Modesty

Kathy F. writes:

Modesty? In this day and age? Is it even possible? Why is it so hard for me to find clothing for my 10 year old daughter that makes her look 10....and not 10 going on 18? Does nearly every piece of clothing out there in the stores need to scream out to the hormonal boys "Here I am! Look at my body!!"

This society that we live in is growing up kids at an alarming rate and it seems like the harder we try to keep our kids...well...kids, the harder the world forces them to become little adults. I can't turn away fast enough when I see some of the prints on the t-shirts, the sayings that encourage less than right behavior....printed on clothes size 6.

When Hannah grew into the size 8-16 I dreaded it. Clothes that MIGHT be more appropriate for a girl wearing a size 16, most certainly isn't appropriate for a girl wearing a size 8 (but they are all the same pattern in the varying sizes). Shopping for my daughter is a nightmare....and I don't expect it to get easier as she gets older...and what is hard, is that I don't want her to look like an Amish girl or a girl from the early 1900's...but I want her to fit in with her friends too. And although I don't struggle with the modesty issue with my boys, there is certainly the appropriate issue with their clothes. It is getting harder and harder to avoid skulls, sayings and phrases that are not good and symbols that are "cool" but not Christian.

Is it just where I choose to shop, or is this an issue others struggle with too. I suppose if I could afford more expensive clothes, I might have more options...but as we all know...Pastor's families don't roll in the dough (unless you are the pastor at a Mega-church...which none of us are)....sigh....and then there are swimming suits....which I won't even touch...

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Praying for Those In Joplin, MO

Emily O. writes:

My parents live in Joplin, Missouri, where a devastating tornado hit on Sunday. My parents are fine, but many people aren't. I posted on our blog about it; http://forgivenolsons.blogspot.com/

My parents' church, Immanuel, sustained minor damage; the school more. The church across the street from Immanuel was flattened, as was the public high school three blocks away. They all need many prayers!

Thank you to Emily for sharing this need with us and we give thanks to God for keeping her family safe! We also think of those that did not survive or are still missing, and we pray for their families. You can read more about what her parents have reported from Joplin on her blog linked above.

I came across a video taken by a young man that survived the storm. It captures the horror of living through something of this magnitude that sometimes pictures can't even do. A warning, that though these people survived, this is still very upsetting to listen to.

"The video i took while at Fastrip on east 20th street. We huddled in the back of the store until the glass got sucked out , then ran into the walk in storage fridge. Sorry for the lack of visuals but the audio is pretty telling of how intense the storm was. The tornado hits at around 1:20 seconds."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/23/joplin-mo-tornado-video_n_865438.html

I recommend also watching his video of the destruction they found when they came out of the store.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-P4P68YyNM

It's a miracle they weren't killed. I'm sure there are countless more stories just like this one.

Please keep the people of Joplin in your prayers as they have lost so much. They all have a very long road of recovery ahead of them.

I can only think to say, "Come Lord Jesus."

Image: CBS News c/0 Getty Images

Offering Positive Criticism to a Pastor-Husband?

A question for those of us married to a pastor.

How do you offer criticism or help correct a flaw that you may see in your husband's pastoral roles? For example in his preaching or Bible study teaching. As a help meet, how do we fulfill our role in this area?

Mixing Bowl Help!

I am in need of new mixing bowls. I can't decide between plastic/melmac (which I have been using), glass or steel. I want a good quality, durable set. Also, affordable....

Any of you have a preference or thoughts to share with me to help make this decision?

I'd appreciate it!

-Aubri

Pictured: Nigella Lawson's beautiful (but not exactly affordable) mixing bowls.

Update on My Garden - Kathy F.

Well, I finally got my boxes built and plants in...doesn't look too bad, huh??

We had a lot of fun planting...but we literally finished minutes before a thunderstorm rolled in....which was nice in the sense, I didn't have to water my garden right away.

We planted: cucumbers, green beans, onions (box 1) the little boxes all have carrots, strawberries are in box 2, box 3 contains lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts, and cauliflower...the 4th box has tomatoes, and more broccoli and cauliflower. I have also added 2 potato grow bags. So we will see. Each child is in charge of one big box and one little one...and the 4th box we all share.

When I was planning how to plant my garden I used the link here. Not only can I see a visual of what my garden will look like, it also tells me how many of each plant I can put in one square foot box....very cool!! When my kids helped me do the planting I printed off a "map" of their garden box and then they planted it.

If this is successful, then we might build a few more boxes next year. I'll keep you all posted on how it goes this summer.

-Kathy

Website for Barren Women

Dear Sisters in Christ,

If you know of a woman who suffers from barrenness, secondary infertility, miscarriages, or is struggling through the adoption/foster care process, would you please consider directing her to here:

He Remembers The Barren

This site was built for her. Thank you.

Yours in Christ,

Kristi Leckband

Road Trip!

We're loaded up and hitting the road for a much needed "vacation". I say "vacation" because a 10 day road trip with three littles and one on the way doesn't really sound like my kind of vacation but it will be a nice break from our day to day and good rest for my pastor man!

If any of you have brilliant post ideas in the meantime feel free to email them to me and I'll get it up as soon as I can once I'm back.

Happy trails!