Extraordinary.

I'm reading a very fascinating book right now by John McArthur: Twelve Extraordinary Women It's all about how God shaped women in the Bible, exhibiting their moral & spiritual qualities, and addressing what He wants to do with me.

It's so relevant to several different aspects of my life. First, spiritually, it's really making me question & re-evaluate who I am & what I want my life to be about. With that, it's also correctly addressing the spiritual basis of "feminism" & yet again exposing the modern-day "feminist" lies. Sidenote: I hold scripture as the sole & final authority of my life.

I've been "attacked" before on Facebook for making statements about feminism. My "opposition" would say I've been indoctrinated by my grandmother & Phyllis Schlafly. This book is reaffirming for me that what Phyllis says about women is completely and legitimately true as reflected in the lives of these "Twelve Extraordinary Women."

This whole message (from the left, no less) of feminist egalitarianism is that there is really NOTHING extraordinary about women. Girls, we should be appalled. There's nothing wrong with embracing the fact that our good and gracious God made us different. Scripture NEVER discounts our intellect nor does it downplay the fact that we have extraordinary talents & abilities. The Lord also created us a beautiful picture (through women) of what it is to be a virtuous woman.

So, counter to this feminist egalitarianism, one of my favorite quotes from the book thus far is this: The message these women collectively give is not about "gender equality"; it's about true feminine excellence. And this is always exemplified in moral and spiritual qualities rather than by social standing, wealth, or physical appearance.

I don't know about you, but that's what I want to be known for--moral and spiritual excellence. ...the incorruptible beauty of a gentle & quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. 1 Peter 3:3-4 ((yeah, I'm working on the whole quiet spirit part. ;) ))

I've only read MacArthur's accounts of Eve & Abraham's Sarah so far. And, as always, I have a couple of things to share.

Eve is a beautiful illustration of the goodness of God's grace & his perfect wisdom concerning His will. There are some truths about womanhood that He reveals through her:

1. She is fundamentally equal with Adam. She was "his spiritual counterpart, his intellectual coequal, and in every sense his perfect mate and companion."" I really would like to quote about two pages of the book, but I'll let you read it yourself. The point is--she was a priceless treasure to be cherished, a partner to love on & encourage Adam, & in return, he adored & embraced her.

2. God created marriage to be between one man & one woman for one lifetime. The end.

3. Marriage is not merely a physical union but one of heart & soul. Eve was Adam's complement. "The woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved."--Matthew Henry. Yep... I sure pray God's created a man for me. This whole marriage talk makes me pretty excited about the rest of my life. :)

And, 4. Eve's creation teaches of the divinely-designed role of women. She was made to fill a void in Adam's existence, to be his helper, and to be a mother, comforter, and nurturer.

Now, the whole fall of mankind, that's a different story. I'm just focusing on the positive aspects of the Lord's creation right now. :)

Tonight, I finished reading about Sarah. There's a quote I want to leave you with:
Harsh as it may be, there was a very crucial, necessary, and positive spiritual principle in the expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael. This symbolized the important truth that the kind of religion that is dependent on human effort (symbolized by the carnal scheme that conceived Ishmael as an artificial fulfillment of God's promise)is utterly incompatible with divine grace (symbolized by Isaac, the true heir of God's promise.) And the two are so hostile to one another that they cannot even abide in close proximity.

Effort versus grace. Are we truly allowing the Lord's precious & merciful grace to consume our lives? Or, are we trying to do it on our own?

...because she judged Him faithful who had promised. Hebrews 11:11

My Weakness & His Power

His grace is sufficient for me.

No matter what, no matter where I am or in what situation I find myself--HIS grace is enough for me. I can handle any situation or circumstance because He has power & control of my life. He went before me, died on a cross saving me from my sin & proceeded to Heaven to sit at the right hand of my good & gracious God.

His power is made perfect in my weakness.

When I find myself in a situation that I cannot fix, when my flesh is too weak to understand the circumstances, or when I am unequipped to handle what is before me, HIS power suffices & provides unsurpassing peace, unexplainable joy, & incomprehensible freedom. He is enough.

Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly...
not because of my own doing. or because I am smart or talented or witty or wise. But...
because I am weak.

And, in those utter & absolute moments of weakness, His power can rest on me.

That's why I am able to rejoice when life is tough, when I am ridiculed or made fun of, when I feel inadequate or intimidated, when I am unsure of the steps to take or the words to choose. I can rejoice & be glad in this because...

When I am weak, He is strong.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

A truth for a lie...

So, I'm a conservative.

Everyone knows this, right?? I mean, I like to think I'm pretty unapologetic about it. However, if you're a centrist or left-leaning, don't be fooled into thinking I'm not open-minded enough to consider the position of the "other side."

I have. In fact, I've sincerely tried to convince myself of some of the principle those on the left stand on--but... I can't. That statement probably deserves a lot longer explanation, but for the purposes of this post--it is what it is.

It feels like everyday there's new propaganda or a new campaign that's trying to take a shot at conservatism. I get so sick of it. The truth is... so much of the doctrine of the left is based on fallacy, misunderstanding, uncertainty, misconceptions, or really--flat out lies.

So, I decided... I'm going to try and start documenting the random ones that come up in my day to day. Now, if you're one of those apathetic Americans, don't stop reading because you think I'm going all political on you. I'm not. God's too good, & I have too much of His joy to share for me to turn people away because of my political persuasion.

Just do this for me--when you do find these kind of posts, read with an open mind... and accept that not everything you've been told in school, in the media, & even in church is true. I will try not to make any presuppositions or false assumptions. I will only state the facts.

This is a good week to start because I have two examples of liberal lies that I can't wait to share. They're not good examples of the flat-out-lies that are told, but they are pretty unveiling about the heart of the left. However, I'm learning to be more positive in my rhetoric, so instead of exposing lies--I'm going to present truth. :)

Truth #1: Planned Parenthood is not pro-woman & not pro-choice.

This clip is just one example of MANY that supports the truth that Planned Parenthood actually hurts women (of any age... in this case... underage):


I challenge you to watch just a couple of the clips on www.liveaction.org. It won't be easy--I become physically ill watching them, but it WILL impart the truth of what really goes on inside Planned Parenthood to you... and, I pray it inspires at least one of you to take action.

P.S. Be aware of new legislation coming up in the new Congress to defund Planned Parenthood.

Planned Parenthood isn't Pro-Choice... it's Pro-Abortion. Check out these graphics.

((I chose this source because it had the prettier graphs. Every source had the same stats.))

Truth #2: Left-leaning reporters will say anything to try and discredit conservatives. (So much for the positive rhetoric!)

This clip is of a panel in which NBC reporter, Andrea Mitchell, accuses conservatives of appropriating Ronald Reagan. Outrageous.



FYI, Ms. Mitchell:
1. Ronald Reagan was a conservative.

2. Ronald Reagan was a Republican.

3. President Obama is the only one "appropriating" Reagan.

Don't you feel enlightened?! :)

In other news: life in DC is GREAT! I'm absolutely loving my job with everything in my being. However, as always, I miss Texas. I've worn my big, blinging necklace that's shaped like Texas TWICE in 2 weeks.

I was sad though today when I had to explain that "Don't Mess with Texas" was not, in fact, a battle cry at the Alamo, but an anti-littering campaign. Eh...oh well. I still tell people I'm from the Republic of Texas. If they get it, it's funny. If not, they need to go back to 7th grade history.

Blessings! :)


I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Matthew 10:16 (NIV)