http://blog.higherthings.org/madre/ BlogSCL 2.2.0 madre Inadvertent and Occasionally Intentional Thoughts 2008-10-13T08:15:30-06:00 All Rights Reserved. BlogSCL 2.2.0 Copyright 2004-2007 StanLemon.net "Man Cave" was a term invented by the HGTV Network. Find out the real deal at <a href="www.themantuary.com">www.themantuary.com</a><br /> <br /> Be A Man.<br /> <br /> - The Founding Father 2008-10-11T23:03:39-06:00 2008-10-11T23:03:39-06:00 http://blog.higherthings.org/madre/article/3853.html#comment8388 Thank you for sharing this. It speaks wonders of the goodness of God in our lives, even in the most trying of circumstances. Knowing how private a person you are, I appeciate this all the more. 2008-10-10T12:41:55-06:00 2008-10-10T12:41:55-06:00 http://blog.higherthings.org/madre/article/3853.html#comment8386 Thank you for reading it. I'm not one to air my dirty laundry for the world to see, and am generally a very private person. Only a handful of people have known the circumstances of my situation for the past few years, and fewer still know the details.<br /> <br /> I did not share this to get pity or admiration or to just vomit details of my private life on the internet. After five years, a lot has changed. Yet ironically, my faith and theology have not and have in fact I find myself teaching and speaking and counseling more about this sort of marriage and women's roles according to Scripture than ever. The purpose of writing this was, as you noted, to provide a reminder that even in the midst of suffering we have the present, immediate assurance of the Gospel - it's not a "one day, when you go to heaven" sort of thing - it's right NOW. Which is good, because RIGHT NOW is when it's needed most! Also, I wanted people to know that domestic violence can happen to anyone - even an apparently faithful, active, educated, middle-class person, right under their noses. And finally, I wanted to reach out to those who are in the midst of an abusive relationship and let them know that they are not alone, others have been through it and come out the other side - and most importantly, Christ will never abandon them in their suffering either. 2008-10-08T11:19:38-06:00 2008-10-08T11:19:38-06:00 http://blog.higherthings.org/madre/article/3853.html#comment8383 Sandra, thank you for posting this. It is a very earthy and raw reminder that Christ does truly come to us in the midst of our suffering and that, even though the trials are difficult and we can't seem to wrap our head around why they're happening to us, God is - all the while - working all things for our good. 2008-10-07T13:44:33-06:00 2008-10-07T13:44:33-06:00 http://blog.higherthings.org/madre/article/3853.html#comment8382 Mature at 80?<br /> <br /> hmmmm<br /> <br /> Very lofty goal for some of us. but hey with a Triune, Majestic God, I guess its' possible! 2008-09-26T12:07:52-06:00 2008-09-26T12:07:52-06:00 http://blog.higherthings.org/madre/article/3792.html#comment8375 Well, I don't know how long it took you to compile and organize this paper, but it is absolutely brilliant. Of course, because it is the Truth; but also because certain 'turns of phrases' I had just never heard before. <br /> <br /> Example: The Ephesians reference is certainly pinnacle, but I had never heard (paraphrasing) "as Adam slept Eve was created out of his side, just as Christ 'slept' the church was created out of his side." I don't know where I've been, but that was truly captivating. <br /> <br /> Well done, Madre. <br /> 2008-09-20T22:13:50-06:00 2008-09-20T22:13:50-06:00 http://blog.higherthings.org/madre/article/1273.html#comment8369 I agree and it's something I'm trying to take into account when I shop and get dressed these days. <img src="http://blog.higherthings.org/madre/files/smile.gif" alt="Blogger Smiley" /> <br /> <br /> The problem with the way many women dress modestly is that their modest attire itself draws all sorts of attention to them, which - in my mind anyway - defeats the purpose of dressing modestly! And I know that I would take a certain prideful satisfaction in "showing off" my modesty, which again defeats the purpose. See my post on Headcovering a couple of months ago for more on that. <img src="http://blog.higherthings.org/madre/files/wink.gif" alt="Blogger Smiley" /> 2008-09-06T12:11:41-06:00 2008-09-06T12:11:41-06:00 http://blog.higherthings.org/madre/article/3809.html#comment8338 A Ejuroepean-North American, nominally Christian friend lives 6 months out of the year in Qatar. She said that while initially she felt great pity for the "oppression of women," as she saw it. Over a few months, she came to realize that this was the Qatari culture, and so ingrained in them that they did not consider themselves opprssed in the least.<br /> <br /> Qatar is a land of people suddenly rich and with incredible amounts of disposable income. My friend learned that indeed, as Wolfe describes it, one of their main pleasures is shopping, and one of the main purchases is an incredible amount of lacy and provocative underthings. (Overpriced handbags run a close second.)<br /> <br /> My friend is in her 40s, works in an office envrionment and dresses in a conservative Western style: blue jeans, skirts and modest tops (rarely bare arms, no cleavage). She says she will never get used to the phenomenon of men at work, or passing her on the sidewalk, stopping their activity to stare openly at her. <br /> <br /> My own experience goes back some 30 years. In one case, an acquaintance -- a former professor of sociology at a minor West Coast university -- told me proudly that he had told his students that females had no responsibility to dress modestly. Their right, this man averred, was to dress as provocatively as they wished, and males' responsibility, on the other side, was to control themselves.<br /> <br /> I argued futilely against him. He was half again my age and had a PhD and would brook no protestations. <br /> <br /> The other experience came about the same time. A woman raised in Western society married a Muslim and embraced that faith. She wrote of "the freedom" she felt when she put on the veil, and how she could never go back to being uncovered. She was a small businesswoman and continued to live in the U.S. <br /> <br /> My current opinion is that even women of a certain age (my own) have become - not necessarily provocative intentionally - but careless about the way they dress, wearing clothes that essentially are pajamas, and that give far too much information about the shape of their bodies.<br /> <br /> The trick, in my own opinion, for women of any age, is to dress modestly and without attracting attention. It can be done, and tastefully, and inexpensively, and can only lead to increased self-confidence and an expectation of respectful treatment.<br /> <br /> Them's my two, anyway. 2008-09-04T20:30:08-06:00 2008-09-04T20:30:08-06:00 http://blog.higherthings.org/madre/article/3809.html#comment8335 Good point-- until it is made personal...<br /> <br /> There were many beautiful truths expressed in "The Shack" eloquently- I loved the story and gave a mostly positive review on my blog. 2008-08-31T19:07:48-06:00 2008-08-31T19:07:48-06:00 http://blog.higherthings.org/madre/article/3795.html#comment8324 <a href="http://www.sealtapes.com/sitemaps/Tamper-evidence-holograms.html">Tamper evidence holograms</a>,<br /> <a href="http://www.sealtapes.com/sitemaps/Tamper-proof-Tape.html">Tamper proof Tape</a>,<br /> <a href="http://www.sealtapes.com/sitemaps/Tamper-proof-seals.html">Tamper proof seals</a>,<br /> <a href="http://www.sealtapes.com/sitemaps/Tamper-evident-tape.html">Tamper evident tape</a>,<br /> <a href="http://www.sealtapes.com/sitemaps/tamper-evident-seals.html">Tamper evident seals</a>, 2008-08-25T01:24:01-06:00 2008-08-25T01:24:01-06:00 http://blog.higherthings.org/madre/article/3746.html#comment8298