This past weekend, my dear husband got my new location all up and running for me. I noticed that there are quite a few people still subscribed to my old RSS feed, and I don’t want to lose track of any of you, so here’s a little reminder to come visit me at my new site.

Blessings!

Mrs. Anna T. has written another gem, Fix Your Eyes on the Lovely Things. It’s an uplifting and spot on reminder to keep our minds on the right things.

Here is a GREAT post, written anonymously by a wife dealing with her husband’s pornography problem. I want to be careful in posting it, lest this woman’s personal story of coming to grips with her own sin make anyone think that all men’s pornography problems stem from these particular issues. Pornography addiction is so rampant, and the complicating factors are as individual as each struggling couple. However, the answer, the way of the cross, is much more universally applicable. Even if your husband has never had difficulty in this area, chances are you will one day encounter a woman whose husband does, and this gives solid Scriptural advice in testimony form on what to say and what NOT to say. I highly recommend The Pornography Net.

Meghann Jones has written a delightful post encouraging us to enjoy our husbands and leave convicting them to the Holy Spirit. Enjoying My Man.

This is also a great time to introduce you to something that I’ve really been enjoying, but since I don’t usually do memes, I haven’t had a good chance to share it. Organizing Mommy has a wonderful concept called the Blitz that has been a huge blessing at our house since she introduced it several months ago. Here’s her latest post about it, Blitzing with the Kids. You may also want to check out the first post, The ONE HOUR BLITZ.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. –Philippians 4:8

There’s no stigma attached to having a child [out of wedlock] and there’s no price to pay, no consequence…in terms of your acceptance within society. Some schools even have special classes now for girls who get pregnant while they’re still in school.

The report went on to say,

Crouse believes the survey is also a wakeup call to parents who have children enrolled in public school that comprehensive sex education is not working. She argues that schools are focusing too much on the act of sex and not enough on the ramifications of unwed pregnancies.

Now I usually like Concerned Women for America, but I have a problem with this. There is nothing immoral about having a baby out of wedlock. What is immoral is having sex out of wedlock. The reason that unwed pregnancy used to be stigmatized was that being pregnant implied you’d been having sex. Shifting the focus from the sex to the baby, in my mind, does one thing. It encourages abortion.

If we spend lots of time telling students about “the ramifications of unwed pregnancies,” we’re not going to discourage them from having sex. We’re going to make them believe that a baby will ruin their life. Sex and babies hardly go together anymore. Sex is for fun. And babies…well, there’s a pill for that. So when their birth control fails (and teens are notorious for not using it properly), a quick trip down to the local Planned Parenthood office will fix everything up, neat and tidy. There! No out of wedlock birth. Never mind the dismembered child, and the emotionally scarred woman who may face serious depression and even increased risk of breast cancer thanks to the solution to her dire “problem” of having a baby.

Yes, it is God’s design for children to grow up with two parents. And we should grieve for children who don’t have that chance and seek to help and defend the fatherless, whether they are the children of unwed mothers or the children of widows. But just as we don’t blame the children of widows for ruining their mothers’ lives (even if their mothers are struggling and impoverished), we shouldn’t blame the children of women who stumbled sexually for ruining their mothers’ lives. What devastated the widow was a death. What devastated the unwed mother was giving herself sexually to a man who had not covenanted to care for her and the baby they produced.

Let’s tell people the truth. A human being is infinitely valuable even if he is at risk for poverty or behavior problems. Babies don’t mess up your life. (They do drastically alter your plans, but they also bring with them incredible blessings. And since when were one person’s plans more important than another person’s life anyway?). But having sex with someone you’re not married to does mess up your life. Sex is not harmless fun. It binds you forever to another person. And not saving sex for marriage causes much more spiritual and emotional devastation than any baby ever will.

Rina, at Into Still Waters published a truly inspiring post encouraging wives to joyfully reveal themselves to their husbands. In it, she includes a wonderful section written by her husband at her request describing how a godly man views his wife. Let Her Breasts Satisfy You At All Times (Not for young readers)

And Meghann, at The Jones Family published a very convicting post on putting your children ahead of housework and other interests (including writing and checking blogs!). A Good Week

So, without further ado, here are 25 random things about me.

1. Even though, I’m a homeschool graduate, I am terrible at spelling. (You see how useless stereotypes can be?) I don’t blame my dear mother, though. By the time she took me out of public school at the beginning of sixth grade, I was already rather, shall we say, free-spirited and creative in the spelling department. I actually improved some once my mom started teaching me.

2. Thanks, in part, to the blessing of spell-checkers, I have a Bachelors from Stanford in linguistics with a double concentration on narrative structure and language acquisition.

3. I know enough to find my way around some in French and Hebrew. (A linguistics major thinks twice before she says she “speaks” anything but her native tongue, and anyway, I haven’t really used either language in years, so I’m as rusty as a ten-year-old car in the road salt-encrusted Midwest.)

4. I am chronically behind on my laundry. But I’m trying to improve!

5. I own an M4. I asked for it for Christmas. I haven’t shot it yet because I’m pregnant, and I don’t shoot when I’m pregnant because I’m worried it’s too loud for the baby’s ears. I got my rifle because it has all the features that were banned under the Clinton era assault weapons ban (you know, a collapsible butt stock, bayonet lug, pistol grip, high-capacity magazine, flash suppressor–anything with more than two of these features was given the scary term, “assault weapon,” which most people associate with military machine guns, even though in most states civilians only owned semi-auto versions). Since Joe Biden was the original author of the ban, Mr. Parunak and I thought something similar might go into effect again. If you already own a gun with banned features, it gets grandfathered in and becomes extremely valuable. So it’s sort of an investment…and a conversation piece. And I could take it hunting if we were ever starving or something. Otherwise, it looks cool, when it’s not locked up, which it is most of the time.

6. I don’t have a favorite color. I love so many different colors, it’s impossible to choose. Multiple shades of green, blue, purple, and pink are all in the running.

7. I helped pay for community college by teaching ballet and leading discussion groups for prospective nursing students who were taking their chemistry prerequisite.

8. I eat way too much chocolate.

9. I’m afraid of heights. (This is especially a bummer because my husband is an avid rock climber, and it sure would be nice to be able to share his hobby. I stand at the base of the wall, though, take lots of pictures, and cheer him on.)

10. When I exercise, I often wear one of two Big Family Shirts my husband bought for me. One says, “Yes, my hands are full…and I love it,” and the other one says “Militant Fecundity.”

11. I love long walks, along dirt roads, through the farm land our subdivision boarders.

12. My favorite “job” at home is homeschooling my children.

13. I was a candy striper in in a maternity ward in high school.

14. When I was eleven (almost twelve), my mom gave me the amazing gift of letting me witness my brother’s birth. I was awestruck, mesmerized, fascinated. The obstetrician, afraid I might be freaked out by the pain my mom was in, tried to reassure me that by the time I was having babies, doctors would have figured out how to make it painless. I nodded politely. I was already dreaming of trying for natural births. So far, I’ve been very thankful to have been able to have three at home with essentially no interventions or medications.

15. I fantasize about having a family cow and chickens.

16. I met my husband just before my fifteenth birthday. He had just turned sixteen. We figured out by about a month later that we wanted to get married. But it took seven long years of letters and visiting each other’s families before we had finished school. By two weeks after my college graduation we were married.

17. Before we were married, my husband wrote me a song about Jacob and Rachel who also had to wait seven years to get married.

18. I don’t recommend waiting seven years to get married.

19. I am a morning person.

20. I love baking.

21. I don’t like coffee, even fancy coffee that has way more sugar, cream, and syrup than actual coffee.

22. Our dog went deaf after a round of doggie vaccines. Apparently, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are prone to vaccinosis. The things you find out the hard way.

23. My husband and I were wedding photographers together for a couple years back when we only had one baby. Once our second was born, I retired, and he continued without me for a while, but has finally restricted his work to just friends so that he has more time with our family.

24. The job I had to help pay for the university half of my college experience was in Stanford’s government documents library. I started out as a shelf reader. That meant that I went down the shelf reading every call number, looking for documents that were in the wrong place. Can you believe I loved it?! It was so peaceful, and dark, and quiet back in the stacks, and I felt like I was on such a noble mission–restoring order, making it possible for people to find things they needed.

25. I love living in a place with seasons. (I grew up in the Willamette valley in Oregon, where we had two seasons: wet and less wet.) I celebrate the changes in Michigan with different knick knacks, candles, hand towels, etc. for different times of year. “Changing the decorations” is a favorite activity for my children and me.

… I know of the magazine girlhood companion and internet site genteel girlhood, is there anything similar for homeschool boys? We get clubhouse at the moment and we can’t do keepers as we live in another country.I know pumpkinseed sells good manuals like keepers, doorposts etc but is there something interactive for the children like the girl ones so they can interact with similar peers and share life problems?

My children are still quite young, and we have not begun any magazine subscriptions for them, so I did not have any good advice to offer Linda. Now, I’m turning it over to you. What wholesome magazines do you know of for boys? And while we’re at it, if you have any ideas for girls, too, I know I’d love to hear them, and I’m sure others would as well. I had never heard of Girlhood Home Companion before, but their website looks lovely.

***

I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully. –1 Timothy 5:14

The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;  That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. –Titus 2:3-5

Most of us in the conservative Christian world see these verses as pointing women toward homemaking, especially women with young children. We counsel women to be their husband’s wives and their children’s mommies first and foremost in life. We write blog posts and articles about how important it is to be home. And we would never encourage a wife and mother who doesn’t need to work to put food on the table to go out and get a job just because she’d be so good at it. After all, the Bible says that when women neglect to obey these verses they are giving occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully, and opening the door for the word of God to be blasphemed. Those are pretty rough condemnations. So, never mind how brilliant you might be as an investment banker, dog catcher, or burger flipper, your family needs you at home, and your God has told you to be there. So put your vast talents to use where God has placed you, and leave the financial world, the stray dogs, and the hungry fast food customers in His hands.

OK, yup, yup. We’re all nodding our heads. So far, very few of you want to strangle me. But let’s say it’s not a question of stray dogs. Let’s say we’re talking about, oh, maybe the Office of the Vice President of the United States of America. Let’s say we’re talking about Sarah Palin. Screeeeeeeeech! Put on the brakes! Now watch as the entire evangelical community rises up in righteous indignation and shouts in unison:

BUT WHAT ABOUT DEBORAH?!

After all, Deborah was chosen by God as a leader of the nation of Israel, and she was a woman. This argument usually silences all naysayers. (Let’s not forget that her ticket is running against Barack Obama, and a vote against Sarah Palin is a vote for Communism, Terrorism, and Partial Birth Abortion. And seriously, who wants to do anything to further all that? Hey, people, don’t vote for Scary.)

Frankly, this response boggles my mind. If people were saying, look Barak Obama’s policies are horrendously bad for America, so maybe we should compromise and vote for the McCain Palin ticket even though it’s less than perfect, I would understand. I’d listen. I’d seriously consider. But this? Everyone in the pro-family world from James Dobson to quiverfull homeschool moms jumping for joy? What’s going on? We’re letting one example from the Old Testament negate clear commands from the New Testament.

Let’s apply this logic to another area and see where it takes us.

Let’s pretend that John McCain didn’t pick Sarah Palin as his running mate. Let’s pretend he picked Bob Smith, governor of the imaginary state of South Texas. Bob Smith is the Christian Right’s dream. He’s outspoken about his faith in the God of the Bible, goes to church every Sunday, and has a strong pro-life voting record. Not only that, but he’s the father of five children, including one with special needs. He’s got brilliant economic ideas, a disdain for big government, a history of standing up to the establishment for the good of the little guy, AND he’s a life member of the NRA who’s been known to serve rattlesnake steaks at his family ranch. Bob Smith also really likes to patronize prostitutes. He’s very careful to always obey the law, of course, and never solicits illegal prostitutes. He just takes all his vacations in Germany where prostitution is legal, and he can have have a good time with someone else every night. Mrs. Smith says she is just fine with this arrangement. This is the lifestyle that they have chosen, and she’s quite happy to be able to support her husband.

What is the response of the evangelical community going to be to Bob Smith as a Vice Presidential candidate? After all, the New Testament says clearly in 1 Corinthians 6:15:

Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.

Is anyone going to say, “Look, Governor Smith, you claim to be a Christian, but you are disobeying the Bible. What you are doing is demeaning to your wife, detrimental to your marriage, and makes you unfit for leadership.”?

And what if people start thinking, “you know maybe I can’t vote for a man who claims to be a Christian but loves to patronize prostitutes.”? What if they start saying it out loud? Is the whole evangelical community going to rise up in righteous indignation and shout in unison,

BUT WHAT ABOUT SAMSON?!

After all, Samson was chosen by God to lead the nation of Israel, and he patronized prostitutes (Judges 16:1). Is that argument instantly going to silence all naysayers? Are we all going to sit back quietly and dutifully vote for Bob come election day without admitting that, yeah, we really don’t like the fact that he patronizes prostitutes, but we don’t want to vote for Scary? Are we going to write books about The Faith of Bob Smith, and tell everyone how he’s such a great role model for our sons? Are we all suddenly going to decide that we love McCain, even though he’s actually pro-choice and pro-big government, just because he picked Bob as his running mate? Are we going to forget all about that whole “lesser of two evils” thing we were thinking back when McCain didn’t have a VP, and toot our horns gleefully for Bob Smith, America’s Samson?

Are we?

Just something to think about.

As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths. –Isaiah 3:12