The lost art of letter writing

Handwritten letter. When was the last time you received one? In today's world, e-mails, twitter updates, and text messages abound. Not so for the letter; this beautiful expression of friendship has almost dwindled from society.

In this post, I'm going to evaluate the handwritten letter using the five basic questions that help me decide how important things are to our society and our faith. Feel free to change or add to this list; suggestions posted as comments are much appreciated!

The main question: "Should Christians make an effort to send handwritten, snail-mail letters? If so, how much effort?"
1. Does the Bible explicitly command it? No. Though it was the method Paul used, it was also the method his culture used to communicate.
2. Will it help me connect with the culture? Not really. Handwritten, snail-mail cards for occasions will help me show my friends they're valued, but in this culture it can never replace the <3 2 <3 connection of a txt or an e-mail. If I really want to connect, I'll have to be comfortable with electronic communication.
3. Will it help or hurt my faith? Letter writing will not hurt my faith, but texting and e-mailing can become addictive. It's good to be careful to only spend as much time is needed on these things so I can focus on face-to-face connections as well.
4. Will it help or hurt others' faith? Writing letters (but not communicating electronically) could distance me from others and make it more difficult to witness or give advice. It shouldn't hurt faith directly, but it could hurt indirectly.
5. What attitude/image does it portray? Letter writing can be seen as old-fashioned, feminine (if you use pretty stationary and good handwriting), and/or an extremely caring expression. How many people take the time to sit down and write a letter?
My thoughts: Yes - it's feminine! Yes, it's a great way to show your friends they're valued. No, you probably won't get any replies or close friendships this way. Sorry.
I recommend sending greeting cards. Homemade or store-bought, they're always a way to brighten a friend's day. They're fun to buy, fun to make, fun to write, they're feminine, they're caring, and they can't easily be replaced by an e-mail or a text.
As for close friendships, well....get out your cell phones and open your e-mail accounts!

Questions for discussion:

• How do you communicate most often? How do your friends communicate?
• Have you ever tried starting a snail-mail correspondence with your friends? What was the result?
• How can you better connect with your friends?
  

What's this blog about?

Hi girls,
I started this blog for Christian girls who are trying to establish a balance between being culturally relevant and Biblically obedient. I want to follow Christ in all I do, which means following 1 Timothy 2:7-8 ("In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us").

In the same line of thinking, however, I believe the Bible does not call us to be completely isolated from the culture:

• In Acts 10:13, Jesus tells Peter to "Kill and eat," just like the Romans in Peter's culture did. This became a witnessing tool.
• Romans 14:20 NIV: "Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble." I don't think this verse applies to food alone.
• 1 Corinthians 10:31-33 NIV: "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved." (emphasis mine)

The culture is trying to make girls look like men in the way they dress. They're trying to make girls act like men in the way they act. Nevertheless, God created men and women with equal but different roles, roles that are each beautiful in their own way. In this culture, we must find what it means to be a real, modern, feminine girl.
Besides, what would the world do without women? ;)
Questions for discussion:

• What do you think it means to be "culturally relevant"? Where do you draw the line between cultural connection and feminine living?
• What are the patterns in your life right now? Are you more feminine or more feminist? What are you doing to follow God? What are you doing that is cultural?
• Do you have any suggestions? (blog topics you'd like to see, ideas on how to be feminine yet relevant, etc).