Sunday, February 26, 2012

Recent Reading

I just read the book, Christian Modesty and the Public Undressing of America by Jeff Pollard. It's an encouraging book about... yes, you guessed it-modesty. : ). The entire time I was reading it, I was saying, "yes, I completely agree and I wish the rest of the world would read this." Mr. Pollard gives scripture references throughout the book as to why we should dress modestly. When a person looks at each of these in the Bible, it's obvious in what manner we should dress. He makes many points to say we women need to be careful to not be tempting to the eyes of the men around us. I encourage all women to read this book. It's just been in the past couple of years that I have decided that I would wear skirts. I've realized that modest is the best policy. Even for those of you who already know this and have adopted it into your lives, this book still makes some points that you may not have thought of before.

Focused on Him
Erin

Thursday, February 23, 2012

A Pure Blanket

All year long, I anticipate snow. When it's 100degrees outside, all I can think about is the cold months ahead. When snow is falling, I stop what I'm doing and sit at my window, staring at the beautiful, fresh fallen snow. There are no words to describe how I feel when I see the world underneath that smooth, untouched, white blanket. Unfortunately, I live in the city, so the pureness of the snow does not last but a few hours. It soon turns into nasty, brown slush on the roadways. When it's falling, I feel like telling the world "STOP, just stop and watch the beauty around you. Look what's right in front of you." But none the less, the world keeps moving faster and faster. The snow comes, turns into nasty slush, and leaves as quickly as it arrived. Now, we have not had a very cold winter this year,we barely had any snow. :( However, as I was looking at these pictures from the bad blizzard we had last year, I couldn't but help thinking one thing. The world is what it is, but God has His arms wrapped around everyone of us, trying to sheild us from the dangers in this world. Even though we don't have snow 365days a year, he always has a "blanket" over us. The snow is just a great reminder of this. When the snow begins to turn to muddy slush from the cars, I feel myself crying inside. We can say the same thing about the world. God is the perfect fallen snow, but there are many poisoning things that can get us down and turn us into slush, if we're not careful. We must remember we always have Him to turn to, in every aspect of life.

-Focused on Him
Erin

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Vision Forum Note

I received this in an e-mail from Vision Forum this morning. It's so very true, and so very scary. You can read it below, or follow this link:   http://www.visionforum.com/news/onlineemail/vision-forum/2012/02/14_america_barbarous/

America the Barbarous: New Pentagon Policy Sanctions Women in Combat

America the Barbarous: New Pentagon Policy
Sanctions Women in Combat

"America has become a nation of barbarians.
For more than a decade, women representing the U.S. armed forces have been dying in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.
We have reported on this fact numerous times at Vision Forum, previously highlighting a 2004 front page New York Times article which featured a gruesome cover image of a wounded female soldier, blood running down her leg, with three men surrounding her, screaming. Rather callously, the Times titled the article, “A Routine Burst of Chaos Leaves a G.I. Wounded.” In writing the piece, journalist Dexter Filkins in no way keyed in on the fact that the wounded G.I. was a woman — he reported the story as if she had been any other male soldier hit by enemy fire.
While the Pentagon’s official policy has been to exclude women from being assigned to most units “whose primary mission” is “direct combat on the ground,” the reality has been far different, as was noted in a 2008 USA Today editorial which we previously cited on our website:
On the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Pentagon’s policy on women in combat looks like this: Women risk their lives as truck drivers, mechanics and medics attached to combat units. At checkpoints, they do a job that men can’t: search Iraqi women. They fire rifles and lob grenades. And when they are struck by the IED blasts and suicide bombers that characterize this war, they are wounded or killed just as surely as their fellow soldiers.
In other words, the written policy is divorced from reality.
Now policy has caught up to practice, as last week the Department of Defense announced a formal change in policy to “allow Military Department Secretaries to assign women in open occupational specialties to select units and positions at the battalion level . . . whose primary mission is to engage in direct combat on the ground.”
This will open nearly 14,000 “combat-related positions to female troops, including tank mechanics and intelligence officers on the front lines,” as the Washington Post summarized.
While American servicewomen have been in harm’s way for more than a decade — with nearly 200 coming home from Afghanistan and Iraq in body bags since 2001 — the Pentagon’s new policy now authorizes women to be officially attached to combat units on the ground, the very goal of which is to engage the enemy in battle.
This is a first for the United States of America, and it is a cause to mourn as our nation’s leaders — in the name of “empowering” women — are now self-consciously placing women in combat units to be shot at and killed as men.
What are we to think of a culture that openly welcomes our mothers and daughters being assigned to the heat of battle to have their limbs severed, their faces scarred, and their consciences seared as they lie beneath a flag-covered casket? Does this “enlightened policy” represent the fullest expression of Woman, as feminists would have us believe?
Not hardly. It represents an abolition of womanhood and the perversion of God’s design. It represents a deeply-rooted rebellion against the natural roles and functions by which God has distinguished manhood from womanhood.
Women are to be cherished as the weaker sex, not exploited to fill the roster of an army. Combat is the province of men, and God calls on men to protect women and children. Men fight when their homes and communities are threatened by wicked regimes and lawless rogues who would despoil their loved ones. When necessary, men carry weapons into battle and give their lives to preserve the liberty and sanctity of those they hold dear.
It is barbarians who place their women in the midst of war’s brutalities to fight as men. This is what pagan tribes in Scotland did before they were Christianized and embraced the “Law of the Innocents,” written by the evangelist Adomnan, which forbade sending women into battle.
Though America possesses advanced weaponry and great military might, we have become a nation of barbarians.
It is high time that we as a people repent of our barbarism — that we cherish our women as women, and call on our men to act as men."
— Elijah Brown and Wesley Strackbein, Vision Forum staff writers

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Back in the Good Ole' Days

I am in love with the Civil War fashion. If I had it my way, the world would forget we ever invented such thing as an automobile, and go back to horse and carriage. We would throw away the clothing of today, and bring the hoop back into style. Now, don't get me wrong, there are a few inconveniences including getting around in tight spaces, visiting the ladies room, and just the simple act of getting dressed in all the layers. However, I desire the days when everyone wore dresses and, for the most part, were modestly covered. There are a few luxuries I would like to keep such as air conditioning, the modern mailing system, and modern plumbing. I'm afraid to say that with all of the many things we have of today, we seem to always want more. The newest phone is not good enough for us, or our car doesn't get us somewhere fast enough. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Whether we intentionally think this or not, we all do in some form or another.
I used to hate skirts and dresses. Boy am I glad I have changed. I can't remember the last time I wore a pair of jeans. People who have known me all my life ask why, I tell them I feel more feminine in them, and I realize they are more modest. Now, anytime I put on my Civil War dresses for an event, I never want to take them off. I love how I don't have to worry about them being the least bit immodest.
I think it would be fun if I had several friends who would take the challenge with me to dress in Civil War (or which ever era is your favorite) ensembles for 1 month. We might get a lot of stares. However, isn't that the goal of us non-feminist, homeschooling, bread-baking women anyway: to stand out and be "not of this world." Maybe we cold bring them back into style.

Just another random thought for the day. haha
Erin

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Second Hand Shopping

When I was little, I didn't really understand why people would want to buy clothing that other people had worn. Don't get me wrong, I was NOT a spoiled child. I just thought that the only clothes at second hand stores were the ones that were way out of style. Fortunately, I have matured with age and have become to realize that I am in love with consignment shops. My family loves to shop at consignment shops, Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc. You can save so much money and still get the same quality you would get in the store. Like the Duggars say, "Buy used and save the difference." When we see a shop, I have a hard time resisting stopping. Some of my favorite outfits have come from consignment shops.
These are just a few of my favorite things I bought used


I have one skirt in particular that people are always complimenting me on and wondering where I got it. I love saying, "oh, I picked it up at a consignment shop." haha. Here is another skirt I found a couple years ago, and a shirt I just found the other day at a new shop.

 I am so glad that bargain shopping has become a big thing lately. Our society is so consumed with having the best brands on the shelves. We shouldn't be worried about adorning ourselves in the most expensive and popular things that are on the market. We should only be worried about dressing in modest clothing.
"In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety"
1 Timothy 2:9

Erin

Friday, February 3, 2012

Noticing the Little Things

Sometimes, I think that photographers, like myself, have a small advantage in this world. We all get wrapped up in our crazy busy lives, that we forget to notice the small things that God has given us. Do we remember to thank him for little gifts like the sun, water, seasons, dirt, etc.? I think that we all get so tired and bored seeing the same things over and over again. For instance, the sun; we never think that it won't come up the next morning, we just always know it will. We might say, well what's so special about dirt? As photographers, we seem to have this creative film over our eyes, seeing things differently than some. We tend to want to put a different angle on something, making it more interesting than it seems to the naked eye. I like to think that's how God sees (with a creative film over his eyes). When we see ourselves as just another ordinary person, he sees us as a spectacular example of his Creation. I try to take advantage of this God-given talent to remember that God gave us every little thing for a purpose, as well as the big things.






Focused on Him,
Erin