Keeping Modesty in Mind

     Show of hands--who grew up with the mantra "modest is hottest" shared liberally throughout their youth group?  Shoved down girl's throats whenever they wore "too short" shorts?  I'm a part of the generation of girls that could not grow up without hearing the phrase "modest if hottest" several thousand times.  But what does God really say about modesty?  Is it really an issue that the church should be concerned with?  And how do we handle modesty in adulthood?

     I began thinking more about modesty after the sermon at my church this past Sunday titled "Fashion" (click the link to hear the sermon in its entirety).  We are in the middle of a series called Culture Shapers, which is (you guessed it) all about the things that shape our culture.  Each message is based upon Romans 12:1-2:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. 

God calls us to treat our bodies as a "living sacrifice, holy and pleasing" to Him.  If we are walking around in the skimpiest, tightest clothes we can manage, are we treating our bodies as living sacrifices?  It is easy in the world we live in to dress a certain way to get attention, without even thinking about the spiritual side of things.  The media we encounter every day tells us that in order to get a man, we must show off our "assets" through the clothing choices we make.  But in the Scriptures, we are told that our value does not come from who we are on the outside, but who we are on the inside.

The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.   -1 Samuel 16:7

Our "inner beauty" is of utmost importance to God; it should be of the same importance to us, even though it is more "culturally acceptable" to place the emphasis on outer beauty.  So I don't think the real issue is "what can I wear" and "what can't I wear."  The real issue is a heart change--aligning our desires with God's so that clothes aren't our concern anymore.  Our concern becomes the beauty that comes from a deep personal relationship with our Creator and treating our bodies as what they truly are--a temple for the Holy Spirit.

     So what should we do?  Throw out all of our clothes, run to the store and buy a wardrobe of turtlenecks?  I don't think that's the answer.  I like the clothes I have, and only two of my shirts are turtlenecks. ;]  But I am more mindful about the clothes that I wear out of my house.  As a sisters in Christ, I feel that we should not purposefully put a stumbling block in the path of our brothers in Christ.  We cannot control what goes on in a person's head, but we should not be enabling inappropriate thoughts by dressing provocatively.  And you know what they say...the fish you catch depends on the bait you're using.  I don't know about ya'll, but I don't want to catch the type of fish that likes me because of my low-cut top.  That type of fish isn't around for the long-haul.  Instead, I want the type that is attracted to me because of the part of me that God is most concerned with--my heart.

pic from here

What's Goin' On

     Happy hump day, everyone!  Thanks to those of you who linked up on Monday.  In case I haven't told you, I truly love reading about your favorites...and it was our highest participation ever!  Five whole people!  ;] 

     Look--I llamafied my name!

     My family had a wonderful Easter.  Church was fantastic.  I mean, how could it be any less when they start the service with a rap song?

Of course my sisters and I took the traditional Easter pics.  Not nearly as somber as previous years...

...but, in my opinion, much more exciting:

     Lastly, anyone else enjoying the spring storms?  There is something fascinating about the powerful beauty of these huge storms.  After school on Monday I stood by my car (in the parking lot) for five minutes just gazing at this massive cloud.  I'm pretty sure my colleagues think I'm crazy.  Oops!  The potential speculation about my mental state is worth it though, because I got some kickin' photos.

We're midway through the week!  Anyone else trying to make it through the CRCT?  Or have you seen any sweet storm clouds?

Where My Love Lies

     Last night my parents and I watched "I Am Legend" for the first time.  Awesome movie, but it definitely gave me the heebie jeebies.  The idea of being "the last one" is pretty much a universal fear, in my opinion. 

     So I went to bed last night having some not-so-happy thoughts about being the sole survivor, and then this morning at church we talked about the end times.  Great.  As videos comparing Biblical prophicies and current events played across the screen, I could feel the old familiar fear creeping up on me.  The fear of the unknown, of pain, and of fear itself.  

     Now guys, this is me being very honest.  I'm a Christian, which means I have no reason to be afraid of the end times, but I am.  On the drive home, I started thinking about why I have this fear, and one thing stuck out to me: I love this world. 

Ouch.

I'm afraid of the end times because I love this world.  I don't want to leave it.

     What a slap in the face that must be for the God.  He sent His son to die for my sins, and I'm not rejoicing in the fact that one day (sooner or later), I'll be in His presence forever.  In my deepest darkest parts, I love being here on Earth.  I love what I do, music, entertainment, relationships, shopping, and so many other things. 

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.  -Romans 12:2

     The pull of the things in this world are very strong, and it's natural for us as humans to feel that pull.  But my enjoyment of the things here on Earth should never be higher up than the Lord (or even close). 

Lord, help me to find the joy and peace of knowing You.  Change me so that I desire the things you desire, and so that I am no longer living for this life, but for the life to come.  Forgive me for ever putting material, finite things above You and an eternity in your presence.

Libraries and Disco Worship

     Can I just say how wonderful it was to wake up at 9am to the sound of rain and birds chirping?  I wish I could wake up to those sounds every day.  I am filled with a bunch of random thoughts this morning (oh wait, it's actually the afternoon now...time flies!), and where better to put them down in words than on my wonderful blog.  So, to my favorite 25 followers, enjoy my random Saturday thoughts!

by Claudia Asilva

Thought #1:
     I haven't been to the library in forever.  I was just reading a post on The Pioneer Woman about all the books a family got on their bi-monthly trip and I was filled with a teeny, tiny bit of jealousy about how cool the books were.  Did you know that there are whole books on style?  I didn't.  But now I'm tempted to go check one out from my local library...I should probably finish some of the 5+ books I'm reading first.  Oh, and my heart melted when I saw the books their son checked out.  All of David Macaulay's books are amazing.  I have one (Castle, I think).

Thought #2:
     Phil Wickham led worship at my church on Tuesday night.  I won't lie to you and say that I like contemporary Christian music...I wasn't super excited to go see him play. 

I was blown away.

First of all, he is an amazing artist.  One of the best guitarists I've ever heard live.  Secondly, God's presence was so obvious in the room that night.  If you've never had the chance to worship with ~1,000 other like-minded people, you're really missing out. 
     But on to what I wanted to mention.  I bought his CD, Heaven and Earth, and although it's a good album, I was definitely disappointed.  I should have known that there was no way it would live up to his live performance.  Anyways, there is one song that I didn't like at all, but now I love it for all of it's 70's vibe and kitchy feel.  Listen through till about the middle, and you'll understand what I'm talking about.

Thought #3:
     Ok, last random thought, that's really more of a question.  I've heard of some great photo apps for the iPhone, but none for the Android market.  Anyone know of a great photo app for Android?  If you help me find one you'll forever be known as "the person who lifted Abby's photo's out of boring obscurity."  Maybe.  ;]

Happy Saturday, everyone!

No Shame: Saturday morning (oops, afternoon) pre-shower drinking coffee from a Star Trek: TNG mug.

Join me on the dark side...

Wanna see who I met on Sunday?  Of course you do.

Dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun...

Does anyone else have the Imperial March stuck in their head?  Just me?

The Importance of Community

     Community is a major buzzword in the Christian world these days.  The 2008-2009 school year at TFC was the year of community; students were pressed to join Barnabas groups, get to know people in their dorms, and attend prayer meetings.  After a couple months everyone got a little sick of hearing the word "community" sprinkled liberally throughout every chapel.  It was easy to get perturbed with the college's preoccupation with it, but now that I'm back home, I realize why they made such a big deal of the issue.
     At TFC, community is inherent in your day-to-day life, especially if you live on campus.  For four years I lived among girls who believed in the same God as me.  If someone on the hall was struggling, there were plenty of people around to lift them up in prayer and keep them accountable.  I have to give a shout-out to Bell 2A and the ladies I lived with there: SJ (my roomie), WILD Wigal, Amburr Dee, Mer, and Mikoko.  And yes, those are our awesome rock band nicknames from our kickin' band, The Southern Bells (only on Guitar Hero, but we say it counts...and I was Abster).  These five ladies were such an encouragement during my senior year.  They are people that I will love and treasure always.
     Barnabas groups, TFC's mandatory small groups, were a huge blessing, as well.  Sometimes students (me included!) lose sight of the importance of Barney groups (as they are affectionately called).  My junior and senior years I belonged to Mrs. Debby's group, and at the end of every meeting I left encouraged and uplifted.  The simple act of smiling, laughing, crying, and praying with four or five like-minded women never failed to put my struggles in perspective. 
     The bottom line is, at TFC it was easy to live in community with believers.
     Now I am living back home and I don't have that "automatic" community any longer.  The summer was a bad time for me community-wise.  I saw many friends and family members during trips for weddings, etc., but when I would get home I wouldn't do anything.  My daily activities included getting up too late, watching movies and TV, laying around, eating, and staying up too late.  One or two days of that type of living is a great break, but day after day it becomes unhealthy.  I wasn't spending time with God enough and my problems were getting way out of proportion since I didn't have anyone around to bounce thoughts off of.  Towards the end of the summer I realized something important: I need community!
     Yes, I need community, and so do you.  So does everyone!  I can't take the credit for this revolutionizing idea- right now my church is pushing the idea of community.  I attend a very large church in metro-Atlanta, so you can't necessarily get that sense of community on a Sunday morning.  They have always been intentional about encouraging people to join small groups.  On Tuesday night I went to the college program because they sent an e-mail saying that they were going to do small group sign-ups.  If you know me well at all, you know that I hate stepping out of my comfort zone and going places alone, especially places where everyone else is with people.  I was truly dreading going to church that night because I knew I would be sitting by myself, and that makes me feel very uncomfortable.  That should tell you how important community is, though.  Even though I was totally freaked out to go to the service, I still went because I knew that I needed to be in a small group.
     Well, I survived the uncomfortableness (hooray!), and now I belong to a small group.  I'm very hopeful about it; we meet for the first time this Thursday, so I'll let you know how it goes.  :]  It takes a while to build the type of community I enjoyed in Bell 2A, but I am excited to make new friends.  This verse is one that kind of kicked me in the rear and made me realize I need to be in a small group.  Maybe it will encourage you, too.  :]

All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.      -Acts 4:44-47, describing the believers after Pentecost

-Abby :]

 Bell 2A, represent!