Modesty for Men

Many, many churches set rules for what is modest for a woman to wear. But how many of them set rules for what a man can wear and still be modest? Why do so many of them ignore the male modesty issue but tread so heavily on the modesty of women?

This has been something that I have yet to figure out. And one of the reasons why I have respect for the Duggar family. They emphasize modesty for not only their girls, but also their boys.

The Bible does not simply mean that a woman must dress modestly and a man can wear whatever he like, he still has to follow the modesty guidelines set forth by scripture. Isaiah 47:2-3 says 2 Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers. 3 Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man.

Although we might say this scripture referrs to a woman uncovering her thigh, can we really say that if a woman's thigh would be nakedness, a man's thigh is not?

As I've mentioned in a post a while back, many of the Conservative Mennonite churches have "guidelines" which are more than guidelines for what is modest...for women. They say, a woman should wear a cape dress, with sleeves that are ____ length, colors in the following families: ____, yes or no to patterns, yes or no to ribbon, yes or no to zippers, etc at all times. The men? Should wear pants and a long sleeve shirt for church. Nothing further stated on what men should wear during the week.

I had the opportunity to chat with someone I met last summer for a few minutes yesterday when she and her husband came into the restaurant where I work today. She said those "regulations" were the main reason why she left the church I am currently attending and went to the church where they go now. As she put it, the men do not have the same regulations as the women do, you would not know a Mennonite man except for his wife. She attends a church now that simply states modest clothing, with some shoulder, a high neckline and skirts that are at least knee length. The woman must also wear a veil, but the size, color and shape are up to her and her husband. The men would dress like "English" guys you would see wearing jeans and t-shirts or polos during the week but khakis or black dress slacks and a nice shirt for church on Sunday.

Should we teach our boys that tank tops are modest? If they are not modest for girls then they are not modest for boys. Should we teach them it is okay to let their trouser's waist set at their knees and that it is modest to do so? Not if we consider it immodest for our girls to do so. Although women do not tend to fall toward physical lust as often as men may, there are still sisters who are physically attracted to men passing by.

Not only should we stress modesty for both men and women, but if we are saying the women must dress to show that they are "set-apart" from the English lifestyle, then why are the men allowed to dress like the English? If we need to dress the set-apart style it should fall on the men's shoulders as well. This is one area where I do have lots of respect for the Amish, they require set-apart dress for both men and women in their churches.

Jesus taught by example and lead by example, that should be how a Christian man should be -- leading by example. The man is to be the leader of the household, how can a leader hold the people under him to a higher standard than he holds himself to? IMHO, if we set one standard for our women, we need to uphold our men to the same standard. If elbows are not to be shown, it should be on both men and women, if ankles are not to be shown, it should go for both men and women.

Blessings in Christ,

Christian Virtues

Christian Virtues are are character qualities which are associated with salvation.

The seven character qualities mentioned in Colossians which all Christians should display include:
1. Bowels of mercy (heartfelt compassion)
2. Kindness
3. Humbleness of mind
4. Meekness
5. Long-suffering
6. Forbearing and forgiving one another
7. Charity (love)

Colossians 3:12-17
12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering;
13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

If I remember correctly, there are more than seven Christian Virtues listed throughout the Bible, but I could be mistaken.

In verse 12, when Paul write "Put on..." it implies that none of us have actually reached there spiritually yet. We should all strive to display these character qualities, knowing full well that it will be something that we need to continue to work on. I know I have to work on each of these. I'm not going to learn these overnight, it will take time, but I know with work and God's help, I will get to a point where I display these most of the time. Knowing that I am human, I know I will not display these all the time, but I believe in the statement "God knows my heart" as some of you may have noticed :)

Blessings in Christ,

False Teachings

False prophets and teachings are something that Paul warns against in his letters to various churches.

Colossians 2:4-23
4 And this I say, lest any man should beguile (deceive) you with enticing words
5 For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.
6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taugth abounding therein with thanksgiving.
8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
9 For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
11 In whom also ye are circumcised with teh circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
18 Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humily and worshiping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshy mind,
19 And not holidng the Head, form which all the body by joints and bands having nurishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.
20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,
21 (Touch not; taste not; handle not;
22 Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?
24 Which things have indeed a show of wisdom in will-worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honor to the satisfying of the flesh.

In verse 8, spoil can also be rendered "carry you away from the truth by false teaching" as noted in the comments section of my Bible.

1 Timothy 4:3-7
3 As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine,
4 Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.
5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:
6 From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;
7 Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.

1 Timothy 6:1-10
1 Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, that the name of God and his doctirne be not blasphemed.
2 And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them, because they are brethren; but rather do them service, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These things teach and exhort.
3 If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;
4 He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,
5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
7 For we brought nothing into this world and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Titus 1:10-16
10 For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:
11 Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake.
12 One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.
13 This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith;
14 Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.
15 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

How do we know who is a "false prophet"? I think the only way to know is to compare what that person is saying to the Word of God, the only true word there is. Until then we have no idea who is teaching the truth and who is trying to lead us astray.

One of the most common false teachings I have come across are the teachings about meat. Which meat is okay to each and which meat we should not eat as Christians. There are quite a few "Torah Observant" Christians who obey the OT laws and I'm trying to even remember the reasoning why I was told we should still obey OT law on that, but I can't seem to at the moment. I personally am not convicted of that, I do not believe that as Christians today we need to obey the OT laws because as the Bible says, we are no longer bound by the Law of Moses because we have been saved by the Grace of God and His sacrifice of His only son, Jesus Christ our Lord. But I will not and do not judge those who feel they are still bound by some laws of the OT.

Do you obey the Old Testament laws or are you a Christian of the New Testament?

Blessings in Christ,

Your Body is THE Temple...

1 Corinthians 6:19-20
19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20 For ye are bought with a price: therfore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

Yesterday I had an "interesting" discussion with a Mennonite lady at noon meal. We were talking about the Amish (I don't remember exactly what about them) and she said, well the New Order would be more Christian-like, right? I told her I didn't know about being "more Christian-like" but definiately more evangelical, like they would go and evangelize more as compared to the more conservative groups. She said, well more Christian-like because they do not smoke and it is such a shame how the Old Order allow smoking amongst their members. I did not know that smoking was a sin as she put it, but she informed me that it is because of the scripture above, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. Because our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit and we should treat them like temples.

I asked her where we should stop then. Looking all confused, I explained myself further. Should we not allow our members to eat sugar, oils, fats, and caffine? All things that medical experts have advised us to keep to a minimum in our diets because they are not good for our bodies. I had found some literature on someone's blog -- not sure exactly where -- about the conservative Seventh Day Adventist's guidelines for what ingredients should be left out of food when being brought into the church and I told her this. She replied that it was over the top and if we were to say those were sins, then all the Amish and Mennonites would have to adjust their style of cooking. I left it at that.

I don't know that I made a point with her, but it got me to thinking, how do I interpret that scripture?

Is there a difference between what I wouldn't do and what I would consider a sin based on those two verses?

I sure wouldn't smoke, but that is my personal preference. I would not call smoking a sin (I am talking tabacco smoking, anything illegal is a sin because it goes against the command we have to obey the government authority).

Is there anything we could put in our bodies that would be okay and keep our bodies as a temple? Of course. But we have to remember one word. Moderation. Nothing is good for our bodies if we have it in excess. Water, which God created, is not good for us in excess because it throws the vitamin and electrolyte balance off in our bodies. Meat is not good for us in excess, nor are vegetables or fruit because of their natural sugars and startches they have. Does this mean eating any of that or drinking water is a sin? No. If we didn't eat or drink anything we would not live very long. The only thing which we can emerse ourselves in and it not be bad for us is God's Word.

What do you think?

There are quite a few other snipets of conversation from meal yesterday that I think I will share, but not all today :) Too much for one post!

Blessings in Christ,

Growing

I was looking back over my sermon notes from last summer and came across this sermon from the Beachy church which I was attending at the time.

The topic was on our growth and growing. I have added some of my own thoughts on the subject in italics throughout the sermon notes.

The minister started out by saying that it is not imporant where we are now, but it is important where we are going. He stressed that several times throughout his sermon as well.

He also stressed that along with growth comes an expectation and responsibility and said if you have growth, you have life and health and if you do not have growth then you have death.

There are three steps to growing in the Lord.
1. Personal growth & development
2. Family growth & development
3. Church growth & development

Spiritual growth is harder than physical growth as said in 2 Peter 3:18.

Church growth will not happen until personal growth happens. If you point the finger at someone else, you cannot do anything. You must point the finger at yourself in order to help the Church grow and determine where your weaknesses lay.

Family growth falls more on mom and dad's shoulders. Children should focus more on their personal growth because that will also help the family growth. DO NOT GIVE UP ON FAMILY OR CHURCH! If everyone gives up on their family and church's growth, there will be none!

Everyone wants to be a part of a church that is prospering. Nobody wants to be a part of a church that is struggling. I think that is only natural that we want the good times and we do not want the bad times which come along with the good. It was mentioned that if we saw a minister stumbling or drifting down a wrong path it would be appropriate to bring the matter up to him so that he could correct his ways in order to not lead the church down a wrong path. Even when a preacher is lacking, God still requires you to follow Him.

When a church "drifts" it shows a lack of faith. When a church falls on hard times and it seems that there are many changes, I understand it's hard sometimes to have faith in those who are leading the church, but as members (and even visitors) to a church, we cannot lose our faith in those who are leading us and we must realize that God is leading the ministers. Our biggest test in church growth is if we can maintain our faith that the brothers will follow God's leading and lead the church in the direction God has planned for it.

What does God see?

God sees that we must start with our own personal responsibilites first.
He sees that slow growth is not always bad, but we must have realistic expectations.
As long as we do not diminish then the rate at which we grow is not important (2 Peter 1:2-10)

We need faith, it is necessary.
We need knowledge in Christian experience
We need patience (James 1:3)
We need Godliness (Romans 6:5)

"Love is unselfishness". Can we be love? Can we be unselfish at all times?

Brotherly kindness is a "double-dose" of kindness. Imagine if the whole world practiced brotherly kindness. But for now, let's focus on ourselves and our families. We have to start somewhere and grow from there :)

Blessings in Christ,

Apology

I want to apologize to anyone who may be offended by any of my posts. I try to not write "controversial" posts or anything that may offend someone in someway, but that would leave me with very bland posts as well as posts that would be few and far between. I try to not write posts when a topic is making me mad, I practice self control and walk away from the computer until I can think clearly again and then and only then will I write a post, or reply to a comment. But even still I know that I have room to improve on.

Please, if I have offended you in any way, I am sorry and I ask for your forgiveness.

Blessings in Christ,

Little Girls Dresses

I just finished one dress for two of my little cousins. The first one is for a 4 year-old and the second dress is for a 2 month-old. I sent them off in the mail today so hopefully they will get them tomorrow or Friday, giving me enough time to make each one a second dress as well as another little cousin a dress before I go home next week.

A "See and Sew" pattern by Butterick

Pattern found on Made by Rae (If you would like this pattern, google Made by Rae -- I do not have permission to link to her website thus I cannot provide you with a direct link)

I was going to add a diaper cover to the infant dress, but I didn't have enough material so this dress is without one. Maybe the next one.

Blessings in Christ,