Home

Home.

Home is where your family always cares and always loves.

Home is where your dog will run to the door to greet you even though you have only been gone for a few minutes.

Home is where you can find rest and comfort in your family and your friends.

Home is where your church will take care of you in a time of need.

Home is where people care enough to say, “How are you today?”

Home is where your friends write you spontaneously just to tell you they care.

Home is where you make new friends and keep the old.

Home is encouraging and comforting.

Home is where you belong.

Home is where your mother will hold you after a hard day.

Home is where your brother will tell you that you are beautiful, even if you only have on jeans and a sweatshirt.

Home is where friends ask you to go ice skating, even though you don’t really belong with their group.

Home is where your sister holds you while you cry over the trials of life.

Home is where your father congratulates you on a scholarship to the college of your choice.

Home is where you can dance at any time in any place.

Home is where you can curl up with a cup of tea and your Bible and seek God’s wisdom.

Home is forever.

Home is unconditional.

This is not my home.

My home is in heaven.

At home, I will not have tears.

At home, I won’t have to take medication for my uncontrollable pain.

At home, I won’t need my Bible…I can get it straight from the mouth of my Savior.

At home, I will have countless friends who love and care for me, but most of all worship the same Savior as I do.

At home, I will have my church around me; my church will worship at the feet of Jesus.

At home, I can dance for my Lord with sweet abandon, and not worry about what others think.

At home, I will be made a new creation, and won’t need to be told I’m beautiful.

At home, I will have a host of angels cheering me through the Gates of Heaven and showing me my name in the Book of Life.

At home, there is eternal peace and love.

At home, I am safe and secure.

At home, I can bow at the feet of my Jesus and praise his name forever.

This is home.

“But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” Hebrews 11:16

A Cry for Christian Modesty

This post is a cry from my heart. At the risk of offending you, I am going to speak the truth. Please know that the truth that I speak here is spoken out of love and a deep sadness of the direction that Christian modesty has taken.

Everywhere I go, I am bombarded by immodesty. At school (I am taking a dual-credit class at a Community College), at work, at dance, and even in my own church. It confuses me to think why there is so much immodesty in the church. Shouldn’t we protect our bodies and clothe them appropriately at church? Shouldn’t we dress modestly everywhere?

I recently read Jeff Pollard’s book, “Christian Modesty and the Public Undressing of America.” In my opinion, I think every woman, man, mother, father, daughter, and son should read this book. It really opened my eyes to some of the issues that I need to deal with in my personal life, and gave me a clear understanding of why we should dress modestly. In this book, Pollard says, “You are NOT your own, if you are a Christian. Your whole being – body and soul – is the purchased property of Jesus Christ; and the price paid for your body was the breaking of His…”

As a Christian, you MUST understand that your body has been sanctified. Now, we must dress like we are sanctified! If we strut around in immodest skirts, dresses, pants, and shirts, we are defiling the body that Jesus has made holy. We are throwing mud on the temple of Jesus Christ. We are allowing the world to ruin the purity that God has given to us as a precious gift.

I cry out to Christian girls of all ages: Please protect your bodies. They are a precious gift from God, and meant to be holy and pure. Do not defile them with immodesty. Check your hearts! If you are wearing a short skirt to “showcase” your legs, then you have a heart issue. Dress as you would if you were to be taken directly to the throne of God. Would you wear a revealing dress in front of the God who created you to be pure? No! You have been sanctified, and are ordered by God to dress modestly. 1 Timothy 2:9 says, “I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyle or expensive clothes…”

I cry out to Christian women: Just because you are older or married does not make these rules of modesty go away. Actually, they should be just as strict, because YOU are the ones who set the example for the younger women. Remember Titus 2:7, “In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching, show integrity and seriousness.” You, too, are created to be holy, and must dress accordingly. Cover up the body that God has given you so that you may be as modest as possible. I am not saying that you are to wear long, unflattering robes. Dress attractively without being seductive. And yes, I promise that it is possible.

I cry out to Christian fathers: Please protect the women entrusted to you. Whether it be your daughter or your wife, make sure that they are dressed in a way that is pleasing to God. Do not let your daughter leave the house without first making sure that their outfit is not one that will put them in danger. This may sound ridiculous, but the way a girl dresses has a huge effect on what the men around her think. Protect your daughter. Pollard says, “Although women are vulnerable to wearing lavish or sensual apparel, their fathers and husbands are ultimately responsible for what the women in their homes wear.” If you truly love your wife and daughters, protect them at all times.

This is my cry out for Christian modesty. Jesus has sanctified you, and you are called to dress in a manner that is an example of purity.

You are called to be holy.

All the Right Things

Our world today has so many negative and false views of Christianity today, that it is hard for others to know what is really right and true about the life of a Christian. For instance, it is commonly believed that most Christians are hypocrites and do not really live the life that they claim to.

Is that statement true? Do the majority of Christians really use the “do as I say, not as I do” mentality?

Unfortunately, I think it is somewhat common among Believers. No, the majority is not lying about their faith, but the fact that there are still some that do not follow what they claim is truth. Because of these people, though, it taints the world’s view of Christianity.

We were driving to church the other day, and I began looking around at all the houses in my neighborhood. I made a comment to my mom that we did not even know half of the people living in the houses next to ours. I began thinking about how we did not know there stories and whether or not they knew Jesus.

We arrived at church, which is not even two minutes from our house, and I began thinking about all the opportunities I have to invite my neighbors to church. I get so wrapped up in my own bubble, my own life, that I forget to think about others and what I can do for them.

It is so easy as a Christian to say all the right things about your walk with God, while completely forgetting that there are millions of people all around you that need to find the love of Jesus! It is so sad that for so long, people have walked around doing and saying all the right things, yet forgetting to reach out to others!

I am trying to make that change in my own life. I want to love Jesus, do what is right, and reach out to people all at the same time. At work, home, church, and even the grocery store there are opportunities to touch someone’s life!

Instead of living in your own “Christian bubble”, we need to try and touch the people around us in a way that may plant a seed that will later blossom into a relationship with Christ. If this means praying with or without your family when you go to a restaurant, do it. If it means smiling and being kind to those around you, do it. If it means praying for someone who looks like they are in need, do it.

There are opportunities all around us, but if we only say the right things and yet do not live it, then all our efforts are worthless.

“He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind' ; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' " Luke 10:27