A Letter to Girls I Know (on Modesty)

Hello!  Hosanna here!  This is an article that my mom found several years ago.  I did not write this!!  I know it is long, but if you have the time, this is a great read!!

(author’s name removed at his request)
A Letter to the Girls I Know:
Dear Girls, 

There are two kinds of men: Godly men, and worldly men. What kind of man do you want? I’m betting most of you said “a Godly man.” Someday, you want to marry a man who loves God with every fiber of his being because he will be an excellent husband and father. He will honor and be true only to you. Most women want a Godly man or at least think they do. Well, I think I have found a way to tell you exactly what kind of guy you will get. I don’t even have to know you! All I have to do is look at you. The kind of guy you want or will get is advertised by the clothing you wear. I know what men want. Trust me, I am a guy. I know more guys than you do and I know them better. I know what we think, what we talk about, what we want, and what we look for, and it is different for each one of us depending on our relationship with God. I’m sure you already know this, but men were created differently than you. We have different desires and priorities. Our eyes and minds react very differently to some things than yours do. It isn’t disgusting, perverted, or wrong; it is wonderful and good! It is how God made us. It’s how we handle these differences that separate a Godly man from a worldly man.

A worldly man doesn’t control himself, rather, he looks at anything that attracts his attention or gets him excited. A worldly guy has no problem when girls wear clothes that show off skin, like boxers, high or low-cut shirts, low-rise jeans, and “cute” little swim-suits. He’s a fan of tight-fitting shirts and pants that show off your form, he thinks they’re fine! Worldly guy watches a lot of TV and R-rated movies, isn’t really offended by sexual content or nudity and secretly dabbles in pornography. He’s a “Christian” and makes up a significant portion of your church and youth group. He’s a really nice guy and sees you mainly for your body. If you were to marry worldly guy, he’d bring lots of baggage into the relationship, have intimacy problems, entertain thoughts of other women, and possibly cheat on you.

A Godly man is in control of his drives and desires. He constantly seeks God and reads his Bible. He “walks in the Spirit” and isn’t set off by everything he sees. When immodestly-dressed girls, magazine covers, or risqué advertisements come into view, Godly guy quickly “bounces his eyes” away from the image. He’s constantly guarding his thoughts and what he allows into his mind. He hates being around girls that disrespect him and his struggles by wearing inappropriate attire. Godly guy doesn’t watch much TV and is selective about the movies he sees. He views you as a person, knows you and respects you. He has your best interests in mind and guards against inappropriate thoughts of you. If you were to marry Godly guy, he would give you the emotional attention you need, he would ignore other women and remain faithful to you no matter what.

Unfortunately, there are more worldly men than Godly men. And to make matters worse, to the untrained eye, a worldly man can look a lot like a Godly man. So what can you do to only attract a Godly man? An important way of delineating between them lies in how you dress. As mentioned before, the clothes you wear advertise what kind of guy you are looking for. If you dress immodestly, you will attract worldly guys and scare away the Godly ones. It all comes down to the kind of man you want to spend your time around and eventually marry. You cannot afford to be complacent in this area of your life! You will pay the price someday.

This issue isn’t limited strictly to you and your future relationship. The way you dress directly affects other men and women and their relationships. You don’t see the struggles, the pain, the tears and the sin that you cause, but I can promise that you would be shocked if you did! Ask any Christian young man; we’ve all seen it. It’s kept hidden but it is definitely there. By dressing immodestly, you effectually spit on the struggles of our weaker ranks, appearing to care more about toying with us than helping us. You’ll never know how many broken relationships and lifestyles of sin you’ve contributed to simply by the way you dress. You want to marry a Godly man someday, well so do many other women. Don’t just help yourself and your future, help all women and their relationships by showing discretion in your dress.

Of course, I understand the desire to look stylish, attractive, and “cute.” It’s important to fit in and get attention. Trust me, it can be done modestly! I also understand that it is easier for some girls to find stylish and well-fitting clothes than it is for others. This is an area where guys really don’t understand what you are up against. But just remember, for every sacrifice you make to honor God with your image, Godly men are making sacrifices in their lives that are just as hard, if not harder! They will and do respect you so much for choosing to be modest! A real lady is conscientious of the image she presents, and real men want a real lady. And you can forget about any guys missing out on how attractive you are because you don’t wear revealing clothing. You could wear a circus tent and we would still know; it’s a gift we have.

And so the question still remains: What kind of man do you want? Answer me with your clothes.

Orphan Sunday

Hi guys, Aubrey here! I am a horrible writer and have a hard time putting my thoughts on paper but this topic is near and dear to me so I thought I would try to write something. Today is Orphan Sunday.  Some people don't know about Orphan Sunday. Orphan Sunday is an event that happens every year to reawaken churches and people to their calling to help orphans and widows.  Orphans are mentioned a lot in the Bible. It talks about taking care of orphans in James 1:27, Isaiah 1:17, Psalms 82:3, and many more. You can learn more about Orphan Sunday if you go to the link below.

http://orphansunday.org

Also if you go to YouTube and search Orphan Sunday Video. There will be TONS of videos about Orphan Sunday. 

Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.

-Psalm 82:3 

So, I hope y'all will go look at these videos and scriptures! Have a great Sunday!

Aubrey Rutledge 

Be Yourself

Have you ever thought to yourself I wish I was like her?  As you think that to yourself have you ever thought that maybe that she is wishing she is someone else?  I know sometimes I find myself wishing I could talk to other people better or that I could be better at math, but you know what everybody does that sometime or other.  Nobody is perfect.  Everybody has their strengths and weaknesses.  Some people are better at some things than others that is just the way things are.  So instead think of what you are good at.  Everybody has something their good at and love to do they just need to find what it is.  Do not wish to be somebody else wish to be yourself.

Having Self-Control in Your Day-to-Day Life

     “Self-control is the exercise of inner strength under the direction of sound judgment that enables us to do, think, and say the things that are pleasing to God.”—Jerry Bridges

     Self-control, or temperance, is something that is commonly spoken about, taught about, and esteemed in others, but how many of us actually practice it?  How many times have you been in a supermarket and heard the sound of someone yelling at his or her parents?  How many times have you seen children (or adults) throw fits when they did not get their own way?  How many times has that person been you?

     The Bible has examples of what a life is like without self-control. None of the examples are positive.  In fact, they are everything you would not want to have.

     “He who guards his mouth preserves his life, but he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.” (Proverbs 13:3)

      “Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control.” (Proverbs 25:28)

However, there are also verses about a holy life with temperance.  “(better is) one with self-control than one who takes a city.” (Proverbs 16:32)  What is the point of an “amazing” life, if you do not have temperance?  You have probably seen famous people in the news—politicians, movie stars, or billionaires, who, without self-control, have come to ruin.  Perhaps they still were rich and popular, but did they have joy in life?  Of course not.

     Self-control is the control of yourself. It sounds so simple and yet, no one in this world can make himself have temperance in anything!  It is something that can only come from God, by asking Him for it.  You can try…but you will never perfectly master it without His help.  However, 2 Peter 1:3 says, “His (God’s) divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue…”  If God has given us everything we need to live a Godly life, then why would we not accept it?  This is such great news! We can have self-control in any circumstances because of this free gift from God!  All we need to do is ask.

     This means you don’t have to answer back when someone speaks bad about you.

     You don’t have to argue with that person who just loves to bug you.

     You don’t have to whine when you don’t get your way.

     You don’t have to frown when something bad happens.

     Instead, you can have joy all the time because you know something that many people do not—you can rely on the One who is perfect, and let Him fight your battles for you!

     I read part of an article online about self-control.  This was the first paragraph that shows the value of temperance in real life.  Maybe if you have a similar instance in your life, you can do the same.

     “In a department store, a young husband was minding the baby while his wife was making a purchase. The infant was wailing, but the father seemed quite controlled and unperturbed as he quietly said, ‘Easy now, Albert, control your temper.’

     A woman passing by remarked, ‘Sir, I must congratulate you! You seem to know just how to speak to a baby.’

     ‘Baby nothing!’ came the reply. ‘MY name is Albert!’” ¹

¹Self Control. Bible.org. J. Hampton Keathley III. May 26th 2004. Web. September 27, 2015.