I Want to Marry a Woman

I'm currently reading Let Me Be a Woman by Elisabeth Elliot. Holy cow. So much goodness. In it, she talks about issues like biblical womanhood, marriage, submission, pride, and motherhood. If you're unfamiliar with the name, Elisabeth Elliot is the wife of late Jim Elliot, a missionary to the Waodani people of Ecuador who died trying to share the Gospel with them. She is a champ. Seriously. Let Me Be a Woman is one of the many books she has written (among hordes of other accomplishments), though I've not had a chance to read others yet.

Elliot wrote Let Me Be a Woman for her daughter, Valerie, while she was engaged and about to get married. Her writing style is fabulous - in my opinion, its very reminiscent of writers in the late 1800s and early 1900s, but in actuality, her book wasn't written that long ago. To say her values and beliefs are conservative and traditional would be an understatement. Even some of my most traditional friends have found excerpts from her books to be a bit extreme. She's a go-big-or-go-home kind of lady, which I appreciate.

She might sound stuffy, but she's really hilarious. I got super tickled reading the chapter "You Marry a Man." On the outside that seems rather obvious, but she showed me that I don't always think I'm going to marry a man. Sometimes, like many women, I want to marry a woman.

Take, for example, wedding planning. I have been dreaming about my wedding since I was a little girl. Literally. I have pictures from when I was 3 years old playing dress up in a wedding dress, complete with a veil and flowers. Miles, on the other hand, being a man, didn't play dress up in this manner as a child. He didn't wear a tuxedo and dream about seeing his future wife walking down the aisle or contemplate invitation fonts that would coordinate (not match) with a delicate, yet rustic wedding theme. But, alas, I sometimes treat him like he did day dream about such things. I get frustrated when he doesn't have an opinion on anything wedding related. I sometimes treat him like a woman, rather than treasuring the non-womanlike, very manly qualities about him.

Elliot says women often aren't looking for a man to marry, but other benefits of marriage like security, safety, and children. She hilariously discusses women's frustrations with men, such as their expanded surface area, which conveniently attracts loads more dirt than any woman is capable of, and their inability to fold towels in thirds in order to properly display the monogram.

Moral of the story: get Let Me Be a Woman and read it! God didn't create people in his own image. He created man and woman in his own image - equal, different, separate, and complementary in order to put His glory on display. Rather than nitpicking the differences between men and women, treasure the differences and complementarity of God's design! 

"Fringe" Issues

Right after the Psalm 100 debacle at UNC I was talking to my college pastor's wife (check out her blog!) about how Christians differ in their views on homosexuality and other "fringe" issues (homosexuality, abortion, birth control, females in ministry, etc.). She said something super insightful (that was actually something her husband had said) that has stuck with me ever since: "fringe" issues aren't really "fringe" issues because they reveal what we think about God and his Word - they're really more like core issues.

For the sake of this discussion, "fringe" issues should be thought of as intrinsically on the "fringe" of Christian doctrine. The issues themselves are not inherently problematic to doctrines such as salvation, and are therefore thought of as unimportant, treated with apathy, or brushed over in order to minimize differences in the church at large. 

In some ways, I think exchanging thoughts, ideas, and opinions with believers whose beliefs differ from yours on such issues is helpful and insightful. After all, God created each individual different, each in his image, each to express a different facet of his character in some way. I personally have benefited from friendships with believers who were on the opposite end of the theological spectrum on  a number of issues. And, to be perfectly honest, the definitive answer to fringe questions is often not clearly marked in the Bible. In such instances, believers ought to interpret the issue through the lens of the Gospel, scripture as a whole, and God's character.

In Knowledge of the Holy, A.W. Tozer said "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us."

Just take that in for a minute. What you think about God is the most important thing about you. Why? Because how you think about God determines how you act towards and interact with God and others. In terms of "fringe" issues, Christians often deviate from a biblical, gospel-centered worldview (note: not a "Christian" or "right-winged" worldview) when they deviate from God's word and his character. Their thoughts about his character are severely skewed, thus mangling their opinion on issues that, in their minds, don't matter.

Don't get me wrong, your opinion on homosexuality isn't crucial to securing your salvation. By far the most important issue Christians need to have a strong, unwavering opinion on is the Gospel.

But when it comes to other issues, don't look to a political ideology or even another Christian's view on the subject, look to "core" things like scripture and God's character, and make a gospel-centered decision, giving grace to others who disagree with you.

Day Date in Durham!

This semester, for the first time in my college career, I don't have Friday classes! Conveniently, neither does my sweet fiance. This past Friday we took advantage of this time off and had a day date in Durham. Day dates are the best because 1) things are cheaper (lunch time menus vs. dinner time, matinee prices, etc.) and 2) sunshine.

We started out the morning by having breakfast at the Mad Hatter. Seriously so delicious. The only problem was it was too early to eat sweets from their bakery :(

Next we went to Duke Gardens. I love Duke Gardens. We spread out a blanket, got in the Word, read, and talked. It was so fantastic and much needed. We went to the gardens multiple times throughout the summer with The City Project so it holds a special place in our hearts :)

To wrap up our date, we went to Bull City Burger and Brewery. Oh man. It was burger-juice-running-down-my-hand good. They have delicious burgers and really fun fountain drinks, plus a nice patio in the back. The building itself makes the food taste better - I mean seriously check out those ads on the side - too cool!

We're really excited to live in Durham come December and explore this fun, eclectic city more!

Wordless Wednesday: Half Marathoning

Bright & early, ready to run!

Evidence of the early morning start time.

Me struggling, Emilie encouraging - pretty much what happened the whole race!

Probably talking about cramping up during the race...

The best roomie bonding experience ever - training for & running a half marathon!

My sweet fiance got up super early to come to the race :)

Post-race stretching....

and eating pizza (pretty sure I was probably talking about how disgusting eating pizza after running 13.1 miles is)

My fam came too! They got a hotel, came to Saturday night church, then got up early to watch me race!

Boom. Done.

Insta-Prayer!

What if you could pray and God would instantly answer your prayer? Let's be real, that'd be pretty awesome. It either sounds like a bad infomercial or a Genie-your-wish-is-my-command scene from Aladdin, complete with a stellar soundtrack. It kinda sounds like its too good to be true.

But the crazy thing is is that God does this. In a way it is too good to be true, but God graciously answers prayers in divine timing that brings him glory. Sure, God chooses to answer some prayers after years of faithful petition before his throne, but God seriously answers some prayers instantaneously. Just last night I had a significant chunk of one-on-one time with a classmate. We had to listen to a guest lecturer off campus, then I was going to take her back to her dorm. During the lecture, I prayed for an opportunity to share the Gospel/invite her to church/talk about God. Y'all - all of those things happened in some fashion just minutes after I prayed for them! God is seriously awesome. And this isn't the first time this prayer for opportunity to share has been answered with lightening speed. 

So why does God seem to answer this prayer so quickly? It's because he's the best daddy imaginable. He desires ALL people to be saved and he wants to mercifully draw his children to himself!

Pray with boldness that, because of what Jesus did on the cross, God the Father would draw his children to himself through the Holy Spirit speaking through you, and that all would come to have a relationship with the Lord. And when you pray said prayer, don't be shocked when God faithfully answers, all in divine timing.