The Most Beautiful Song

There is something about music that touches the soul. It can be for the good or the bad. I grew up in a musical home. My Mom, brother, sister, and I would gather around the piano to sing hymns before we started our school day. On many a Sunday afternoon we could be found around the piano singing hymns or practicing for church. My Grandpa and my Mom both loved classical music. We had many music classes where we sat listening to classical music and learned to identify the composers by their composition style. I have admired the beautiful voices of Julie Andrews, Josh Groban, Charlotte Church, and others. I know it takes a great deal of hard work and voice training to sing like an angel! However the most beautiful song I have ever heard was one that a man sung from his heart.

Mel was an elderly man who attended my grandparents church in Tampa, FL. I would talk with Mel and his wife Banita each time I was visiting my grandparents. They both were very sweet. I sang at their church each time I was there, and Mel always came to talk to me about music. One Sunday I realized Mel was going to provide the special music for the service. Granny told me she was surprised Mel would even attempt to sing. Mel was in very poor health. He had diabetes, serious heart problems, could not breath well and was on an oxygen tank. Yet Mel had a heart to praise the Lord. He wanted to sing!

At the beginning of the service Mel stood up with his oxygen tank and began singing “I Love You Lord”. It is the most beautiful song I have ever heard because watching that man you could see his heart of praise on his face. Tears were running down his cheeks. He was off key and couldn’t hold the notes but he sang that song to the end. Mel told me after the service he knew he sounded terrible but he wanted to praise God before the people he loved. I told him how much his song had meant to me. The next Sunday morning I sat down and the congregation was told Mel had died during the night. Immediately I thought of the last time I saw Mel. He was singing and sharing what the most important thing in his life was. It was Jesus Christ. The scriptures say that man looks at the outside but God looks at the heart.What a blessing to hear the voice of a beautiful heart. If I could talk to Mel again I would say thank you Mel for the blessing of hearing your singing!

Secrets to SuperMarkets Savings EBook

Crystal Paine has a new ebook coming out. If you order now you can get it at a special price. I have been following her SuperMarket Savings blog post. I intend on ordering this ebook! Being frugal and saving money is great but I only have so much time in a day. If I find it would take me hours to get together everything for the coupons and shopping list I would forget it for me. My time is worth something too! She has a lot of great ideas and readers tips in the blog post so I know the ebook will be well worth your money!


Crystal wrote:
I had so much fun selling my last ebook when it was hot off the press at a sneak-peek pricing special, that I decided to do it again on my latest ebook...
Yes, that's right, my latest much-anticipated, long-procrastinated ebook, Secrets to Supermarket Savings is DONE! After contemplating writing it for almost two years, and working on putting it together for the last four months, I am so happy to have it finished!
This ebook includes the entire Supermarket Savings series I recently did on my blog in a much more thorough and organized manner. It chronicles how we eat well, have a stocked pantry and plenty of food and household items to spare, for less than $35 a week.
I've so often received requests from people who want to know the nuts and bolts of how I am able to stretch our grocery budget so far. This book shares in-depth how it's done. I've tried to make it simple and easy enough so that anyone could implement most of the ideas. No matter how much or little time you have to give to frugal shopping, I hope you can glean some helpful hints from the things I've learned over the past ten years of frugal shopping.
In addition, this ebook includes many extra tips added in from readers and friends, a list of helpful resources, my favorite sources for coupons, simple ideas for menu-planning, helpful budgeting information, practical hands-on examples for newbies and seasoned homemakers alike, my coupon organization method, the binder coupon organization method, tips on price comparing at Wal-mart, a primer on CVS shopping, and much more.
Secrets to Supermarket Savings is 45 pages long and for a very limited time, I'm offering this freshly finished edition to you all for only $3.97! I'm sure there are a few typo's (let me know if you find any!) and I'll be going over it with a finetoothed comb in the next few days before I upload it to the main section of our website, but until then, I'm extending this special deal to you!
To purchase Secrets to Supermarket Savings: Tips and Strategies to Cut Your Grocery Bill by 40-75% or More at the special sneak-peek pricing of $3.97, click here:
http://www.biblicalwomanhood.com/2006/10/another-sneak-peek-pricing-special.html
I hope and pray it is a blessing and encouragement to many families seeking to be wise with the resources God has given them.
Blessings to you and your family!
Crystal Paine, for Jesse and Kathrynne
http://www.biblicalwomanhood.com/

Win $700 in products inVision Forum Contest!

I came across a blog, Life in a Shoe, and saw that Vision Forum was sponsering a contest through her blog. If you are a fan of the Vision Forum catalog like I am you will not want to miss this contest! Hurry though, the contest ends tomorrow!

From Life In A Shoe:

The new Vision Forum catalog is almost ready and due to be mailed out in the next couple of weeks. As always, they have added quite a few new items. Be sure to request a new one, but in the meantime...
Guess how many products will be in the new VISIONFORUM catalog this year?

Give me your best guess in the comments section under this post and email according to the rules below, and you might win a prize. You must email for your entry to be valid!

We'll take guesses through October 13, and the closest guess will receive an amazing prize package of Vision Forum products retailing over $700!And if that's not enough, we'll do a random drawing among the entries for 2 $50 Gift Certificates!

The rules:
Only one entry per household.
In the event of a tie, there will be a random drawing from among the tied winning entries.

For your entry to be valid, you must email a street address to be used for shipping your prize. To avoid confusion, please include your guess in the email as well. Send to ContestInaShoe@gmail.com. This is to prevent multiple entries from a single person or household.

Entrants must be 18 years of age or older.
One prize per household.
Contest is closed to Vision Forum employees and their immediate families.
Contest ends midnight, October 13, 2006.

Bonus: Post about this contest on your blog and send a second email including the link and your street address to ContestInaShoe@gmail.com to be entered in a separate drawing for another gift package retailing over $700!

Request for Stewart family adoption

I'm posting a portion of an email I received from Mrs. Candice Stewart concerning her families desire to adopt a group of siblings from Liberia. They have been trying to raise money for the adoption through some fundraisers. If their story touches your heart as it did mine you should visit their website and read more. Please consider helping them with the adoption if you are able.


"Above all, Mrs. Nancy Campbell, editress of Above Rubies Magazine. Now, you may wonder, why are we contacting you? We have been working several different fundraisers in order to raise the $30,000 needed to bring our three Liberian children home. Through consignment sales and garage sales, walk-a-thons and auctions, we hope to raise the funds needed to have them home by April. But we are asking for your help. ... we are asking you to consider donating an item which we could use for a silent auction. We are planning to have this auction online, if we can make the appropriate arrangements, and would love to have it set up in time to benefit those wanting to bid on items to be given as Christmas gifts. Therefore, we would love to receive all items by November 25th, in order to have them ready for the auction by the next week. In addition, all proceeds will go to Children Concerned, our adoption facilitator, and a tax receipt can be issued if desired. We would ask that you might prayerfully consider whether or not you could make a donation at this time. Even if you cannot, would you please commit to praying for us? We will update our prayer needs on the website from time-to-time and you may also sign up for our weekly update by sending an email tobringingthemhome@yahoogroups.com with "subscribe" in the subject line. Also, please feel free to pass this information along to anyone you know who might like to contribute an auction item or who might commit to pray for our family.

All auction items may be sent to us at:
The Stewart Family
12421 Goldsborough Rd.
Midwest City, OK 73130

Though we would prefer to receive items by November 25th, we will continue with auctions for as long as we receive items. Please feel free to go ahead and mail your donation even if you find you have missed the deadline. Thank you so very much for your consideration in this matter!! We are truly blessed to be able to share our lives with so many of you, whom we only know through cyberspace! May the Lord bless you richly, and may we meet someday face to face, as we give glory and honor to Him!

In His Service, Candice Stewart (for the Stewart family)
Candice Stewart -- Wife to Kevin, Mama to the Stewart Tribe (Abigail, Emma,Samuel, Chaella, and Amaris), and fully devoted follower of Christ! Join the journey!!
www.bringingthemhome.org

Admiral Chester Nimitz

A few days ago I had stopped at the library and looked through the DVD’s. I have always enjoyed studying history and one title caught my attention. It was Pearl Harbor Admiral Chester Nimitz Thunder of the Sea from the History Channel. My great-grandpa served in the Navy and was at Pearl Harbor when it was bombed by the Japanese. When I was little Grandpa told me he had brought home a piece of a plane that had exploded with parts of landing near him. I never did ask him any questions about his service in the Navy, or about the time in Pearl Harbor. I really regret that. My Mom remembers he was a faithful member of a “Survivor’s of Pearl Harbor” group. When I watched that DVD I learned more about what happened during WWII. I didn’t remember hearing about Admiral Chester Nimitz and I must say I was amazed at the character of this man. My Dad’s side of the family was career military in the Army and Air Force. So I’ve heard some things about military life. Chester Nimitz was incredibly loyal to those who served under him, kind hearted, allowed his top commanders to do their jobs while he stepped out of the way, and he was humble. I was very impressed with the life he lived! Before the war broke out he was offered a job for $25,000 a year when he made $3,000 a year in the Navy. He declined taking the job to continue serving in the Navy. After he retired from the Navy he refused to write a tell all biography for a large sum of money. He didn’t want to be writing anything that would demean or criticize the men who had served under him. Needless to say, I added him to my "hero list" and would like to read a bit more about his life.

Look to Jesus

What a week. I have not been in the mood for the trials God has allowed in my life one by one. I guess it's been more like telling God, "okay, time out please". My attitude had a good adjustment after hearing about the school shootings. You know my trials, though they be large in my life, still find me alive each day. I have a great deal to be grateful for. No room to complain.

I have kept up with world news off and on the past few days. It's downright scary thinking about all the wicked things happening in this world of ours. Let's see..shootings in an Amish school, Iran, Iraq, sin coming to light..need I say more? I taught my little nephew a song this weekend while we were at a camping trip with a church group. He told me he was afraid to go on the bike trail the next day. Why he was afraid I do not know. I taught him a song from a Judy Rodger's CD. It says, "When I am afraid I will trust in Him..I will trust in the Lord." Truely, when I myself am afraid that's what it boils down to. I need to stop, pour my heart out to God in prayer, and trust in Him! God is in control of this world. I belive that with all my heart. Despite the wickedness and evil that seems to prevail I believe without God's controlling Hand we would have destroyed each other by now. Nation against nation.

God blessed my heart last night. I had heard some of the comments made by Amish in the community where the school shootings occured. I heard one man say we must forgive. Another said maybe God was trying to teach them something. One man said they knew those children were with the Lord now and they wanted to meet them again someday. How can you speak in such a way? The only answer is the spirit of the Lord Jesus in your life. He taught us to pray for our enemies. Yes, those who hate and persecute you. The blessing of the comments I heard is this: they are speaking the reality of a life with Christ.

A favorite hymn of mine shares what I desire to do in the evil days that surround me.


Look for the beautiful,
look for the true;
Sunshine and shadow are all around you.
Looking at evil you grope in the night,
Looking at Jesus you walk in the light;
Look for the beautiful, honor the right.

Think of the beautiful,
think the true;
Thoughts like an avalanche sweep over you.
Keep not the multitude,
sort them with care,
Testing by purity,
purging by prayer;
Think of the beautiful,
think of the fair.

Talk of the beautiful,
talk of the true;
Tongues full of poisen are whispering to you.
Answer them not with a talebearing word,
only in blessing the voice should be heard;
Talk of the beautiful,
talk of the Lord.

Live for the beautiful,
live for the true,
Lifting the fallen as Christ lifted you.
Search for the jewels imbedded in sin;
Bring them to Jesus, his blood washes clean;
Live for the beautiful,
keep love within.

Camping

This past weekend I went camping with a group from my church. We went to Watkins Mill State Park. It was the perfect weekend for camping. Not too cool or hot. The beautiful surroundings were a big plus. On Saturday we went on a tour of the woolen mill. It is the last woolen mill still standing in the US. After sitting for years it was bought at an auction for $650.00 by two men. They renovated it and opened the mill as a museum. In later years the state bought the mill, the Watkins home, and surrounding land to create the State Park. Our tour guide was great and told us all the little stories and facts about the mill. Let me just say that was a very unsafe place to work!The women running one of the machines had to rethread a spool every few minutes. To save on time the women would “kiss” the spool to pull the thread through. This spool was handled by many people in the mill. This spool was called the “kiss of death”because the women who used it were so prone to becoming ill from the germs on the spool. Our guide told us about the wool dying area. He held up a glass jar for all the little children to see. It was full of dead bugs. These bugs create the best red dye known at the time. The dye from these bugs was used for the wool and have also been used for red M&M candies. (Yuck!) What amazed me about this mill was the workers had no electricity which meant no light. The area for the dye man was so dark and this was a sunny day. That would have been a difficult task! In Missouri during the hot humid summers the workers couldn’t open the windows. They wanted it to be as humid as possible in the mill to help with the wool production. The mill was so loud when it was running it could be heard 2 miles away. It ran on a steam engine.We then took a tour of the Watkins house. One of the daughters lived in this big house until age 92 I believe. There was never any electricity, running water, or a bathroom. Mrs. Watkins had her summer kitchen built very close to the house. The roof actually attached to the main house. Cooking began at 4:30 to 6:00 in themorning. The men would usually eat first, then the children would come in, then the men. They had a very large household with 6 children, grandmother, servants, and mill workers living in their home. Mr. Watkins had a smokehouse built, kept bees, and had a huge outdoor drying rack/shed built to dry fruit. They had a massive orchard. As our home tour guide told of all the work that needed to be done each day I was very thankful I live today. No wonder they died young between illness and hard labor! It was mentioned a number of times through the mill and in the home how common sickness and death was in those days. The children would play funeral with their dolls. It made me realize what a blessing God had given the Israelites in the Old Testament with portions of the Law of Moses. God gave them instructions on purification,cleanliness, and unclean issues (see Leviticus 15 as an example) that were to be strictly obeyed. It was until the past few hundred years that the reasoning behind God’s laws became known in science. Germs, bacteria, and viruses were discovered. Now we know why it is important to eat clean meat, to clean your home after the plague has entered it, or wash your clothes and hands after touching someone who has an infection. Amazing how a historical tour can remind me how awesome God is! Later that day our group went around the 3.5 mile trail at the lake. At one point Iwas walking with a little girl, Nanna, who is quite the talker. She was running , picking up acorns for treasures, and swinging her arms as much as she could. She insisted her Daddy told her she could run faster if she swung her arms. Once she was worn out she went back to the stroller for a ride. It was beautiful on thetrail. Once it was quiet I was just walking along and praying. I love to be out in the woods to pray. There are no distractions! We had a church service in the amphitheater Sunday morning then left for home. I didn’t want to leave. It’s wonderful to stop and have a retreat from the busy days and reflect on life.

Chicken Mole

Several years ago a coworker brought in Chicken Mole for an office lunch potluck. I put lots of sour cream on mine to be able to eat it (Pepper is my version of spicy.). It was delicious! I made some of this mole for my Mom, Dad, and sister and they thought it was gross. The mole for this recipe uses pumpkin seeds. Your mole sauce will have a definite green tint but if you like Mexican food you have to try this recipe just once. I made this recipe tonight for a potluck tomorrow. Yummy! Note: There are several mole sauces on the market. One uses chili peppers and will be very spicy! Another uses chocolate.

Chicken Mole

2-3 lbs. chicken, whole, breast or hind quarters
½ cup smooth peanut butter
Approximately 4 quarts and 1 cup water
1 cup (pumpkin) mole paste
2 garlic cloves
½ small onion
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon oil

Boil chicken in large stock pot using 4 quarts water, adding the garlic, onion, and salt lightly. Cook approximately 1 hour, do not overcook the chicken. Drain chicken broth. Set aside.

Mix mole, peanut butter, 1 cup water, and 2 cups chicken broth in blender until smooth. Heat oil in stock pot, add mole sauce, add chicken cut into bite size pieces. Cover and simmer on medium low to low heat for 20-30 minutes. This will burn easy so stir often. Sauce will thicken as it cooks. Additional broth may be added for thinner sauce. However, adding broth in small quantities is recommended until consistency desired is achieved. Serve in warmed burrito shells. Makes 6-10 servings.

Serve with Mexican Rice, refried beans, cheese, tomatoes, and sour cream as extra options.

The Chicken Culprit

I woke up this morning hearing a commotion at the chicken coop. I grabbed a jacket and ran down with Reagan the kitten running behind me. I found a dead chicken in a far corner of the chicken yard. Our chicken coop is at the edge of a wooded area. As I looked around I heard a little rustle and peered in the woods to see a huge raccoon staring at me. The only thing I had nearby was a snow shovel. I grabbed it and beat on a post to scare it off. Now I know who the chicken thief is! No wonder it’s a huge raccoon after eating a chicken a day. I’m thinking I will come home to find our hen count at 0 unless I lock it in the coop. This is why we need a good watch dog! My Annie would have never let this happen.

Secrets to SuperMarkets Savings

I was reading over at Crystal's blog and saw she is having an excellent series on coupon grocery shopping. Everyone should check it out!

Life's Odds and Ends

The past few days have been pretty busy with some fun times mixed in. Tuesday night I went bike riding with a friend from “yesterday days”. We rode on a walking/bike trail that’s near a river. (It looks like a big stream to me) It is such a beautiful trail back through the country area. We saw 10 deer in a field grazing for supper. There are times on the trail when you go through wooded areas by the river. Being evening there were a lot of bugs. I swallowed a few bugs (hey, I needed some protein) along the way out because I was talking. On the way back I got another one from the “Protein Platter” section of the trail for the same reason. I will know better next time.

I was given an abandoned kitten Wednesday. I named him Reagan after one of my favorite US Presidents. My Mom can’t stand cats and I was shocked she said I could bring it home. Her parents had two Siamese cats when she was little. Her remembrance of them consist of these cats clawing their way down the living room drapes screeching the entire name. I sympathize with her fear of cats after hearing some of those stories. Reagan is a very friendly kitten and wants to be near a human 24/7. I’m afraid he’s going to be lonely outside by himself. I love animals but I will not ever voluntarily let a cat live in the house. I think it’s really gross. I have been in homes were the cats climbed up on the kitchen counters. I’ve seen them in the kitchen sink, and up on the bookcases. Today Reagan was climbing up my dress trying to sit on my shoulder. I need to find a way for him to learn that is not acceptable! He’s also running in the house as soon as the door opens. I’m more used to trying to train a dog. (Notice I said try.) What I would like to do is get a little water bottle. When ever Reagan runs in through the door I’ll squirt him with some water and say no. I’ll see if that helps.

My parents have some chickens in our coop. They are dwindling in quantity since some creature has been stealing them away the past 2 days. This morning I went down to find the rooster has disappeared. A bunch of feathers were all that remained of him. He was a beautiful rooster. I liked him because he had never tried to spur me like our last rooster did.

This evening I have been sewing up several of my newly designed doll slings. I’m going to get some pictures taken with some little friends. Then the new doll slings will be up on New Little Blessing. I had fun sewing them. I found some of the cutest fabrics for the doll slings. I really enjoy looking for fabrics. To be honest it’s my favorite part!

I have been taking an online college class on using Frontpage 2003. I finished the last lesson today. Now I need to put this learning to good use. I'm going to finish up my practice website before I touch New Little Blessing myself! The instructor was great. He did a wonderful job of making the class interesting and interactive, despite being online. Isn't there some quote about "the longer I live, the more I realize what I don't know." That's how I'm feeling these days. My brain is spinning!

The Best Bread Recipe Ever

As I was growing up my Mom tried a number of whole wheat bread recipes. My Dad wasn’t too fond of a dense whole wheat bread sandwich so Mom kept trying to find a lighter w.w. bread recipe. For a number of years now that recipe has been Sue Gregg’s whole wheat bread recipe. It’s a great recipe! Mom was given a Bosch mixer for Christmas last year and that’s a new learning curve with the bread dough. She just tried a new recipe from a church friend and my Dad and I were raving about it. It is so light and yummy! The secret to the light taste is in the type of flour used. So if you use different w.w. flour than the one in the recipe, don’t be disappointed with less than spectacular results. If you like your bread with a slight sweetness you might want to try adding honey. These instructions for mixing are with a Bosch mixer in mind. Enjoy!

The Best Bread Recipe Ever from Debbie S.
5 cups hot water
2/3 cup olive oil
¾ cup honey
1 egg
Mix until combined

Add: ¼ cup wheat gluten
¼ cup lecithin (liquid or granules)
4 cups Bronze Chief flour
Mix until combined

Add:4 Tb. yeast
Mix until combined

Add: 4 tsp. salt
Add Prairie Gold Flour 8 cups at one time on speed 2 until all is combined. Mix for 5 mintues. Let rise 10 minutes in bowl. Punch down then shape. Let rise in pans til doubled. Bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes then 325 degrees for remaining time 20-25 minutes.

New Missouri Child Restraint Law

A friend recently brought to my attention the new "booster seat" law in MO. I'm feeling sorry of the 8 year old who would still need to be in a booster seat. Still, if that child has a greater chance of safety in a car wreck so they live to be 9, go for it.

A new Missouri law,effective August 28,2006, says your child must be in a booster seat if they are ages 4 through 7 who weigh at least 40 pounds, unless they are 80 pounds or 4’9” tall.

Missouri's Child Restraint Law (RSMo 307.182)

• Children less than 4 years old or less than 40 pounds must be in an appropriate child safety seat.

• Children ages 4 through 7 who weigh at least 40 pounds must be in an appropriate child safety seat or booster seat unless they are 80 pounds or 4'9" tall.

• Children 8 and over or weighing at least 80 pounds or at least 4’9” tall are required to be secured by a safety belt or buckled into an appropriate booster seat.

The fine for violating this law is $50 plus court costs.

The WalMart Effect

I found a new book at the library and took it home because the title caught my attention. It was the Walmart Effect by Charles Fishman. Now let it be known I come from a family of Wal-Mart shoppers. We enjoy a good deal as much as the next person. You simply can’t find prices better than Wal-mart. At the same time I think there is a point when frugality for the sake of frugality becomes a bad habit instead of a good habit. Wal-mart itself may be the example of that. Is it worth the pennies or dollars saved if your products come at the price of your treatment of employees, using factories with terrible human rights policies to their own workers, and so on? To me it’s not worth it! I am only a few chapters into the book so I’ll have to report on my thinking after I’ve finished reading it cover to cover.

In the meantime, I ran across an article about Costco that was really interesting. I like the philosophy behind Costco and have lost heart in Wal-Mart. I know nearly every large corporation these days I would have issue with for one reason or another. I may try to totally stop shopping at Walmart and find alternative stores. Costco would be the first to get my business!

The Modest Heart

What does it mean to dress modestly? As a teenager I was made aware there was a desire in some Christian circles to return to the modest dress. Modesty means different things to different people. There are those who feel certain colors are okay to wear but others are not being considered too flashy. Some only wears skirts and jumpers, while other ladies feel they can wear shorts, jeans,and swimming suits. There is a joke about denim jumper home school moms. In the midst of all this can come a judgment in the hearts of women looking at each other. “Can you believe so and so showed up in jeans today?” “How legalistic to think you shouldn’t wear shorts on a hot day like today!” I have seen this backbiting and hardness of hearts and it’s not pretty. My own heart is needing to be submitted to the love of Christ in this matter as it says in Galations 5:“For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another…” Our prayer for each other should be that God would give each of us a modest heart. If we have a heart that desires modesty this will be reflected in the outward appearance of our clothing and in the spirit that we carry with us. Someone won’t have to stand over us with a list of do’s and don’ts.

From personal experience I can share the workings of God upon my heart. As a little girl and teenager I was considered a tomboy. I wasn’t some rough and tumble little girl, but I enjoyed playing with boys more than girls. I didn’t like playing dolls all morning long. I wanted to be out riding my bike, playing soccer, or touch football with the boys on my street. After moving to the country I learned to enjoy our huge trampoline, horseback riding, climbing trees, hiking, and caring for our animals. Through this all I wore shorts or jeans exclusively. I couldn’t stand to wear a dress. My parents made me wear a dress to church but as soon as church was over I would change back into my jeans. As I moved into my teen years I kept this up. I noticed other girls started to dress in certain ways and heard them talking about trying to attract some guy’s attention. I wasn’t interested in such behavior. I just wanted my clothes to be clean and comfortable. Otherwise, I didn’t think much about it. As for modesty itself, I didn’t consider myself immodest at all. My parents were pretty strict about how long my shorts had to be, no tight tank tops, and so on. In the youth group I was in for a short time the other girls were feeling sorry for me because I had to dress so conservative. My parents wouldn’t let me wear my Sunday dress above my knees. Poor Jennifer!

When I was 16 my Mom came across writing about modesty and came to believe it was best for my younger sister and I to wear dresses and skirts for everyday life. The issue of modesty really struck a cord with my Mom. Before she became a Christian she spent her youth wearing clothes to gain the attention of the men around her. She knew first hand how important it was in God’s plan to dress in such a way that you do not cause your brother to stumble, let alone trying to make him stumble on purpose!

As I was asked to wear the dresses and skirts I was horrified. Give up my jeans? No way would this work! We lived next to a horse farm at the time and I would go into the stalls, climb up to the top of the stalls, and walk on top of the stall edges to the end of the barn. Do that in a dress? I listened to my Mom and changed my clothing selections but inwardly my heart was stewing. I was mad and feeling rebellious. This nonsense would end someday!

In the next few months I decided to pray about this whole modesty and clothing thing. Surely God would be fair to me! What did he expect of me? I started looking for scriptures about clothing and modesty. I began in Genesis with Adam and Eve sinning and realizing they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together to make aprons for themselves. I thought, “oh, just like all the pictures I have seen in our Bible story books.” Several verses later I read that God himself came along and saw those aprons. He decided to clothe them himself and replaced the aprons with coats of skins. That sure impressed me! God really cared how they were dressed? I had never thought about God himself wanting me to dress in a certain way. I read in Isaiah 47 about God’s judgment upon Babylon and Chaldea. As part of the curse upon them He would “make bare the leg, and uncover the thigh”. I went on to the New Testament to read that God asked women to adorn themselves in modest apparel and wear the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit. As I continued searching and found more verses that spoke of the need for a modest outward appearance and spirit, I began to be convicted in my heart. God used a situation from a few years previous to this to help me understand my need to protect my brother from stumbling. Sometimes I would wear pretty tight jeans (looking back on it I realized that) and didn’t think anything of it. One day I turned around to see a man looking at me and I knew in my heart I didn’t want to wear this pair of jeans around him again! As I prayed God brought that moment back to my mind. The study and prayer became a time to ask God to help me have a modest heart.

From that day I have continued to pray and strive to have a spirit of modesty in my heart. God never gave me a “thou shalt not” list that showed me down to the dotted i and crossed t what I should and should not wear. He didn’t give me a list of colors I could or couldn’t wear. He didn’t tell me to look like a picture right out of the 1800’s, or the 1700’s, or 1950. I never found I could only wear a denim jean jumper to be a modest woman, or only calico fabric for that matter. What God did do was change my heart. I went from a teenager bent on living out what I thought was best to having a desire for righteousness and holiness. My spirit changed as I strove to have a meek and quiet spirit. That spirit within me changed the clothes I desired to wear. I decided I wouldn’t be involved in a sport if it required me to dress immodestly. I wouldn’t try to dress in a way that stoked lust in the men about me, but in a way that showed them I was a lady and above all, a Christian. I would try on certain clothes and feel uncomfortable with how a shirt gaped or a how tight a skirt was when I bent over. I questioned my swimsuit habits. Did I really want to walk down the beach or go to the pool in a suit that covered less than my underclothes? Why was I willing to wear a “modest” swimsuit with a little skirt attached that was shorter than a tiny mini skirt and feel it was okay because men would see me at a pool instead of the pew at church? What was God’s definition of nakedness? Did I desire to wear expensive clothes that would cause pride in my hearts and others to stumble as they coveted what I was wearing? As I was striving to walk with God my clothing wasn’t really an issue of “me” anymore because my desire had changed. The desire of my heart was now, “God I want to be a woman after your own heart. I am willing to wear your coat of skins instead of the aprons I wanted for myself.” That’s what God wants, our hearts. When your heart is in the right place it won’t be about you, it will be about God, a modest heart,and the brethren around you. With that spirit of God within you will become a Christian women who others see as chaste, meek, and loving. We are called to be a peculiar people. That means you are to be a peculiar woman, full of love.“For they will know you are Christian’s by their love.” Do you love your God and your brother? Your outward appearance will reflect the love that is in your heart. God delights in the woman with a modest heart.
“For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

Clothing:

Deuteronomy 22:5 “The woman shall not wear that which pertained unto a man, neither shall a man put on a women’s garment; for all that do so are an abomination unto the Lord thy God,”
1 Timothy 2:9,10 “ In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with goodworks.”
1 Peter 3:3 “Let your adorning be not that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, or wearing of gold, or putting on of apparel; but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.”

Definitions of words I strive for in spirit and dress

Modest-2887 Greek says: orderly, of good behavior.
Neat- very clean, pure, well adjusted
Comely-decent, suitable, proper, becoming, suited to time, place, circumstances, or persons.
Sober-pure, chaste, temperate
Plain-void of ornament, simple.

Recommended Reading:
Christian Modesty and the Public Undressing of America available from Vision Forum
Author: Jeff Pollard
Format: Paperback (76 pages)

Vision Forum's description of this booklet:
The Church is being destroyed by sacred cows. A “sacred cow” is an untouchable subject that we are not supposed to discuss. To do so impinges upon another’s “Christian liberty.” Certainly, there are few sacred cows quite as sacred as the right of modern Christians to dress however they please. But in this groundbreaking work, Jeff Pollard challenges us to embrace God’s standard and to understand the historical roots of the rise of nudity and immodesty in modern culture. His perspective is thoughtful and balanced. Most importantly, he accomplishes what few authors on this subject have achieved: a treatise that avoids both license and legalism. A courageous booklet.