Tuesday 29 October 2013

5 Reasons for Modesty


The word ‘modest’ is defined as being free from vanity and extravagance and showing regard for decency. It is normal for anyone to want to be respectable and decent. However, today the word ‘modest’ seems to have become a byword for out-dated values. Women of liberal social views say that those who follow rules for modesty as part of their faith are being stifled. Yet never before in general media have women been so cut down and de-valued. Women of faith who choose to dress conscious of modesty are practising liberty. They refuse to give in to the expectations that they perform as little more than objects of a strongly sexualized society. Purposely showing they don’t live to bow to the world's demands. 

Here are 5 more reasons why women of faith dress modestly:

1.       We live and interact in this world, but we don’t wish to follow all of its trends, as some of them are harmful. More and more, as sexual advertising increases, pornography and all the de-humanizing treatment of women that goes along with that, we want to show resistance to this downward spiral. Clothing in the stores is becoming more and more sex-focused. We are purposely showing our disagreement with the increasing eroticizing of everything.



2.       We want as much as possible for people to be attracted to us because of our character and not shallow physical reasons. We wish to avoid the draw of people who are only interested in a woman because they see and want them only physically.



3.       Whether in personal life, physically or socially, somehow there is a respectability about people who keep some things private and discreet. Whether it's personal business, secrets told in confidence and yes, even body parts! It is an interesting connection that few can deny. Having the discipline to to maintain discretion garners respect.



4.       We don’t want to be showy or extravagant; it is not the character of God.



5.       We want to show that every aspect of our being is wrapped up in God, even down to the way we express ourselves sartorially. We represent and shine for Him, not to be desired and admired for only self-seeking reasons.





Some great advice for a guide on modesty I’ve heard from a pastor’s wife goes something like this ‘if what you are wearing is drawing attention to your body, it is glorifying you and is sensual. But if it is allowing the attention to be drawn to your face, where the glory of God shines from, it is modest. 
You bring glory to Him.’


(scriptures: 

We are not of the world –John 15:19

We don’t follow all of the world’s fashions -Romans 12:2, 1 Peter 1:14

Our attractiveness comes from our behaviour – Proverbs 31:30, 1 Peter 2:9-10

It’s not good to wear things only to show off –Isaiah 3:16

It’s not good to wear things only to attract the wrong attentions– Ezekiel 2:40-42)

Thursday 24 October 2013

DIY Birthday Gift Idea



It was my dear mumsy’s birthday. I like to appreciate people on their birthdays. Especially the woman who birthed me into the world and has moved worlds to care for me ever since. Supporting me even now that I’m an ‘adult’ and am supposed to be supporting myself (life is taking a funny course atm. Long story.)  Anywhos, it was mom’s B-day and I needed to get a prezzy. Only problem is, because of the whole ‘life taking a funny course’ thing, my budget is miniscule of late. But there is always a lily in a valley and light at the end of a tunnel and a silver lining in the cloud and all this jazz. The upside of being broke as a joke is that it has forced me to really draw from my creative side!
So I did this. I went to the pound shop (I’m not ashamed!) and bought a couple bags of very nice sweeties such as lemon sherbets. (I know mother has a sweet tooth). I also brought a pretty pearlescent mug there. I filled the mug with sweeties, wrapped it in the plastic sheet covering that came with the birthday card I bought, and tied it together with some nice ribbon I already had at home.
I was very happy with the result. Mum was too. The gift is pretty and practical (you can never have enough cups, right?) and looks as though it’s worth so much more than the few pounds I spent on it. Results below:





Monday 16 September 2013

Culture and the Church


Culture is a good thing. Having the variety of different tastes, musical genres and languages reflected in a diverse body of people adds interest to life. Church assemblies with congregation members of different nationalities are a great place to see the positivity of cultural heritages.  The Bible states there are ‘diversities of operations’ (1 Corinth 12:6) in churches, though the same Spirit is at work.

Here are examples of such cultural diversity in God’s servants. The differences in the style of music and expressions of joy are influenced by cultural background. Nevertheless, it is the same Holy Ghost urging them to worship and the same one God receiving the sweet savour that the hearts of these people are offering through their diverse expressions of praise.
The first video is beautiful a song in service from an Apostolic Church in Palmilla, Mexico. The second video is of a unique 'offering march' routine taking place in an Apostolic church in Canada, with people of mainly black Caribbean descent. The third clip shows a different style of music and another wonderful voice at a mainly Anglo-American church in Maryville, Tennessee.



…However, through ignorance and pride, culture can be lauded and become a negative. Church assemblies must be wary that man-made traditions developed through cultural heritage do not negatively affect the Church. In the early Christian Church that we see in Acts of the Apostles there were saved Jews, Greeks and other Gentiles learning to fellowship and serve God together. However, racial division seemed to emerge, as the Apostle Peter allowed some people to influence him and he stopped eating with non-Jews. The Apostle Paul had to rebuke him for this (Galatians 2:11) Peter did declare that ‘God is no respecter of persons’ (Acts 10:34) and neither should we be.

In this world, race will always be a huge and divisive matter. However, in God’s kingdom, there is ONE family under ONE name (Eph 3:15), one heavenly language, ONE Spirit. There is no skin in the spiritual realm. No factions in Christ.

I believe in celebrating culture, I love my own. Yet I do not allow it to cut me off from others in Christ.

Shalom x

Tuesday 3 September 2013

We Have the Message!


The work of Christian missionaries over the centuries has been far spread and impressive. They have dispersed the gospel into far flung corners of the world. They have impacted and changed cultures of whole areas. However –awe inspiring as it may be to venture out into wildernesses far afield with all good intentions, if you are not bringing the right message to people you leave a lack.

There are two types of messengers –those sent by God, and those who, though they may be full of zeal, do not carry the whole true message. These two types are akin to two runners mentioned in the scriptures named Cushi and Ahimaaz. Let me remind you who they were (2 Samuel chapter 18)…

It was a turbulent time in King David’s dominion. His once estranged third son, Absalom, had been plotting and manipulatively working to gain favour with the subjects of his father’s kingdom. It all escalated into an outright attempt to take over the kingdom completely. King David had to take the drastic action of fleeing the capital, taking the Ark of the Covenant with him for safekeeping (carried by the Levites).

A fierce battle ensued between Absalom and his warriors, and those who remained faithful to King David. In the midst of a large and bloody war, Absalom had a terrible accident as the mule he was riding on caused him to get his head stuck in an oak tree. Absalom hung there helpless. Joab, a former ally of David and later a bitter former captain for Absalom caused the young man to be killed. He then sent a messenger called Cushi to run to King David to report the news of the battle.

An over eager secondary messenger named Ahimaaz asked Joab if he could run too. Joab asked him why he wanted to run when he had no message at all to give. Nevertheless Joab humoured him and pointlessly commissioned him to run too. Zealous Ahimaaz ran speedily and overtook Cushi. He reached the destination and an anxious Kind David, who was yearning to hear if his son Absalom was well. Although this son of his had caused him much trouble over his lifetime, David still loved him dearly. Yet all Ahimaaz could say about the happenings was, ‘erm, I saw a great tumult, but I don’t know what it was about’!

Finally Cushi arrived, the true messenger who could report to Kind David the whole story. He told David how the battle had gone and gave David the news he had been aching to know. Was his son well? Cushi could affirm that no, his son Absalom was slain along with others of David’s ‘enemies’.

So…. likewise today, there are many eager messengers who may impress with how far they reach and they may get to minister to people before those with the whole truth manage to. Yet, it is all in vain if they are not telling people the whole, true Gospel. Not a watered down version with the key elements (repentance, correct baptism, eschewing sin etc) missed out or altered.
If you have the TRUE message –run with it!

Monday 10 June 2013

About Pre-marital Sex

Just came across this article on how pre-marital sex makes you cerebrally bond with those not necessarily meant for you. This is an occurrence we should see as obvious, yet it’s interesting to know the science behind it. This may come in handy for me as I’ve just taken over the teen Sunday school class at church and of course sex and relationships are an important topic to address at this age. Lack of understanding has led many young people over the years to jeopardize their spiritual lives as they allow themselves to be drawn away by relationships outside of the best that God’s wants for them…

Article from www.christianpost.com, May 30th 2013
How Premarital Sex Rewires Your Brain, Affects Your Chances of Finding Life Mate
Dopamine, Oxytocin and Vasopressin are three powerful and important products released during sex between a man and a woman in a committed relationship and helps couples bond. When they are introduced in casual sexual relationships, however, they can cause much trouble.
Working together, the two hormones and one chemical produced by the human body during sex helps to bond a man and a woman together for long-term relationship.
"When someone is involved sexually it makes them want to repeat that act. Their brain produces lots of Dopamine – a powerful chemical, which is compared to heroin on the brain. Dopamine is your internal pleasure/reward system. When Dopamine is involved, it changes how we remember," notes a Conquer Series report.
Oxytocin, a hormone produced primarily in women's bodies, helps women become bonded to the object of her affection. "When a woman has a child and she is breastfeeding, she produces lots of Oxytocin, which bonds her to her child. For this reason mothers will die for their child, because they've become emotionally bonded due to the Oxytocin that is released when they're skin-to-skin with their child," explains the report.
So when a woman becomes intimate with a man, her body also releases Oxytocin and she becomes emotionally bonded to him. "Have you wondered sometimes why a woman will stay with a man who's abusing her? We know now, it's because she bonds to him emotionally, because of the Oxytocin release during sex," the report said.
Also referred to as the "monogamy hormone," men produce Vasopressin which serves the same purpose as Oxytocin. "It bonds a man to a woman," according to the report.

But while these "bonding" agents are great for marriage relationships, they don't work so well for dating relationships because "you lose your objectivity when you're searching for your potential life mate."
According to neuropsychologist Dr. Tim Jennings in the Conquer Series report: "When you have premarital sex, your reward circuitry is bonded to them now, and it will be much deeper and hurtful. Oftentimes, in breakups of people who've been sexually active, they can't tolerate the sense of emptiness, so they rush into another relationship. The neuro circuits did not have time to reset, and so they're impaired in their ability to bond with the next person, and they may become sexually active with them. This is just a repetitive cycle, and there are real impairments in bonding going on."
"Knowing how these neurochemicals interact and change the brain help us understand why sex is meant [to be kept] within the boundaries of marriage," the reported noted.
"You see the overtones here about God's design for His pure temple. This is another reason why the devil attacks our sexuality so much because in attacking human sexuality, it actually interferes with human bonding. So, for those practicing sex outside of marriage, they are creating a bond with their partner, thus inhibiting their discernment whether they should remain in that relationship. God wired and designed our brains for a specific purpose: to bond ourselves with the person we marry."

Monday 3 June 2013

What having the Holy Spirit is like…


It’s like an internal wind that moves you and moves within you. It is like having a friend constantly with you, wanting the best for you, telling you things that encourage you, correcting you, warning you. This friend knows you inside out. Yet the friend is more than just close to you –He is part of you.

Being filled with the Holy Spirit is the moment of perfect assurance that the ever insecure human heart craves. It is a burst of light that shows you how dark the darkness is that you never really understood you were in. It is the an overwhelming combustion as heavenly forces try to fit themselves into  the tiny heart of mere man.

It comes to break you and also to make you. God said receiving him in this way is a great gift (Acts 2:38).

It’s an awakening. It’s an intimacy. It’s a refreshing. It’s an internal fire. It’s a  pure brook of springing water. It’s a convicting force. It’s a connecting wire charged with power of the spiritual realm. It’s a healing, cleansing, unifying detergent of the soul.
In fact the Holy Ghost is not ‘it’…but ‘He.’ The very majestic God of Heaven claiming you as his own.

Saturday 12 January 2013

The Essentiality of Faith.


‘Faith’ is one of those words that we use so often, the familiarity can cause some of its potency to be lost. But the word is rightly uttered an enormous number of times (especially in the Christian vocabulary) as it is an air-like essential , fundamental, foundational principle of life, more to the point- life with God.
Without faith, you have no connection with God at all. Faith is the activation of the sixth and most potent of the senses –the spiritual sense. We cannot see hear, or touch God physically. But Faith is the sense that enables us to see, hear and touch God in a way that is even more real than the natural things we perceive with our bodily senses -‘ it is the evidence of things unseen’. (God leaves His evidence in the natural world as markers pointing the way and-) Faith is the gateway into the physically intangible realm where God desires us to visit with Him.
 Faith is like currency in the spiritual realm. The more you have, the more you’ll receive from the unending supply of heavenly riches.
Faith is the connector between us and Him.
Faith is the reason so much importance is given to prayer. God tells us to pray and ‘ask’ for things because He needs us to put our Faith in action. Prayer is simply the fuel that is used to ignite Faith.
Faith is the axis upon which all others virtues pivot: when Faith increases, love increases. When Faith increases, patience increases. When it increases, hope increases. (1 Thessalonians 1:3)
The greatest virtue is Love. But without the foundation of Faith to connect you to the One you love, your passion will be aimless.