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Posted on
May 12, 2012
by t
A couple of weeks ago I posted a link that showed the history of the bikini and how it has changed over the generations and then asked your opinions.
I received a twitter last week that I felt girls needed to read. So I asked this guy if i could share what he sent me and his response was "Certainly."
His Reply:
Power of Modesty i really don't see or understand the point of a bikini besides being a possible stumbling block for guys. Those who wear a bikini show too much skin, and guys are led to look at the girl's bikini covering her intimate parts instead of her face.
One time, i went to the water park, and it was difficult for me to enjoy my time there. Bikinis were almost everywhere! Some even wore non-aquatic bras and underwear as if they were a bikini. i even offered a never worn white/beige shirt to a girl i knew, and she refused. i certainly don't want to judge or condemn her, plus the color of the shirt wasn't very effective. Still, it would be nice if girls and women could wear more modest swimsuits.
With the movie Soul Surfer, i was a little upset that Annasophia Robb (playing the role of Bethany Hamilton) and her friends wore a bikini in some scenes. Thankfully,the girls are dressed modestly most of the time, including the competitions and the movie's cover art. Robb also points out to her best friend that she should be careful with her even more revealing bikini, because it may fall off while she surfs.
In any case, however, many of the bikini stars which Power of Modesty made us aware also made the cover of the Playboy pornography brand's magazine. Guys who look at girls in bikinis on the beach or in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit may very well be tempted to look at nude, hardcore or even violent pornography. It is a dangerous slippery slope! People must step away from such temptations. It is important to install one or many Internet filters to block inappropriate websites. And guys like me would really appreciate if girls would dress modestly in public. :)
Posted on
May 10, 2012
by t
Posted on
May 09, 2012
by teresa
The other day I studied a Scripture verse that describes the prideful heart of the king of Tyre. In the book of Ezekiel 28:12-17 this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“You were a model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God, every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz, and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of Gold; on the day you were created you were prepared. You were anointed as a guardian cherub, so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I
drove you in disgrace front the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian
cherub, from among the fiery stones. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor.”
When Adam and Eve were first created, they were perfect and lived in a perfect environment with God and had a good reputation with Him, so He blessed them with His presence and provision. Over time, pride grew in their hearts and the love-of- self corrupted them, and God removed them from His protection exposing their sin.
Like Adam and Eve, many of us seek after the beauty of His creation instead of the beauty of our Creator. In this counterfeit culture we create our own environment with what we think we need but over time it will cost us, most importantly wasted precious time absent from our Savior.
When the spirit of darkness whispers discontentment in our hearts we forsake ourselves from fulfilling the freedom that the Bible describes in John 8:32. Many times in life it is by the hand of others that we are betrayed. But in this case we demise ourselves from the beautiful freedom that Jesus paid the price for. Jesus frees us with His truth.
Posted on
May 03, 2012
by teresa
Posted on
March 28, 2012
by t
What Do You Desire Freedom From…?
In a culture that has made girls feel not valued and unable to embrace their own true beauty, girls look beyond themselves to seek an acceptance that enslaves them to the opinion of others. I am guilty of this. How I look, act, dress, what I liked or disliked was based on who I was listening to.
Let’s get to the true heart of the matter. We are weak believers. Ya that hurts, but it’s true. Who could possibly say that they are perfect? The Bible says “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”(NIV).
Do you struggle feeling adequate? Every day we are told we are not good enough, and we wind up believing the whispers instead of trusting God.
Our humanness holds us back contained in a saturated culture that says we will find true happiness when we acquire perfection. And so we wear ourselves out chasing after that continual phantom of perfection until our life is devastated by guilt and failure.
Do you desire freedom from the toxic consumption that our culture has served you?
Isaiah 40: 31 reads, “But those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (NIV).
When we consciously wait by faith and rely and commit ourselves to God’s guidance we will not fail. Take the first step and say today, “I will not care what others think of me. I only care about who God says I am and what He thinks of me.” (Read Psalm 139 for an understanding of how much God cares and
knows everything about you). Trust Him to recover who you are and He will give you my friend, the strength to resist what you’ve struggled against.
I created this page just for you, so that you can anonymously share what you desire to find freedom from. I will be standing with you in prayer. You are not alone in this journey.
<3
T
Posted on
March 21, 2012
by teresa
Posted on
March 16, 2012
by teresa
Clothing has become controversial with its offensive t-shirts and inappropriate phrases that have forced several department stores to pull them from their shelves. It’s because of these contentious clothing trends that God spurred POM.
Back in 2003, when my oldest daughter was in high school, shopping became a difficult task for her. The fashion industry advertised clothing that made girls feel awkward by revealing their curves, and moms and daughters conformed to the ever popular trends that major department stores displayed, glamor magazines and celebrities modeled.
Modesty has taken a back seat to what was once considered a virtue that exhibited a girl’s strength and self-confidence. The opposite has happened with our current
fashion trends over the past decade causing girls to struggle in their insecurities
more than ever before.
Girls are heavely influenced by the media and based on a 2010 statistic one in five girls struggle with destructive habits that will only lead them further from the confidence they are truly seeking after. So here’s a thought…if girls today chose to be more modest in their dress, do you think she'd have a positive or negative perspective of herself and why?
My challenge for today’s girl is for them to not give in and conform to the sensual style that exploits them, instead choose to conceal your curves and let your inner confidence affirm who you truly are.
Posted on
March 04, 2012
by teresa
Posted on
February 27, 2012
by teresa
I am in a season of raising 3 girls, and it’s important that they understand the choices they make today will affect who they become tomorrow. Even though I mentor many teens and women, I love when adults speak wise Biblical truths into their life.
One of my daughters recently went on a weekend winter church youth retreat and not only had a great time…but more importantly she called to tell me she was baptized which made my heart over-joyed. And when she got home she shared how much she enjoyed bonding deeper with the leaders and group of girls she went with. It’s because of those relationships she is now looking to serve at her church.
Without God in a teen’s life, the difficult choices that surround them daily can cloud their judgment resulting in foolish behavior that will cause them emotional pain and bitterness. Teens need to know that adults are not perfect, but are willing to invest in them by sharing how God brought them through their personal struggles.
The Scriptures says in Galatians 6:2 that we are to carry one another’s burdens. It’s not a physical carry but a spiritual one that say’s I’m here for you, I feel your
pain and I am standing with you in prayer. I have found that it does not matter a girl’s upbringing when you talk with her, and most likely she is open to hear Biblical counsel that will help her maneuver through this deceitful world; it’s just a matter of her choosing it.
Galatians 6:2 says, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
Posted on
February 13, 2012
by mariah
Once upon a time there was a little farm girl named Victoria. She lived with her brother tommy he is 2 years old and her sister named Hannah and Hannah’s twin Katelyn. Also our dad named Danny he works with the cows and Victoria worked with the horses and the foals and her little brother works with the baby animals including baby cats and dogs and her sisters Hannah and Katelyn work with the pigs, donkeys, and chickens. So now you know their names and what they work for now we go to the story. That day was Sunday so they went to church. They drove in the truck then they got to church and the dad went to his church and so the twins the sister Victoria and she was holding her brother tommy then they went to the twins Sunday school class so they dropped the twins off then Victoria took tommy to his class. So they went and the girl up front said we don’t have church today for the 2 year olds, Victoria was scared because she forgot were dad sat. When Victoria went into the church she sat down with her little brother and all of the boys were laughing.Then the rich girl Lily went up to her and said it’s ok Victoria I’ll go make them stop so she did. Then Lily came back to Victoria and said you are doing a good job on the farm do you want to have a sleepover today? Victoria said yes. After that they went to pick up her sisters and waited by the truck for their dad. When he got there he was happy to see Victoria had a new friend and he drove them back to the farm. The End
Posted on
February 08, 2012
by teresa
*One of my daughters wrote on her dinner napkin the other
night and gave it to me, she had no idea that I was writing about “Love.”
What does it mean to love? It means that even when life and all that surrounds you feels like its falling apart, you press on. Love means that you set aside your expectations and allow people to be people and look beyond your dreams and love anyways.
Ephesians 5:2(The Message Bible) says that Christ’s love was “not cautiously but extravagantly.” He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of Himself. Christ was courageous when He chose to love the unlovely, He didn’t quit when people’s words and actions got ugly.
To me love is more than late night bottle feedings and Bible stories, years of training and discipline. Love is what keeps me on my knees before the Throne of grace even when I am ridiculed for not meeting the needs of others due to life’s unfair consequences.
Whether we hear ugly words or the silence of unspoken love
and appreciation that burdens our soul, we can want to retreat and hide. Instead my friend hold firm, because that is what love does, love drives us to finish strong.
The other day while I was driving in my car I was frustrated and feeling beat up that the love that I have poured out to others has come with a painful price tag, and then I thought of Christ on the cross and realized, Yes it does…
Posted on
January 31, 2012
by teresa
O' the Mole was my very first writing and was also used in a monthy publication called Fruit of the Vine/Barclay Press about ten years ago. My writing style has definately changed, and I think this is kind of funny but I'll share it any ways. Enjoy!Early one morning, my husband and I went out to admire our newly manicured flowerbed, but overnight a hungry predator came and decided to make a
midnight snack out of our garden!
Mounds of dirt pushing up from the earth wound its way through our yard.
I’m reminded how the enemy of our souls tries to destroy us from the inside out. Satan, like the mole, attacks us at the roots of our beliefs – the foundation we have worked so hard to protect from the world around us.
Satan daily assaults our inner recesses and most vulnerable parts. The apostle Paul writes to the Romans that “we are more than conquerors through him that loves us,” and nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ
Jesus our Lord.”
When Satan tries to destroy your roots, remember we are securely rooted in Christ. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against
the devil’s schemes (Ephesians 6:10-18). The Bible encourages us to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power by walking in His armor ready for battle.
Scripture reading:
Romans 8:34-39 “Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died – more
than that, who was raised to life – is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” “Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?” As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor
demons, neither the present nor the future, not any powers, neither height nor
depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the
love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Posted on
January 25, 2012
by t
Posted on
January 12, 2012
by teresa
It’s kind of hard for me to write about how a teen’s relationships with their parents should look like since I am one, and don’t want you thinking that I’m trying to push a parental anthem down your throat. Wait let me check…nope I’m not, my conscience is clear. So let me make this simple, the Bible says: “Honor your father and mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” Deuteronomy 5:16 There it is, boldly typed, a commandment that God wrote (not me) on a tablet and gave it to Moses urging His people to obey Him. His people, did you get that? Now granted it would be awesome if all kids, teens and everyone in between, including adults got along, but God is calling His people to stand out from among the unbeliever’s and set a higher standard to listen and obey. The Ten Commandments are laws that remind us that we are to listen to God or suffer punishment. Obedience or Punishment…hmm I’ll choose to listen and do what God asks me to, how about you? But if you’re not sure what this all means, let’s look at this verse and learn what God expects. To honor your parents means to value you them highly – and not when you only want something from them. We parents are smarter than that, and most likely been there and did that ourselves when we were young. So since you’re a teen and most likely live at home, God is expecting you to honor your parents by obeying them – without a bunch of back talk! Oh and by the way, this is the only commandment that God gave sealed with a personal promise – there’s a purpose why He did that. You want to find out? This command is critical, it teaches you responsibility as you become the next generation of leaders in charge of our nation. That’s pretty heavy, no pressure there right? One day your parents will no longer walk this earth with you and you better hope that you were listening. God wants to bless you with a long beautiful life so that you as leaders will invest and challenge your next generation to step up from the rest of the crowd and make a dynamic difference in others. And just so you know, when you listen and obey your parents this shows them that you love them. We parents definitely need to know that you love us while we’re in the midst of raising you during your teen years, just as much as you desire to feel loved and understood by your parents. The Challenge: So now that you know what God expects, obey your parents the next time they ask you to do something, even if you’re on the phone or watching Pretty Little Liars on T.V. just do what they ask you to the first time, and get it done without an attitude or hesitation. Another great Scripture verse to remember when you think mom or dad is intruding on your precious time: “Do everything without complaining or arguing.” Philippians 2:14. In fact, you might even begin to bond more deeply in your relationship with your parents that you might even begin to lend them a hand around the house without them having to ask. It could happen. Which brings me to… How to deal with conflict “not if” but when it erupts between you and your parents. It is a proven fact that teen girls display more drama than boys. I don’t know why that is, but maybe it’s because we are more relational and emotional than guys. You have entered into a season of life that is in constant emotional and physical change, and to be honest this can be thrilling and terrifying all at the same time. We will talk more about that next time…<3
Posted on
December 06, 2011
by teresa
When I was in school there were kids that
you knew to stay away from. Kids that
were rough around the edges and had a glare that said “Go ahead punk, make my
day.” But my bigger issue, were the girls that called me friend. These girls that claimed to care and have my
best interest, friends that I constantly chose to be my bestties, were truly my
frenemies. I don’t know why have we empowered bullies? We listen to their lies as if they were
truth, or believe that we deserve to be put downs.
Here
are some statics I found about bullying at www.stompoutbullying.com
Bullying Statistics
• 1 out of 4 teens are Bullied.
•
9 out of 10 LGBT students experienced
harassment at school and online.
• As many as 160,000 students stay home on any given day
because they're afraid of being bullied.
• 1 out of 5 kids admits to being a bully, or doing some
"Bullying."
• 43% fear harassment in the bathroom at school.
• A poll of teens ages 12-17 proved that they think
violence increased at their schools.
• 282,000 students are physically attacked in secondary
schools each month.
• More youth violence occurs on school grounds as opposed
to on the way to school.
• 80% of the time, an argument with a bully will end up in
a physical fight.
• 1/3 of students surveyed said they heard another student
threaten to kill someone.
• 2 out of 3 say they know how to make a bomb, or know
where to get the information to do it.
• Playground statistics - Every 7 minutes a child is
bullied. Adult intervention -4% Peer intervention - 11%. No intervention - 85%.
Cyber Bullying Statistics
• 43% of kids have been bullied while online.
1 in 4 have had it happen more than once.
• 97% of middle schoolers are bullied while onine.
•
47% of of older youth 18-24 are cyberbullied.
•
35% of kids have been threatened online. Nearly 1 in 5 have had it happen more
than once.
• 21% of kids have received mean or threatening e-mail or
other messages.
• 58% of kids admit someone has said mean or hurtful
things to them online. More than 4 out of 10 say it has happened more than
once.
• 53% of kids admit having said something mean or hurtful
to another person online. More than 1 in 3 have done it more than once.
• 58% have not told their parents or an adult about
something mean or hurtful that happened to them online
Are you willing to stand up against the bullying in your
school? Make a pledge and let me know
what you and others are doing to stop bullying in your community.
Posted on
November 05, 2011
by teresa
When she wrestled with him, she found herself in his arms, when they almost kissed, but hesitated.
Court: "It seems like it always comes to this, doesn't it?"
Dani: "Have you kissed a lot of girls?"
Court: "Not a whole lot."
Dani: "I want you to be the first boy to ever kiss me."
Court: (chuckling) "I thought you've been kissed 'so many times'."
(He leaned forward and kissed her) How was that?"
Dani: (with her eyes still shut) "Perfect." Movie - “Man in the Moon”
Did you know that there’s a statistic that says a woman will kiss 29 men before she gets married and that the odds that you will kiss on a first date are 54%? www.bookofodds.com
I’ve witnessed girls giggly grin go from a simple attraction over a boy to an
overhaul infatuation within a blink of an eye (and it’s a little scary). Her anticipation and excitement over the promise of forever bliss can sweep a girl away without her realizing she’s about to get blind-sided because of kissing. Relationships today move at an all-time fast pace and girls are eager to feel the rush of a romantic kiss that can quickly lead to much more than first base.
Gallup's study has found that men use kissing primarily as a way to advance sexual relations, while women mainly use kissing as a way to monitor the status of the relationship, and especially a partner's commitment level.
But did you also know that guys carry a secret weapon in their kiss? Most men unintentionally kiss with their mouth open, it’s how God created them to pass their saliva which has trace amounts of testosterone—and testosterone is an aphrodisiac," Gallup says. "So passing saliva during open-mouth kissing over extended periods might help raise her testosterone levels and affect her sex drive.
Kissing is a physical activity that affects both the limbic system and the cerebral
cortex. www.learnbodylanguage.org what that means is…once you start kissing, girl watch out! You will wind up going further than you wanted to all because you
were sexually stimulated by his saliva.
To help solidify this I went directly to the most provocative pages I knew, The Song of Songs. And there it was in Chapter 1, verse 2: “Let him kiss me, with the kisses of his mouth – for your love is more delightful than wine.”
Why would God begin Song of Songs with kissing? I believe kissing bonds a married couple to their soul mate. The French, call an open-mouth kiss or French kiss a soul-kiss because you are exchanging your breath or soul with one another. Here in this verse the Hebrew word kiss is Nashaq (naw-shak) which means equip with, touched or arm. So we can read this verse as: Let him equip me for love… When we engage ourselves in kissing, there is an incredible rush of hormones that “equip” our body for sex. We get lost in that moment of pleasure, and end up crossing a boundary line that we never intended to cross.
Some of you think you won’t allow that to happen to you, but the evidence from the make out scene in verse 2 proves that kissing will lead to sex by verse 4. The aphrodisiac intoxicated girl begs the king to hurry and take her with him to his bedroom. She has given all authority of her body over to him and she is powerless by her deep desire to be loved by him.
There are girls that believe kissing can’t hurt them, but I have had too many tearful
conversations with teens that after they were making out, they eventually caved
in and gave away their precious gift, leaving them broken and bitter. But what are your thoughts on this is what I want to know, how this insight and truth will encourage you to take it slow?
Posted on
October 31, 2011
by teresa
Posted on
October 17, 2011
by t
Posted on
October 14, 2011
by teresa
Have you heard of this detached unemotional approach to dating? Some of you after reading this are strategizing to never have more than
two dates with the same guy for fear of losing your virginity. Unfortunately, that is not a good solution to this dating problem. In fact that’s preparing your heart to become hard and overly protective from ever experiencing that intimate love that God created for you to have.
The sex and dating criteria is continuously changing and most teens believe as long you both want to have sex whether it’s the first or third date, you’re free to do so. But do you think so?
Teenage sex and teen pregnancy is becoming the norm and nobody seems to understand why our society is so sex crazy or has a proven solution to encourage some common sense over what our culture has created. So like everyone else, I’ll share my opinion too.
Since the discovery of the new world each generation has pushed the demographics of what age they think people should marry. Throughout our history and even if you look back over your own family genealogy you’ll find from your great-great grandparents to today’s family and friends, that the age to marry has been drastically moved back, and in some cases by more than fifteen years.
So what’s the big deal? You are, my lovely friend. Your heart is a big deal when it relates to your relationship with God and others. The culture has secretly invaded what God originally intended for sex, and now we are seeing the proof of some dangerous consequences.
SOCIETY: The divorce and porn rate is painfully high and as a society we have fallen into the trap that investing in college, career, and making money while cohabitating is a common right before committing to one woman. SOLUTION: What God intended for a man and woman, was for them to grow and shape their convictions as individuals and as a couple. We have bought into the lie and told ourselves that we are wiser if we wait, but in the meantime sexual desires are being
fulfilled by addictions that destroy the soul of the human heart.
It doesn’t matter what era a girl grows up, she has and always will feel the need
during her teenage life to find the one man she has dreamed of. SOCIETY: Many parents struggle with the idea that their little girls are boy crazy and worried with good reason that they could contract an SDT. SOLUTION: I believe that these young adults are normal and not out of control, they are only expressing what God has graphed within all of our hearts and that’s to be loved by one man.
Throughout Scripture the age for a woman to marry was as young as 12 and as old as 18 years of age. To take this a step further let me remind us of why God designed girls to have a period. The definition and purpose of a woman’s menstrual cycle is that when the female reproductive cycle starts, AND the girls become physiologically mature at the time of puberty (netdoctor). Sounds like God’s intention for His creation and science finally agree on something, which explains why many teens are tempted to be sexually active at puberty.
Here is where I think the PROBLEM started… the term adolescence was not
recognized as a phase of life until the turn of the 20th century, we simply were
distinguished between TWO CATAGORIES: Childhood and adulthood. The term “Adolescent,” in my mind allowed passivity to become the new normal and has kept teens questioning their sense of belonging and their identity within the family as well as their community.
SOLUTION: First of all, I think that there are too many voices that confuse teens, instead of helping them to understand that their sexual desires are normal. We should not be like our culture and expect everyone to fit into one mold. But, I do believe that if older teen daughters have met a man of good godly-character I do not see a Biblical reason to keep her from marrying just because the culture says they are too young. What better way for this next generation to become responsible, otherwise all this wasted time does is set couples up so that they’ll hopefully give into temptation.
The culture has stolen sacred territory and the battle is on, war is being waged over your heart. Our society has taken away what is rightfully your inheritance to a preserved untainted love, and God’s original design for sex was not meant to be taken on a test drive before you make a commitment. The creation of sex is solely centered on the unity and the sanctity of marriage.
What are your thoughts about dating, sex and marriage? Is this radical approach to preserving your heart worth protecting, or is going with the flow of the culture and allowing immorality and lust to control each generation a better solution? It’s a matter of one heart that is willing to take a stand against the culture that can break the cycle.
“Do not move an ancient boundary stone set up by your forefathers.”
Proverbs 22:28
Posted on
September 27, 2011
by t
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