February 20, 2012 | Author: Jennie Chancey

Kelly Crawford has put together a marvelous devotional for mothers. She let me have a sneak peek at it last week, and I devoured it while recovering from the flu (perfect timing, Kelly!). This eBook is Kelly’s “cup of cold water” to mothers. We all need refreshment and encouragement when the hard days come, and Kelly has provided bite-sized (but meaty and thought-provoking) daily devotionals that urge us to take our calling as mothers seriously but remember at the same time that we are vessels of clay in need of God’s filling. These words are true whether you are the mother of one or the mother of ten! Thank you, Kelly, for sharing your beautiful insights into the calling of motherhood “from the trenches!”

For a limited time (8am CST Tuesday), the book is available for just $1, so pop on over to Kelly’s site for all the details!

Category: Biblical Womanhood, Book Reviews, Mothering | No Comments »
Tags: book review, books, motherhood

February 20, 2012 | Author: Jennie Chancey

From Doug Phillips’ blog:

Several weeks ago, President Obama jumped into political hot water when he issued a regulatory policy under the new health care law, forcing religiously affiliated organizations to pay for healthcare plans that provide free contraception to employees, including the murderous “morning after pill.” Many religious groups found the policy highly offensive, for, if followed, it would violate their consciences by forcing them to pay for abortions. Many top evangelical leaders vowed that they and their congregants would go to prison before they would assent to pay for the murder of unborn children under the Obama administration’s new edict.

Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi sought to defend the President’s policy directive. She and feminist groups complained that to remove the mandate was akin to “allowing woman to die on the floor.” This said, Pelosi confessed with a bit of chagrin, “I’m a devout Catholic and I honor my faith and love it . . . but they have this conscience thing.”

Despite Pelosi’s trumped-up rhetoric, religious groups pushed back hard and weren’t about to be cowed by such threats. In response to the growing firestorm, President Obama sought to appease both Christians and feminists by offering a compromise that gives women, who work for religiously affiliated organizations who object to funding contraception, the opportunity to get the drugs they crave directly from the insurance provider “free of charge,” without strings tied back to their employer — at least so far as the contraception pills go. In other words, the President extended a sort of clemency for religious organizations who are affected by this “conscience thing,” requiring their insurance companies to pick up the tab for contraceptives their employees might desire.

But Anthony Picarello, general counsel for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, aptly pointed out that there is no room for compromise on this issue. Picarello explained, “That means removing the provision from the health care law altogether, not simply changing it for Catholic employers and their insurers.” Picarello’s point is this: A Christian employer who owns a plumbing company or any other non-religious related organization is afforded no exemption under the revised policy and is still on the hook to provide and pay for insurance coverage that covers abortion pills. There’s no opt-out for him.

Read the full piece at THIS LINK.

Category: Feminism & Related Issues, Hot-Button Issues | No Comments »
Tags: abortion, birth control, feminism

February 20, 2012 | Author: Jennie Chancey

Sadly, there are no surprises here. I wrote about this issue almost nine years ago when people were just starting to broach the idea of putting wives, mothers, and daughters in harm’s way. Now it’s a fact cemented into US policy:

While the Pentagon’s official policy has been to exclude women from being assigned to most units “whose primary mission” is “direct combat on the ground,” the reality has been far different, as was noted in a 2008 USA Today editorial which we previously cited   on our website:

On the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Pentagon’s policy on women in combat looks like this: Women risk their lives as truck drivers, mechanics and medics attached to combat units. At checkpoints, they do a job that men can’t: search Iraqi women. They fire rifles and lob grenades. And when they are struck by the IED blasts and suicide bombers that characterize this war, they are wounded or killed just as surely as their fellow soldiers.

In other words, the written policy is divorced from reality.

Now policy has caught up to practice, as last week the Department of Defense announced a formal change in policy   to “allow Military Department Secretaries to assign women in open occupational specialties to select units and positions at the battalion level . . . whose primary mission is to engage in direct combat on the ground.”

This will open nearly 14,000 “combat-related positions to female troops, including tank mechanics and intelligence officers on the front lines,” as the Washington Post summarized  .

While American servicewomen have been in harm’s way for more than a decade — with nearly 200 coming home from Afghanistan and Iraq in body bags since 2001 — the Pentagon’s new policy now authorizes women to be officially attached to combat units on the ground, the very goal of which is to engage the enemy in battle.

This is a first for the United States of America, and it is a cause to mourn as our nation’s leaders — in the name of “empowering” women — are now self-consciously placing women in combat units to be shot at and killed as men.

Read the full piece HERE.

Category: Feminism & Related Issues, Hot-Button Issues | No Comments »
Tags: feminism, military, womanhood

February 20, 2012 | Author: Jennie Chancey

From CatholicCulture.org:

My daughters told me recently that modest clothing is unremarkable in itself, but remarkable in its potential effects. Ironically, the benefit of modest clothing is its transparency, so to speak. Modest clothing attracts attention neither to itself nor to the superficial qualities of the person wearing it. In fact, by not being a distraction or an end in itself, modest clothing allows the character of the person to become more evident.

Read the rest HERE.

Category: Femininity & Modesty | No Comments »
Tags: modesty, womanhood

February 20, 2012 | Author: Jennie Chancey

We picked up our local paper last Tuesday to read the lead story: that Kenya would begin a strong contraceptive push to bring down its population growth in the next 20 years. Key to the article was the easy-to-miss one-line admission that foreign aid to East Africa is now dependent on the EA community’s acceptance of western birth control policies. In other words, Kenya either pushes birth control and gets foreign aid or ignores it and sees the funds dry up. Instead of looking around at the real demographic crisis looming (hint: it’s not overpopulation) in European nations like Greece, Italy, and Spain, the Kenyan government has been eager to assure WHO representatives that it will, indeed, work to make sure there are fewer Kenyans in the next generation. This is tragic.

When the prevailing worldview proclaims that people are the problem and that the answer to poverty is fewer people, what else can we expect? China’s firm belief in population control has meant the deaths of millions of Chinese girls by sex-selective abortion (and many other Asian nations have followed suit). In the meantime, Russia’s birthrate has fallen to such lows that Prime Minister Putin is running for office on a platform of paying families to have children. But promising tax-funded benefits is like throwing gasoline on the fire in the hopes of putting it out. Greece is now crumbling beneath the weight of its impossible-to-balance welfare state (not enough young people/taxpayers to support the growing list of retirees on state pensions). So what’s the answer?

The family economy. A vibrant household economy (where homes are a center of production instead of rampant consumerism) is the stable foundation of national economies. I’ve got an article in the works about the vital career of the home for women (married and unmarried). Until then, I highly recommend the 2012 Family Economics Conference March 8-10 sponsored by Generations with Vision. Living in East Africa, our family won’t be able to attend, but it promises to be a life-changing conference for those new to the household economy model. It’s a model that worked for millennia. Getting back to it is imperative if we want to see our economy thrive once again. Even if you can’t attend, take some time to read through the vision statement and watch the video! Also check out Venture Academy’s “How to Build a Business for God’s Glory” DVD series (now on sale through February 24–use coupon code “FAMILYWORKS” at checkout to get 35% off).

Category: economy, Eugenics/Demography, Family | No Comments »
Tags: abortion, birth control, children, demography, economy, family

February 20, 2012 | Author: Kelly Crawford

Profound. Powerful. Paramount.

These are a few words that have been used to describe the new eBook, “Devotions, Advice & Renewal for When Motherhood Feels Too Hard”.

“I can’t believe how these words changed the way I view motherhood. Thank you, Kelly, for giving me new vision.” -Rebekah

Watch the TRAILER

The best part…for TODAY only, get it for $1! (offer ends Tuesday at 8 am, CST)

Also available in the KINDLE edition! ($1 offer does not apply)

“This eBook is Kelly’s “cup of cold water” to mothers. We all need refreshment and encouragement when the hard days come, and Kelly has provided bite-sized (but meaty and thought-provoking) daily devotionals that urge us to take our calling as mothers seriously but remember at the same time that we are vessels of clay in need of God’s filling. These words are true whether you are the mother of one or the mother of ten! Thank you, Kelly, for sharing your beautiful insights into the calling of motherhood “from the trenches!” -Jennie Chancey, Ladies Against Feminism

Category: Mothering | No Comments »
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February 9, 2012 | Author: Anna Sofia & Elizabeth Botkin

Dear Anna Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin,

I’m 16 years old, I’m home schooled and (surprise) I love to read . I’ve always read ANYTHING I can my hands on from Jane Austen to Stephen King to John Steinbeck to Anthony Burgess and back again. My Mom and Dad, never prohibited me from reading anything, from the time I was about 11 years old, I pretty much took control of my reading censorship, and I’m not afraid to say I’ve had a awesome time with it.

My Mom and Dad are good God fear people who put a great love of Jesus in me, and I don’t want you to think they haven’t given me guidance, because truly they have. In fact, I think by giving me that intellectual freedom, they gave me “so much more” than if they had only allowed me the “proper” or “age appropriate” literature. I’ve been exposed to ideas and opinions few people encounter until collage. Some of them made me doubt my Christianity, for a short time I considered myself somewhat of an agnostic. But in the end that doubt made my faith stronger…
(more…)

Category: Education | 10 Comments »
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February 9, 2012 | Author: Kelly Crawford

“…the family was not created to be first relationships and then everything else. The family was created to be an institution, and that institution has a purpose and function in God’s order for the things: to expand the dominion of God’s people over the whole world (Gen. 1:27-28). The purpose and function were first given to the man, and he is supposed to be the chief carrier and executive of that function. And just as the woman was uniquely designed and gifted to discern and understand the issues of relationships, the man was uniquely designed and gifted to fulfill the purpose of taking dominion over the earth. The father’s and the husband’s position of the man is not primarily focused on relationships – that’s what he was given a wife for. That responsibility is given to man to ensure that his family fulfills its purpose in the plan of God in conquering the earth. Man’s very being isoutward-oriented, not inward-oriented. His interests would be in work and war, not in feelings and relationships. While women also have their part in business (Prov. 31) and war (Judges 4), by creation ordinance it is man’s realm and sphere of responsibility and authority.” -From “Relationship vs. Purpose: How the Church Destroys the Christian Family” by Bojidar Marinov

Read the rest…

Category: Family, Responsible Manhood | No Comments »
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February 9, 2012 | Author: Jennie Chancey

From Mercatornet:

A new report on daycare and child wellbeing in New Zealand has had a predictably stand-offish reception from the media and professional groups so far, although parents posting their opinions online are dividedabout its claims.

The report, Who Cares, published by lobby group Family First and written by British psychologist and author Aric Sigman, draws on research indicating that attending daycare for an extended period of time — and consequent separation from parents — is a significant source of stress for many young children. Studies have shown elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol throughout the day among young children in daycare centres compared with levels among children at home.

No surprises there. This topic has been covered in detail by Brian Robertson. It should be common sense, but the push to get mothers into the workforce continues unabated. Read the full piece at THIS LINK.

Category: Feminism & Related Issues, Training Children | No Comments »
Tags: children, day care, Mothering, parenting

February 9, 2012 | Author: Stacy McDonald

Read Part 1 here: Stained Sheets: Licking Ash Trays

While God has declared that the two should become “one flesh,” many husbands and wives have separate bank accounts and split the bills; many have individual careers and social lives, which sometimes include close friendships with those of the opposite sex. Sadly, there are Christian couples who attend separate churches and even sleep in separate bedrooms. Millions of couples share an address without ever truly sharing the joy of the one-flesh relationship that God intended. For many, oneness in marriage may sound sweet and romantic, but it doesn’t really mean anything.

In Malachi 2:15 God Himself says that He is present in the union; and what does He make clear that He is after? He says that He seeks godly offspring. He wants us to be faithful in raising up generations of children who love and glorify Him! But, how can we properly do that when so many of our marriages are sick and diseased—when the sheets of our marriage beds are shredded and stained? How can the music of the Spirit flow between us when our relationship is a cacophony of conflict as we both fight for our own way? (more…)

Category: Marriage, Uncategorized | No Comments »
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February 8, 2012 | Author: sarahfowler

1 Corinthians 7:34-35:
“An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs:
Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit.
But a married woman is concerned about the things of this world –
how she can please her husband.
I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you,
but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.”

Dear Christian Woman,

We have been called to undivided devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ. He has purified us from our sin and worldliness and set us apart to His holy purposes, are you walking in daily devotion to Him?

Perhaps the best way to start this discussion is by taking a few moments to consider what “undivided devotion” is. Simply put, it is a focused commitment and sacrificial giving of ourselves to someone or something. We fix our eyes on the goal and do not let them wander or waver. When the going gets tough, we are committed to giving whatever it takes to accomplish that goal. In this passage, the apostle Paul expects unmarried women to be making the Lord Jesus Christ their goal. Is He yours? (more…)

Category: Biblical Womanhood, For the Unmarried | No Comments »
Tags: daughters at home, family, home, homemaking, marriage, modesty, submission, womanhood

February 8, 2012 | Author: Stacy McDonald

“Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.” (Hebrews 13:4)

Not too long ago, while driving down the Interstate in a large city, my husband and I noticed a billboard that caught our eye. There, pictured in a sun-lit field of wild flowers, sat a happy young couple holding hands and smiling at one another. Their expressions communicated love and respect; their wardrobes embodied an image of prosperity and happiness.

At first, the clean, wholesome image fooled us. We thought perhaps a local church was promoting an upcoming marriage seminar. But, what they were selling turned our stomachs. The ad was for an “adult bookstore,” conveniently located at the next exit. The image was trying to fool the average American family into believing that pornography and perversion could make their marriage more satisfying.

I hate to break it to them, but the smutty movies and dime store gadgets found in some pervert shack are like licking an ash tray in comparison to God’s idea of sexual intimacy—a song filled with passion, security, excitement, satisfaction, oneness, and mystery. Couples who reject the cheap and ugly aren’t being prudish; they’re protecting their treasure. (more…)

Category: Marriage, Sexuality | 1 Comment »
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February 8, 2012 | Author: Jennie Chancey

From Mercatornet:

A book by a pro-choice feminist faces up to an unintended consequence of the West’s fertility war. This brave and timely book has many strengths and one glaring, but understandable, weakness. The strength of this book is the reporting. Mara Hvistendahl, a liberal, pro-choice feminist, painstakingly documents the catastrophic consequences of the worldwide “choice” for male babies: gender imbalance leading to prostitution, sex slavery, and male frustration and aggression. The weakness of this book is the political analysis. She doesn’t understand how deeply Roe v. Wade changed American political culture, particularly within the conservative movement broadly conceived. But both these strengths and weaknesses work together to yield an honest and courageous book that should be read by anyone who considers himself (or herself) well informed….

The consequences of the gender imbalance brought on by the Western war on fertility expose its bare brutality. French demographer Christophe Guilmoto estimates that roughly 163 million baby girls are missing in the world today. This is approximately the population of women in the United States. This magnitude of a sex-ratio imbalance means that when all these little boys grow up to be men, there will not be enough women for them all to marry.

Read the full piece at THIS LINK. (Not for young readers.) Men and women are both created in the image of God, so selecting girls for extermination violates their God-given right to life. I’m glad to see a feminist facing up to this reality, which has been the result of abortion-on-demand and the often violently enforced one-child policy in China.

Category: Eugenics/Demography, Feminism & Related Issues, Hot-Button Issues | No Comments »
Tags: abortion, birth control, demography, feminism

February 6, 2012 | Author: Jennie Chancey

From an excellent piece by Robin Phillips:

Given the premium the Bible places on modesty, one would expect Christians to reject public displays of nudity on television. Sadly, however, millions of Christians have come to treat sex scenes as a normal and accepted part of their viewing habits, especially if it is only one scene in an otherwise good movie. They will often justify watching these scenes in the same way they will justify watching gratuitous violence, by claiming that it does not affect them.

When I hear Christians say that watching sex scenes in movies does not affect them, I sometimes wonder if the shoe isn’t actually on the other foot. If someone can honestly claim that viewing erotic nudity does not affect him, then this seems the clearest evidence that such content has already had a marked effect. This is because such a person is admitting to having become so desensitized that viewing a body that is bare, or partially bare, has become merely commonplace like looking at someone’s elbow. It is not a sign of maturity to be unaffected by cinematic sex, or even plain nudity, since there is a hardening up process that must occur before a person can view such scenes detached and non-sexually. The same applies, of course, to scenes containing graphic violence….

The Bible makes clear that ever since the fall of man, nudity was meant to be associated with sexuality. After our innocence was lost, trying to regularize nudity can only happen through demystifying the human body and repressing our sexuality. And that is precisely what is occurring today. If we reach the point where nothing fazes us, where we can enjoy a beach party with virtually unclad men and women, or think that we can watch various stages of nudity in movies without it affecting us, then we are the losers. What have we lost? We have lost the ability to be naturally sexual as God originally designed. We have in effect let ourselves become functionally neutered in one crucially important area.

Read the entire piece at THIS LINK. “Dymystifying” sexuality is not something to be celebrated but something to grieve about. The beauty of God-given sexuality is a gift we should cherish–not something we should so mistreat that it becomes a ho-hum item to yawn over or treat as trivial.

Category: Femininity & Modesty, Sexuality | 5 Comments »
Tags: modesty, scripture, sex ed

February 6, 2012 | Author: Jennie Chancey

Watching this unfold has been mind-numbing, yet predictable.

Yes, let the Komen disaster be a lesson to anyone thinking of partnering with Planned Parenthood: You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.

On that topic, my inside source has checked in, telling me there were advisers who in December thought Komen should not notify Planned Parenthood of its decision to defund the abortion giant and just quietly not renew the grants. But Komen viewed the people at Planned Parenthood as “longtime friends” and felt obligated to let them know. Komen had no idea it was trying to pet a scorpion.

Read the full piece on Jill Stanek’s blog.

Category: Feminism & Related Issues, Hot-Button Issues | 1 Comment »
Tags: abortion, birth control, feminism, Planned Parenthood