This was on another blog and it certainly bears repeating, I think. The Bible talks about causing a brother to stumble...perhaps we need to really consider that as we as women and young ladies dress ourselves each morning...
I found this on another site and had to repost it. Ladies, please listen to these young men and respect yourself enough to cover your body…
Girls, could we talk to you right out of our hearts for a few minutes?
It is awkward for us to talk about something of this nature, in person,
so we thought we would write our feelings.
We are young men who have been saved and baptized in the Holy Spirit.
We desperately want to live for Christ and not follow the ways of the
world. Since we have been baptized (immersed) in a “Holy” Spirit, we
feel in our hearts that we should live “holy” lives. After all, our
bodies are the temple, the sanctuary, the place where the “Holy” Spirit
lives and makes His home.
We know that guys and girls are affected differently, so since we
desperately want to follow hard after God, could we kindly and
respectfully ask you to help us with a few things?
We realize that girls are primarily stimulated or turned on by “touch.”
Did you know that guys are turned on by “sight?” So when you are
“aroused” (sexually awakened) by a guy’s “touch,” we are in the same
way aroused by mere “sight.” Let us explain. When we see girls who are
dressed in a suggestive, revealing, provocative, teasing, tantalizing
manner, our sexual desires are aroused. Our bodies are then affected.
To be absolutely candid, let us give you some examples of what we are
referring to. If you are wearing a blouse that barely meets the waist
of your slacks and some of your skin showswhile you are moving around,
or simply while you are walking, sitting, or kneeling, our minds are
geared to wonder what more of your body would look like further
up….This causes our bodies to respond biologically, and suddenl we
are fighting a war in our minds and bodies. And that war of lust is
continuing often long, even hours, after you are gone. We hate this,
because our “righteous man” wants to think pure thoughts….
When you wear low-cut tops which are in any degree revealing, or when
you bend over, and they are revealing, this again causes us big
problems in the flesh. Or if the back is out of your top, we
automatically think that you do not have the undergarment on, and the
Spirit and the flesh begin to fight again. Or when we see any glimpse
of your undergarments, such as straps and the like, we have trouble.
What we are trying to say is this: If it is not for sale, don’t
advertise it. We really feel that the still small voice of the Holy
Spirit speaks to you and nudges you when it is too tight, too short,
too low, or too revealing. Will you listen to that voice? For the
Scripture says, “Quench not the Spirit.” (1 Thess. 5:19)
Girls, do you know what we would really like? We would like to come
among our Christian sisters and not have to fight and struggle in the
flesh. We do not need to have to wrestle in the flesh at church or at
church activities. We men, whether young, old, single or married, are
faced with this every day among girls of the “world.” But we would like
to have rest in our Spirit man when we come among Christian girls.
After all, doesn’t the Scripture tell us to “come out from among the
world and be you separate, saith the Lord.” (2 Cor. 6:17) It also tells
us that “all that is in the world, the lust of the eye, and the lust of
the flesh, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” (1 John 2:15) We
are the church, not the world.
We know that people often use the verse, “Man looketh on the outward
appearance, but God looketh on the heart,” (1 Sam. 16:7) to condone
anything they wish to wear. This is one of the most misused/used
out-of-context verses in the Bible. Conversely, the fact is, if your
heart is pure, your outward appearance will be modest….
Girls can be fashionable and modest at the same time. To be honest, we
respect you more when your appearance is modest, as the Scripture
commands in 1 Timothy 2:9. We really do not want the kind of girl who
dresses provocatively, for we know that if we marry her, she will still
be that way in the presence of other men once we are married.
We know that we have Christian responsibilites toward girls, too. We
must be careful to portray ourselves properly. We must treat you like
ladies. If we are really committed Christian guys, we will strive to
treat you like Jesus would. After all, you are daughters of God.
Thank you, dear Christian sisters, for hearing our hearts on this
subject. Once we have conveyed the truth of the matter to you, you
become responsible before God for what you do with the truth. We really
are “our brother’s keeper.” (Genesis 4:9.) We know that there is a
“cult of conformity” in our generation, but we as Christians “march to
the beat of a different drummer.” Please, girls, do not say, “I don’t
care,” but help us in these last days to live as close to Jesus as we
can. Thank you so much.
A local radio station is one of many in our region hosting a 'telethon' for LeBonheur Children's Medical Center in Memphis, Tennessee.
I cannot say enough about this hospital and all it does for families with children in need of serious medical help. Can you imagine at all, having a terrible accident and you child being injured, or being born with serious health problems that require not only immediate attention, but specialized medical treatment. You are scared for your child and very uncertain about what is going to happen. You travel from on location to another -- trust me, the longest ride of your entire life -- and begin a journey that you pray no other parent will ever have to take.
For us, it was the longest 3 hour drive we've ever taken. We had to immediately coordinate home and 7 other children there. Everyone was separated and afraid in those first many hours. The children here at home didn't know what was going on, and as much as we wanted to let them know things would be alright, we didn't know ourselves yet to what extent Jacob had been burned. You just cannot imagine the well-spring of emotions that you walk through in those first many hours.
All you want to do is hold your baby and close your eyes...waiting to wake up from whatever dream you are having.
It breaks me heart just to remember those first hours. I cannot even go back and read that first entry telling everyone here what happened. None of us can.
There are close to 2000 children and their families that do that very thing, each year, just at LeBonheur alone.
Last year, in November, our 6 year old was severely burned by an exploding spray paint can at our burn pile in the backyard. The can exploded up into his face, his upper arms on both side, and the fronts of his legs. Our 3 year old was with him, and thankfully, suffered no more than a 'sunburn' effect from the explosion.
We spent 2 weeks in their burn unit...daily debriding, daily therapy and treatments, medicines and more.
I cannot say enough about this hospital and their staff. The time we spent there, yes, I'd rather never have been there, but we could not have received better treatment for our son anywhere else.
Jacob is doing fine now -- no lasting scar tissue, no disability from the burns at all. He gets a bit more 'red' while playing and riding his bike, but he could have suffered so much more!
Our youngest, Miss Emily, had her surgery done at LeBonheur, also. She was born with a hemangioma on her left shoulder. After nearly 2 years, she finally gained enough weight to safely have her surgery done. Her scar will be very minimal and she has no lasting damage either, despite the depth of her hemangioma.
I pray that everyone reading this will think deeply about clicking on the LeBonheur logo above and offering a small miracle to help the many children LeBonheur serves each year....and the grateful parents who are there with them. Even a small donation would be a miracle for someone!
No indulgences of self will can be trivial, no denial unprofitable; Heaven or Hell depends on this alone. A parent who studies to subdue it in his child works together with God in the renewing and saving of their soul. The parent who indulges it does the devil's work, makes religion impractical, salvation unattainable, and does all that in him lies to damn his child, soul and body, forever.
Susanna Wesley
At The School Desks
We are a Christian family desiring to raise our children with the primary focus of Training their Hearts!
I have no greater joy, than to hear my children walk in truth... III John 1:4
Train up the child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it... Proverbs 22:6
Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!... Deuteronomy 5:29
Our mission in life is not to go to some far-off foreign land, but to work at home and in our churches and home communities. Our goal should not be to leave behind riches and possessions, farms and homes for our children, but a priceless heritage they will cherish enough to work fervently to pass along to their children. It has been done for generations and with God's help it can still be done. In teaching our children, we are striving toward a deep understanding of who they are In Christ. I am . . . a child of God, a gift to my parents and my country. I'm a person of great value because God made me. I can . . . do all things through Christ who strengthens me. God has made me able to do everything required of me. I ought . . . to do my duty to obey God, to submit to my parents and everyone in authority over me, to be of service to others, and to keep myself healthy with proper food and rest so my body is ready to serve. I will . . . resolve to keep a watch over my thoughts and choose what's right even if it's not what I want.
