Joel Osteen: Christless "Christianity"

Joel Osteen's "gospel" and what's wrong with it....

Excited about my new swimsuit!

My wedding to Jake is quickly approaching! I have so much to do between now and April 24th!! I haven't even began to think about our receptions we're gonna have later because there is so much to think about now! Among many things, this includes wedding dress alterations and a cross country road trip from North Carolina (where I presently reside) to near Detroit to store my stuff (since I can't carry it all into Canada until I am an official permanent resident), and then from Detroit down to Texas to spend time with my family before I move to the Great White North. :)

Another thing I've had to think about is finding a swimsuit to wear in Bermuda. I own a cute black tankini, but lately the topic of Biblical modesty has really been on my mind. God has really given me a desire to dress in a way that is both pleasing to Him, but also so I don't cause both my brothers in Christ and other men to stumble into sin (since men can be very visual, a woman showing too much skin can cause them to stumble into the sin of lust).

Here are some verses that the Lord has used to speak to my heart:

• "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body." - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
  
  
• "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." - Romans 12:1-2
  
  
• "Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." - 1 Corinthians 10:31
  
  
• "Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments,but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness." - 1 Timothy 2:9-10
  
  
• "Your adornment must not be merely external--braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands; just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear." 1 Peter 3:3-6
  
  
• "Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" - 1 Corinthians 3:16
  
  
• "Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe." 1 Timothy 4:12
  
  
• "But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart". - Matthew 5:28
  
  
• "Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this--not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother's way." Romans 14:13
  
  
• "It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles. " - Romans 14:21

I desire to do things that, by my convictions based on what I've read and learned in Scripture, are pleasing to the Lord. I don't consider myself to be a legalist at all, and I believe that if a person is going to do something to honor the Lord, it should be because the Lord is leading them to do it and not to please another person who has told them they had to dress/act/do something a certain way to be pleasing to the Lord. For example, I learned when I first met Jacob that the women at his place of worship cover their heads in obedience of 1 Corinthians 11. I had never been around Christians who did this. But I didn't just start covering merely to please him and because I knew that he believed that it is pleasing to God when women cover. I only started covering when the Lord Himself convinced me through my prayer and Bible study that it would be pleasing to Him.

The reason I say this is because in everyday dress and in shopping for clothes, I feel like the Lord has given me certain standards for dress that are pleasing to him, but I wouldn't want anyone else (who might have a less conservative standard) to adopt any of my standards unless they were convinced by the Lord Himself through their personal saving relationship with Him that it would be more pleasing to Him. Anyway, so that's my little "disclaimer" before I talk about my swimsuit and my standards for modesty. Romans 14:5 says "One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind."

So anyway, in everyday life when I am shopping for clothes I elect to avoid stuff like short skirts (for me if I wear a skirt, it normally goes at least below my knee) and tops that expose what I feel is too much skin, cleavage, or is too tight. (On a side note, God's been challenging me about jeans, which is a whole different blog entry in and of itself which I might write about later) When I wear clothes that cover more, I feel like I honor the Lord with my body and I prevent myself from being a stumbling block to all the men in my life I encounter who might be struggling with lust. So when I was looking online for a new swimsuit (even the one-pieces) I couldn't get the thought out of my head "if I wasn't swimming, I wouldn't be showing off many of the things I'd be showing off wearing this".

Many people call one pieces and tankinis "modest" because, relative to something like a bikini, they are more modest. However, I felt like I was being challenged by this idea because of what I mentioned above; because the parts that even a one-piece allows to show are parts that I'd never dream of showing off in everyday life. I prayed about it and even talked to Jake about it (since he is going to be my husband and my spiritual leader in our family) and really felt like I would be pleasing the Lord and would also better protect the mental purity of men around me that I'd encounter if I elected to get a bathing suit that covered a lot more than even a one-piece.

So I did a search on the internet, and came across a site called Modestly Yours Swimwear. They custom make swimsuits that are more modest than what you will find at a department store. You pick the fabric and the style, give them your measurements, and they sew it for you. They can even customize the style for you (there are several options for sleeves and you the skirt length). I felt like the Lord was leading me to order one.

I got the "Carribean Waters" style (which is their standard suit that is essentially a kneelength dress that comes with leggings to put underneath) with regular sleeves and a tie-belt. I had my belt customized so it would tie in the back rather than the front and I also had her sew it slightly higher than my natural waist so that it would look more like an empire dress (I love empire dresses...perhaps because I am a big Jane Austin fan).

I ordered it in the following fabric with solid dark brown leggings to go underneath:



I love retro prints...I think it's going to be really cute! And it cost less (even with shipping) than many of the bikinis that are sold at the mall. They have hundreds of fabrics to choose from, so there's bound to be one for everyone.

I should get it in the mail next week and I will post pictures of it when it comes. I'm really excited about it! I'm happy to have found a swimsuit that I personally feel will honor the Lord, my body, and my Christian brothers who struggle with lust. Also, when our children and grandchildren see our photos from our honeymoon, I will be able to tell them about honoring the Lord through modesty.

Anyway, I wanted to share my excitement about this with everyone, and the website where I found the suits for any other women who might be looking for a suit that covers more than what you'd find at the mall or the clothing store.

And of course...I still have my cute black tankini for when it's just me and Jake :-D

UPDATE:

Here's a photo of my suit I ordered on our honeymoon:

"The Promise" by the Cockman Family

I was born and bred in Texas but I never cared for country music. However, once I moved to North Carolina and got a taste of Appalachian music, I decided that I really liked bluegrass. There are some really talented groups out there that sing Gospel Bluegrass, and naturally this kind of bluegrass is my favorite :). One group that I recently discovered on itunes a few months ago is The Cockman Family who are from the Lake Norman area outside of Mooresville (about an hour and a half east of Asheville). I purchased their album, "The Promise" on itunes and I have become quite addicted to it.

For some reason I've always been drawn to songs that are alligorial; where the song tells a human story but it obviously has a deeper double-meaning in order to proclaim a spiritual truth about the Lord. An example of this would be one of my favorite songs, "Jacob's Dream" by Allison Krauss.

I absolutely LOVE the title track on "The Promise". It's such a simple story told in song, but it's such a sweet proclamation about how Christ loves and pursues after His sheep...His bride (the church)! We may not know when, but He is coming back for us, He is preparing a place for us more beautiful and glorious than we could ever imagine. The question is...are we ready for Him?

The Promise
John Cockman, Jr. (BMI 2006)
ALBUM: The Promise

The wealthiest rancher in Texas
Was throwing a grand jubilee
To honor his son, who’d just turned twenty-one
And was visiting down from the east
It was rumored he wanted to marry
So every girl in the county was there
But soon he grew tired of their fashion and their pride
And he stepped outside for some air
It was there on the back step that he saw her
And the moonlight shone down on her face
She was washing the floor and stealing
His poor heart away

He knew he would love her forever
As they walked beneath the dark Texas sky
He knelt as he asked her to marry
Then he watched as the tears sprang from her eyes
And he feared she was going to refuse him
So he bid her, “Please don’t make a sound
I am leaving tonight for Chicago
I must ride before the show lies on the ground
But I’m going there to build for you a mansion
And returning, I’ll make you my wife
Meet me here by the stables
One year from tonight”

She worked long days in the kitchen
Then she worked with her needle each night
‘Till the day she walked down to the stables
In a beautiful gown of pure white
Then the girls all laughed and they mocked her
As the evening shadows fell
But their laughter was turned into silence
At the sound of the carriage on the trail
The bride has made herself ready
Look now, for the bridegroom is night
On to the marriage, step up in
The carriage and ride

I couldn't find a video on youtube or anywhere like that, but you can listen to a recording and some of their other songs on their website.