Chocolate JCP dress

This is another of my favorite outfits. JCPenney's Ruby Rox Square Neck Framed Dress shows femininity in a simple but trendy way, and it's a dress I'd wear just about anywhere. From Sunday church services to graduations to summer parties and maybe even weddings, this dress is modest, feminine, and sweet--like chocolate.

READY: April 23, 2010

Today's Passage: Genesis 16, NIV

What ladies can learn: Girls can be mean. God knows. God is with us through every trial, every time we feel betrayed or hurt or alone because of other girls' mean actions and mean words.

Highlighted characteristic of God: God cares about everyone. God knows everyone by name, He knows everyone's past, and He knows everyone's future.
In two words: God knows.

Highlighted characteristic for us: God's will is accomplished through His methods, and we need to have faith in Him. Before making any big decisions about how we're going to "make His will possible," we need to ask if those decisions are in His plan at all...if they aren't, then we won't be helping Him at all by making those decisions.
In three words: Trust God's methods.

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?
  

Women or Wimps?

Today, I read Susan Brownmiller's essay Femininity in 100 Great Essays (edited by Robert Diyanni).
I'd like to point out a few of the points at which I believe she is incorrect (note that our definitions of femininity are different):

• False belief: Feminine women are not career-minded.
• Correction: Feminine women can be career-minded. I'm very thankful for all the female scientists, doctors, professors, authors, businesswomen, CEOs...it's possible for women to be in positions of leadership in the business and academic world without losing their femininity.
• False belief: Feminine women are men-worshipers and men-catchers
• Correction: Femininity has nothing to do with man-worshiping. It has more to do with worshiping God and the roles and desires He places in our hearts. One can be feminine, pure, and happily single.
• False belief: Feminine women are weak and sentimental.
• Correction: Weakness and sentimentality has nothing to do with feminism. If you're weak and sentimental, that's your problem. We should find our stability in Jesus, regardless of our views on feminism. Weakness and sentimentality is never the answer.

Being feminine is dressing like a lady and acting in a polite manner. Yes, femininity includes letting men initiate discussions, relationships, and not volunteering to lead a group if a man is available to volunteer (this is in casual settings, not so much in business settings). This is practicing Biblical male leadership - NOT TO BE MISTAKEN FOR MALE SUPERIORITY, which is not Biblical! I cannot stress that enough: leaders are equal with followers. In fact, without leaders there would be no followers, and without followers there would be no leaders. Simply because women should not lead in some situations does not mean they are inferior to men. It takes a certain strength to lead, and it takes another kind of strength to follow.

Questions for discussion:

• What is your definition of feminism? How do you feel about the three points presented above? Do you have a different opinion?
  
• What are your views on male/female leadership? In what situations is it appropriate for a woman to lead? In what situations is it appropriate for her to follow? When should a woman sit back and wait for a man to lead, even if he is not initiating?