1000 Things to Be Thankful For…

Langhaven has been blogging praise for some time now, so I thought we'd follow suit.

1. Thank you, Lord, for unconditional love.
   

I’m having some trouble putting this into words, but last week I was thinking about some problem areas in certain relationships, and it suddenly hit me that all of those problem areas stemmed from an expectation that I had for that person. I would love him/her when he fixed X and X problems in his life or stopped doing X and X, which annoyed me.

And then I remembered that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. I remembered that even the Pharisees loved those who met their criteria first. It’s because we love unconditionally that we’re different from the world. The world will only recognize us as Christians by our love if our love is different from their love.

. . . and now abide faith, hope, love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Cor 13:13

And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the Gentiles the same? Matthew 5:47

“Love is an act of the will, accompanied by emotion, which leads to action on behalf of its object.” –Voddie Baucham on biblical love

“By this all men will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.” John 13:35

And finally, this from Ravi Zacharias:

“Without the undergirding of love, the possessor of any conviction becomes obnoxious, and the dogma believed becomes repulsive to the one who disagrees with it. . . . Our Lord Himself proclaimed truth in exclusive terms, but He demonstrated that truth by the embodiment of a perfect love. Love and patience are the necessary handmaidens [of truth.]” Deliver Us From Evil

-'Chelle

Magna cum laude . . .

Congratulations, you smart graduates you!
You guys are among the best and brightest in the world. Lucky me, huh?

With the very best of wishes and the very heartiest of congratulations,
Your Fan(s) on the Other Side of the World

In Romania . . .

∞ dogs say “Hum! Hum!” not “Arf! Arf!”

∞ The automated voice on any given answering machine is named Robot

∞ eating popsicles will give you a cold

∞ a pimple may be caused by lack of calcium

∞ a young child will get sick if he or she is out in the sun without a hat on

∞ a draft from a window or a breeze from a fan will cause an ear infection

∞ “going running” as we know it may merit a standing ovation

∞ sidewalks can be anywhere from 8” to 5’ wide, but regardless of the width, telephone poles will inevitably be right in the middle of them

∞ grazing your horse in the median is perfectly acceptable

∞ fishing in the median (if you can find water) is also a normal activity

∞ regardless of the temperature, gypsy women always wear several skirts

∞ “I accept your attitude and I wish nothing for you.” (a closing line on a letter we received from someone who’s still learning English)

For Trevor and Mark...

...who played this piece. Possibly better, but it reminded me of you anyway.
You did play this one, didn't you, Mark? :P

Of boots and skirts, of sweaters and shirts...

Fall clothes is starting to come out and I'm getting excited! To share my excitement I decided to post about it.

Ok. So I like fashion. I'll admit it here and now. It's always been a sticking point for me. But modest fashion--I LOVE! Well, not really...
I do think that dressing as a daughter of the King requires a bit of extra effort, time, thought and most of all, patience.

My mom and I have discovered, in our quest for good looking, modest clothes, that there are shortcuts. And in this, you need to have the mindset that you are investing.

First of all, you need to invest in a good, sharp-looking denim skirt, and a good, sharp looking khaki skirt. Please note: don't buy floor skimming, sloppy looking denim skirts.that look like they were cut out of a leftover pair of jeans. cuz they were! All those type of skirts are useful for is bathroom cleaning.

Secondly, look for a figure-skimming blazer in camel brown or dark brown. They last forever and can be worn from September through May, if you live in Wisconsin. I have a dark brown corduroy blazer that I bought 4 years ago and still plan on wearing it this fall--if it fits. If you have dark brown, navy or denim, that can be worn with a khaki skirt, too. Just don't EVER mix denims. That looks funny.

See how you can take the same basic skirt and make two completely different outfits, from very casual to businesslike--with the use of a sharp blazer?
I like my skirts a bit longer than this, but the idea is the same.

Then, go to Old Navy, Khol's, Target or Gap (on sale, of course) and look for 3 long-sleeve tees. That will be your casual, more disposable wardrobe; for around the house, errands, ect.
For more dressy occasions, and depending on your needs, find a white dress shirt, one printed shirt and one or two sweaters, and you can wear the white shirt alone or under a sweater or a blazer. With a long black skirt, this can be very dressy for church, Christmas parties, ect.

So the idea is that you have 2 basic skirts, 3 casual tees and 3 dressier tops...a complete wardrobe!

Take a print skirt, which can be bought very cheaply at the end of the summer, pair them with boots or flats and tights, and a sweater, and you have yourself a very pretty and fall appropriate outfit.By the way, tall-ish boots with skirts are wonderful. Target has great looking shoes for good prices that are fairly comfortable. Cuz if you wear a pair of 3" tall shoes, you'll need to have some flats to change into. I speak from experience here. My family always makes fun of my apparent need to sacrifice comfort for fashion...maybe I need to listen.

~Kirsten :)

Submissive Competence

Since the word 'submission' is often percieved as another word for 'doormat', it deserves a close examination. For those who may not have background, it is often thought that to submit is to blindly go along with whatever your authority wishes. But Submissive Competence is quite a different story. This phrase is designed to describe a daughter's place in the home...as contrasted to a specific measure of dependence or independence.
a dictionary definition would be in order here:

competence: having requisite or adequate abilities, or proper and rightly pertinent.

submit: : to defer to or consent to abide by the opinion or authority of another.

So there we have it. Submissive competence, simply put, is skill willfully placed under direction. What is meant by the phrase is that the daughter is to an extent "dependent" on the will of her parents, (by choosing to defer to their authority) but her dependence does not correspond to lack of ability. Well, not necessarily, anyway. Here is a more formal and broad definition:
"While having the necessary skills to live and act independently, that same independence is harnessed into a kind of interdependence with those placed in authority; earnestly seeking to utilize our skills within the scope of the will of God for His glorification."


This also goes along with the concept of Permissions, most graciously given to us by Mrs. Lang, and beautifully described by Thea right here:

"Permission" is literally "authorization," or "formal consent" to proceed with a given plan of action. It is inextricably linked to the concept of submission--we are willingly placing ourselves under the authority of another by seeking their authorization to pursue a given activity. However, it also includes the notion of respectful, regulated independence--that we are first seeking permission, or authorization, to act, but then we also take the initiative to pursue that course of action without being pushed/pulled by anyone. It includes the notion of competence--that we don't need someone to spoon feed us opportunities, but are capable of mustering some initiative and seeking some out on our own in order to explore the abilities with which God has gifted us...

Here's another thought, this one from Mrs. Kosobucki. She said this was a freshman lecture when she was in Bible college and it changed her life. Her professor put it this way: "Your to-do list, what you must accomplish, is your holiness obligation. Bills that must be paid, a job, responsibilities in the home, things that you have committed to, these are your holiness obligation. These are the things that you have agreed to accomplish before the Lord. Whatever is left when you have fulfilled your holiness obligation, whatever time, energy, resources, availability you have left is grace. This is what you use to go above and beyond, to reach out to those in need. You've met your obligation and found you have a free evening. That's grace that you can use to bless someone.


And another idea from Mrs. Flage: the concept of 'submission' is one of mutual trust.
It reminded me of the ever-impressive Proverbs 31 woman...“The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her.” Another thought was that feminine strength also comes into play here. “She girds her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. “ Feminine strength dosen't just mean that you can hop over a fence wearing a skirt. There's more to it-- and I think this could also be taken as emotional/mental as well as physical strength...Mrs. Proverbs 31 ain’t no weakling, let me tell you! She has enough to give emotionally and spiritually to others in need, without being a drain on others.

to sum it up: "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is...but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ."
Ephesians 5:16-21

~Kirsten, Thea, and Michelle

We thought the baritone sang a little too slowly, so...we fixed it. Behold the beautifulness!

-Michelle