Femininity is in tatters. The family has been split apart. Churches worldwide are weakening. What must be done to regain the purity of a life that seeks to honour Jesus? How can we re-capture the depth of His love for us? How can femininity and true beauty be regained?

It starts with the Gospel. It starts with an almighty, sovereign God who “did not spare His own Son,” a Saviour who “for the joy set before Him endured the Cross,” a Holy Spirit “who is in you,” empowering you to do His will.

The Gospel is Jesus Christ

He came, He gave
He is mighty to save
To all who will repent and believe

This blog is dedicated to re-capturing femininity; femininity as God designed it. Femininity in our culture is desperately lost. Scripture testifies of this in Proverbs 31. “An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels.” A wife of excellence is more rare that precious gems. In the 21st century, this is sadly apparent.

So let us raise the bar to a level of excellence that is rare and mysterious. Let us live our growing years with patience, our single years with dedication, our waiting years with service, our longing years with purity, our married years with faithfulness, and our entire lives under the blessings of our eternal covenant with the Prince of our souls, Jesus Christ.

May He have all the glory!

Monday, May 31, 2010

Psalm 18:1-3

"I love You, O Lord, my strength."
The Lord is my rock and my fortress
and my deliverer, my God, my rock,
in whom I take refuge; my shield
and the horn of my salvation, my
stronghold.
I call upon the Lord,
who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

A Sweet and Bitter Providence

“God’s purposes for his people is to connect us to something far greater than ourselves. God wants us to know that when we follow him, our lives always mean more than we think they do. Naomi had no idea in the land of Moab that God was making her the ancestor of the Messiah. For the Christian there is always a connection between ordinary events of life and the stupendous work of God in history.

Everything we do in obedience to God, no matter how small, is significant. It is part of a cosmic mosaic that God is painting to display the greatness of his powers and kingdom to the world and to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places (Ephesians 3:10). A deep satisfaction of the Christian life is that we are not given over to trifles. Serving a widowed mother in law, gleaning in a field, falling in love, having a baby—for the Christian these things are connected to eternity. They are part of something so much bigger than they seem" (p. 121).


~John Piper, A Sweet and Bitter Providence

Monday, May 24, 2010

A Real Woman...Does Hard Things!

We had the privilege of hearing Alex and Brett Harris speak this past Saturday in Surrey, BC at their first stop of the 2010 Do Hard Things Tour. If you have never heard of the Harris', please stop by their website, www.therebelution.com , and be encouraged! Their "Modesty Survey" is a very convicting and inspiring tool!

I was so grateful to be able to attend this conference because God was glorified in every word that was spoken and every song that was sung. Alex and Brett have challenged themselves and our generation of young people to rebel against the low expectations of our ungodly culture and strive to "Do Hard Things" for the glory of God and the advancement of His Kingdom.

The most wonderful part of the conference was when Brett presented the true Gospel message. It was so amazing and humbling to see God's Holy Spirit open up the hearts and minds of some of the young people. This was not a "bow your head and invite Jesus in your heart" event. There was no manipulation or emotional music to draw people in. It was an opportunity for every person there to public pronounce Jesus Christ as Lord! It was not about just accepting, believing, and confessing. It was about repenting and turning from sin; about living a radically different life. It was about obedience to the One who suffered and died for us. It was not about us, but about Him and giving Him glory! It was a life-changing day!

Alex and Brett and the entire Harris Family would covet your prayers at this time as their mother is very ill with stage 4 colon cancer. Praise God that she is resting in Jesus for her strength and that Alex and Brett were able to remain bold in their message. Please lift them up, along with their dad, Greg Harris, and siblings Josh, Joel, Sarah, Isaac, and James as they watch God's sovereignty and love unfold in their lives.

I want to share with you the definition of "A Real Woman" taken from The Rebelution:

A Real Woman...

...seeks to make God her number one desire and the Lover of her soul, knowing that only He can fully satisfy. Psalm 73:25 "Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth."

...realizes her imperative need to allow the Holy Spirit to control her emotions and expressions of them. James 1:19-20 "This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God."

...does not complete for equality with men or chafe at God's design for male and female, but delights in and understands the importance of her calling to complement man's role. Ephesians 5:22-24 " Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior or the body. But as the church is subject to Christ so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything."

...does not wallow in self-pity or make a habit of voicing complaints, but radiates cheerfulness and joy. Proverbs 17:22 "A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones."

...portrays chastity, modesty and reverence in her manner, and wears the ornament of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is her true beauty. Titus 2:4-5 "Older women...encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God would not be dishonored."

...does not have a nagging, contentious or manipulative manner in which she deals with others. Proverbs 21:9 "It is better to live in a corner of a roof than in a house shared with a contentious woman."

...appreciated her father's protection, and respects and submits to his authority. In so doing, she is preparing herself to exercise the Biblical role in her relationship with a possible future husband.

...is trustworthy and gains the respect of those around her. Proverbs 31:10-11 "An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain."

...is glad she's a woman and rejoices in her femininity, expressing it through her attitude, appearance and bearing. 1 Timothy 2:9-10 "Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness."

...encourages and builds up those around her instead of criticizing and tearing them down. Ephesians 4:29 "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear."

...is not offended by respect shown her through gentlemanly courtesies (opening doors, etc.) but cultivates the differences between the sexes that make her worthy of this deference. 1 Peter 3:7 "You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered."

...holds her virginity before marriage sacred and will not compromise it for anything. (This one is for guys too!) 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 "Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body."

...uses her years of singleness to seek and serve God without distraction, and is content to leave the details of her future to Him. 1 Corinthians 7:34 "The woman who is unmarried, and the virgin, is concerned about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit."

...values the cultivation of her mind and diligently seeks after wisdom and knowledge. Proverbs 22:17-21 "Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, and apply your mind to my knowledge; for it will be pleasant if you keep them with you, that they may be ready on your lips. So that your trust may be in the Lord, I have taught you today, even you. Have I not written to you excellent things of counsels and knowledge, to make you know the certainty of the words of truth that you may correctly answer him who sent you?"

...does not relate to members of the opposite sex in a flirtatious or forward manner, but instead saves all her passion for her future husband. 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 " For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to posses his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion, like the Gentile who do not know God; and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warn you. For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification, Se he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you."

...restrains herself from listening to, or participating in gossip, but instead speaks with wisdom and discretion. Proverbs 11:12-13 "He who despises his neighbor lacks sense, but a man of understanding keeps silent. He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy conceals a matter."

...is not boisterous or loud in her speech or actions but is characterized by a gentle and quiet spirit. 1 Peter 3:3-4 "Your adornment must not be merely external - braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God."

A Real Woman...Does Hard Things!

Monday, May 10, 2010

Rose From Brier ~ By Amy Carmichael

Thou hast not that, My child, but thou hast Me,
And am not I alone enough for thee?
I know it all, know how thy heart was set
Upon this joy which is not given yet.

And well I know how through the wistful days
Thou walkest all the dear familiar ways,
As unregarded as a breath of air,
But there in love and longing, always there!

I know it all; but from thy brier shall blow
A rose for others. If it were not so
I would have told thee. Come then, say to Me:
My Lord, my Love, I am content with Thee.
"I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."
Phillipians 4:11-13