of work with that money.</span></a> And the money spent on make-up could be used to buy Bibles and New Testaments in <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">countries</span> with little access to Scripture. It is between you and God to decide how much of His money you should spend on your appearance.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345150537761858299noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279808329781234331.post-77734647526148223842009-03-13T04:22:00.000-07:002009-03-13T04:47:11.792-07:00Why Am I blogging?<span style="font-family:courier new;">Why do I need a blog? Everyone else already has one. Is there anything I cou<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2fmU6xuEu1I/SbpHnpyb0YI/AAAAAAAAADo/WgAyJUblp_I/s1600-h/009.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312637456994783618" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2fmU6xuEu1I/SbpHnpyb0YI/AAAAAAAAADo/WgAyJUblp_I/s200/009.JPG" border="0" /></a>ld possibly add to the plethora of useless information you have already been reading about someone else's life? Why does anyone need a blog? Why bother? Opinions are like bum holes, aren't they. </span><br /><div><span style="font-family:courier new;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:courier new;">Maybe that's why we've seen this blog explosion. In our world of extreme narcism, everyone wants their voice heard. Everyone wants to prove the are unique and special. Why wouldn't they? Everyone wants to be unique. That is not my desire. I already am plenty confident that I am unique as a child of God. I don't have a need for validation that I want filled through blogging. It is more like an overflow of my current satisfaction in life.</span></div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05345150537761858299noreply@blogger.com1