Congratulations to Jenny!

Please e-mail me at inquire@waterbrookstudios.com with your mailing address!

Thank you everyone for participating!

Waterbrook Studios Sell!

For the month of September buy the small Calvin plaster bust for $99 and get a FREE Limited Edition Tile for the 500th anniversary of Calvin's Birth. Also enjoy FREE Shipping for your entire order!

Happy Birthday Sweet Liberty!

Backyard Fun!

"Memorial Day" in North Carolina!

S

JOHN CALVIN 1509-2009

Five hundred years ago God raised up a man who impacted the world in a way that few Christians men have ever have. For John Calvin the reformation was more than merely a reformation of the church and its theology; it was a total reformation on every area of life. From Geneva to New England the children of the reformation sought to proclaim the supremacy of the Christian Faith over education, science, art, economics, philosophy, law, and political science as part of a total world and life view. For John Calvin faith was not merely personal; it was the victory that overcomes the World; (1John 5:4)

The 500th anniversary of Calvin's birth not only calls for a time of celebration and thanksgiving, but it also extends a challenge to our own generation to look back tot he rock from which we are hewn.

“Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged…. For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.” (Is 51: 1-3)

At the heart of Calvin's life and legacy is the indefatigable pursuit to see all things brought into subjection to the Christ of Scripture for the glory of God alone. This same pursuit and legacy must become our very own.

For more information go to:

http://www.waterbrookstudios.com/

Father/Daughter Day!

Recently some of the men and their daughters from our church got together for a Father/Daughter day at Mount Vernon. They had a wonderful time walking the grounds at Mount Vernon and afterward holding a luncheon which focused on exhortation and discipleship.

I love Spring!

She is 5!!!!!

Happy Birthday Sweet Geneva!

Modesty!

Noah Webster defines modesty as"That lowly temper which accompanies a moderate estimate of one's own worth and importance....In females, modesty has the like character as in males; but the word is used also as synonymous with chastity, or purity of manners. In this sense, modesty results from purity of mind, or from the fear of disgrace and ignominy fortified by education and principle. Unaffected modesty is the sweetest charm of female excellence, the richest gem in the diadem of their honor".

I still remember when I first started thinking seriously about modest clothing.
As I confronted the issue of modesty a question pertinent to all women was raised. Am I dressing in a way that gives glory to God and honor to my husband or is my way of dress offensive to God and dishonoring to my husband? The more I became acquainted with biblical standards for modesty the more I realized that the later was true. I desired to glorify God in this area of my life and began to search the Scriptures to discover how I might bring this issue under the authority of Christ. Here are some things I have learned to consider with regard to how I dress:

1. God Hates Nakedness

An individual may ask why does God hate nakedness so much considering the fact that in the beginning Adam and Eve were naked and unashamed?( Genesis 2:25). The answer is that when Adam and Eve sinned against God, shame and disgrace also followed. Their bodily nakedness was a reflection of their spiritual nakedness and disgrace. They tried to cover themselves with aprons made of fig leaves which wilt away and were not permanent, but their attempt at covering their own nakedness was not good enough for God. God made coats of skins which required a sacrifice and the shedding of blood for the proper covering of their nakedness. This physical encounter with God was a reflection of the spiritual implications of sin. In the same manner fallen man attempts to cover his sins in a number of ways by either self atonement or escape from guilt, but that is not sufficient to save ourselves from hell. It is only by the the sacrifice and the shedding of blood provided by God on Calvary that the nakedness of our souls can be covered. God hates nakedness because it reflects our sinful condition. The flaunting of nakedness reflects a disregard for redemption. It is an attempt to remove the shame of nakedness without the removing the shame of sin.

In an important work"Christian Modesty and the Public Undressing of America", Jeff Pollard points out, "Though we have no 'snapshots' of Adam and Eve's apparel, the word coats is consistently used throughout the Old Testament to mean a tunic-like garment. Coats in Gen 3:21 is kuttonet from an unused root meaning to cover. The kuttonet was the ordinary garment worn by man and woman as seen in the tunics of skin worn by Adam and Eve. This shirt like garment usually had long sleeves, and extended down to the ankles when worn as a dress coat........The important thing to remember is that this was God's design for covering Adam and Eve's nakedness and shame. In other words, God did not give a fur bikini to represent our righteousness and salvation."

2. Who is Lord?

As in every area of our lives we have to asks ourselves to whom are we to render our obedience. Scripture answers, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God". We have to reject the modern evolutionary mentality that culture is evolving and that even as Christians we must evolve with it. Man is not to be defined by the culture, instead the Christan, should be defined by Christ the Lord over culture, and should be the salt and light which leads culture to glorify God.

Inhis Sketches of Jewish Social Life, Alfred Edershheim states:" If a faithful picture of society in ancient Greece or Rome were to be presented to view, it is not easy to believe that even they who now most appose the Bible could wish their aims success. For this, at any rate, may be asserted, without fear of gainsaying, that no other religion than that of the Bible as proved competent to control an advanced, or even an advancing, state of civilization....Two things are here undeniable. In the case of heathenism every advance in civilization has marked a progressive lowering of public morality, the earlier stages of national life always showing a far higher tone than the later. On the contrary, the religion of the Bible has increasingly raised, if not uniformly the public morals, yet always the tone and standard of public morality."

3. The Display of Femininity:

Perhaps, no other passage better reveals that God intended men and woman to be distinct from one another in the apparel they wear and the manner in which they conduct themselves than Deut. 22:5: "The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God". Of course, the intent of the verse extends beyond the way we are to dress, but also reflects deeper that clothing is to be functional and reflect the different roles given to men and women by God. When a woman dresses like a man it reflects one of the modern lies of feminism and her disdain for the distinction God has placed between her and man. A woman who wears masculine clothing reveals a disregard for biblical femininity and a desire to become the male equivalent. This is one of the major failures of modern feminism, that in an attempt to elevate women, it only accomplishes the destruction of womanhood. Equality with man for the feminist means erasing any distinctions in role and function.Consequently, true womanhood is abolished for what she perceives to be a higher calling and a superiority that all women should strive to achieve. The chief end for a woman is not to be like a man, but rather to distinguish herself in the manner God has intended. I do not want to fill a mans role, but rather to glorify God in the role in which He has placed me. A woman is not called to advance some feminist kingdom, but she is called to advance the Kingdom of God as a help meet to her husband or father. Therefore, when a woman strives toward biblical femininity and modesty in the way she dresses, she does so as an act of embracing what God made her: a woman, taken from man, to aide him in the dominion mandate. It may sound simple enough but unfortunately even as christian women we must battle our sinful desire to obscure or erase the distinction between manhood and womanhood, but is a battle that we must strive win.

4.The Consequences of Immodesty

The consequences of immodesty in society are devastating: premarital sexual relationships , lust, adultery, homosexuality just to name a few.
I use to think that if men lust it is because their own sinful nature regardless of how I dress. Yes, men can struggle with sinful lusts, but that does not take away my responsibility as a christian woman to cover my nakedness or to dress in a manner that I will not be the object that carelessly feeds the lust of someone else. "Love worketh no ill to his neighbor:therefore love is the fulfilling of the Law"(Romans 13:10)
When a woman dresses loosely it also shows her lack of spiritual maturity and insecurity in who she is as a woman in Christ. Many woman believe that in order to attract a husband or keep one for that matter, they need to compete with other women out there, by dressing in a sexually stimulating manner. I believe that a woman should strive to look well kept and beautiful, but there is a very clear line between beauty and sensuality. Our bodies our the temple of the Holy Spirit and the glory of our husbands, so therefore we are not at liberty to do with them as we please.

The way we dress reveals the type of women we are, and just as important, what we strive to be. If we are desperate for male attention or equality it will show by what we put on, if we want to glorify God and delight in the dignity of biblical femininity than we will dress in a manner demonstrating purity and humility. The clothes do not make us what we are, but it revels our moral standing, spiritual maturity, and who we want to be. It is an issue of the heart.

These are just a few of the important lessons I have learned on the issue of modesty. My prayer is that this generation of women will take a bold stand against a culture who seeks to exploit women through feminism and nakedness; a generation of godly women who will dress modestly as a measure of our dedication and obedience to our Lord Jesus, for our love for God's created order, and for the strength and honor we demonstrate toward our fathers and husbands.

This letter was written couple of years ago by Mrs Phillips. I read it again recently and since the issue is so close to my heart I though it was worth reposting it.

Mr. Phillips, Stop Having Children!

We receive thousands of pieces of mail at the Vision Forum. Many are encouraging. Some are confrontational. This letter recently arrived on my desk.

[Mr. Phillips] Your poor wife must be sick of popping out kids? Stop overpopulation! Use birthcontrol for (expletive deleted)! Pitiful. Stop adding “freaks” to our society. Abstain. God would want you to (sic). ___.

Dear _, God bless you. This is Doug’s “poor” wife here writing to assure you that “popping out” kids, though challenging, is among the most glorious gifts that the Lord bestows upon a redeemed woman. Prolific mothers are not “baby machines” (as both Margaret Sanger and some very confused professing Christians), but blessed vessels of life from which the Lord brings eternal souls into this earth and fulfills his own command that man “be fruitful and multiply.”

For a Christian, having babies is not about birthing pains, changing diapers or baking cookies(though it includes all of these). Having babies is about transforming the world forever. This investment will last, not for thirty years, not for my lifetime, but f-o-r-e-v-e-r. The investment is realized on earth and pays dividends for eternity. On earth, we pray that these children will advance the very kingdom of God. But in heaven, the souls of every redeemed child will stand with me throughout eternity before the Lord Jesus. The pressures of today (be they financial, physical, etc.)that taunt Christians to self-consciously distort God’s fruitful purpose for the womb, and to separate life from love, will seem infinitesimally small as we look back upon this whisper of a life with our children beside us in eternity.

My children can have more far reaching implications for society and posterity than anything else I can do. Having babies and training children for Jesus Christ means my life work will last forever. I hurt for you and those sad, misguided souls who would think of prolific motherhood as reducing women to the status of “baby machine.” I refuse to accept the minimizing, selfish, materialistic, and limited vision of womanhood dispensed by the apostles of modernity and relevancy in this generation. My dream is far greater. I reject the options which the world offers. I want something bigger.

Though I have been blessed with seven children who are the delight of my soul, Doug and I fervently pray for more. While I am not sure what you mean by “freaks,” I can assure you it is my goal to populate the world with “fools for Christ” who view children as a blessing, the womb as sacred, and the calling of helpmeet and mother as holy before our Lord Jesus.

I understand that you and I disagree on these points, but I want to let you know that I am glad that your mother gave you life. I don’t know you, but I would never wish that you were not born, nor would I presume that the world would be a better place without you. In fact, I would be happy if perhaps someday we can meet unified in Christ and as friends. And yes, with more babies on our laps.

Sincerely Yours, Beall Phillips

Film Festival 2009

Winter Birthdays!

Childish Homeschooler Syndrome, Part Two

You can read the second part of this wonderful article by Elizabeth Botkin here.

Congratulations to Matt Chancy 2008 Art of Manliness Man of the Year

Matt Chancy is your 2008 Art of Manliness Man of the Year! As man of the year Matt Chancy will receive a cash prize of $2000.00 and a manly Oldspice gift basket. Matt is in Sudan now and will be using the cash prize to further their efforts to help refugees and end genocide in that nation…..and those my friends are tremendous works of manliness!

If you would like to further congratulate Matt, please do so by remembering to send your prayers and support to the Persecution Project. “From its inception, Persecution Project Foundation has endeavored to equip and mobilize the grassroots to take action in support of the persecuted church.” Please visit the Persecution Project Foundation to learn more about the tremendous work that is being done in Africa and if you are inclined to do so please Donate, or even adopt a church.