ByGrace

Today is the last day for modest dress pictures! I've really enjoyed doing them, and I've put the posts all together under "A Week of Modest Dress" in the sidebar on the left. Today I wore a top that I bought a few weeks ago. It's very low in the neck, so I wear a little sleeveless shell underneath. I knew the shell would match the top, or else I wouldn't have bought it. I wore denim again today, too, a skirt that I've had for a long time, but I love it. We have Bible study in our home on Wednesday evenings, so I usually end up mopping the downstairs floors on Wednesday. That's what I'm doing in these pics.

Today I gave in and wore the "homeschooler's uniform" - a denim jumper. This one is 2-3 years old and I've just about worn it because it's been so comfortable. The first picture is after my walk this morning. Three days a week I do some strength training with hand weights; nothing major, just a few exercises. They're working! I inherited both my grandmothers' large upper arms, and these exercises are helping to shape my upper arms, even though they're still a little . . . ummmm . . . fluffy. The last picture shows what I do with the clothes that are getting too big for me. I'm very (very) gradually losing weight, so when a dress or jumper gets too loose, I use a little tab thing to tighten up the back and keep it from looking so baggy. Saves having to buy new clothes until I really need them.

A few months ago, some of my online friends were discussing the issue (and a hot one it is!) of women wearing only dresses. One of the ladies asked for testimonies of other ladies who had come to this conviction and how it had happened for them. The forum moderator allowed 3 of us to answer, and I was 1 of those 3. I want to share this testimony here simply as my experience. It will be long, so if you're not interested, just skip it. I'm not doing this to condemn anyone or lift myself up; it's simply how I came to the conclusion that wearing only dresses was what God wanted me to do. My dad was saved in an IFB (independent, fundamental Baptist) church when I was 6 years old. Two years later, he was called to preach and made plans to go off to Bible college. The church where the college was located also had a Christian school, which he planned to place me in. The school had a dress code which included dresses for girls, so I would be wearing dresses to school all day...

I have 2 more days in my week of modest dress after today. I'm enjoying this so much! Here's what I wore today: a lime green top with my old standby, my black skirt. Just goofing around. Can you tell how mean my husband is?

Today I'll include some pictures of my whole family and one of our church folks. We've found that people who know us and support our ministry enjoy seeing the work we're doing. On most Saturdays we go out visiting in neighborhoods door-to-door. Here, Wes and I are getting literature ready for handout to the homes we visit. Beth and I are ready to go! Heading off with my visitation partner. This lady is single and one of our most faithful people! Samuel either coming or going to a door: This picture finally has Andrew in it, acting like he's trying to talk me into letting him drive the car. I'm resting from walking up and down this hilly place! And finally, the view we enjoyed this morning. North Vancouver is full of views like this one. We love it!

Wow! I almost forgot to post this this evening. I had some free time alone; my husband and children went to a youth activity at Greater Vancouver Baptist Church, leaving me home alone. I don't actively seek time away from my family, but when I have some alone time I do enjoy it. I spent the evening reading, which I love to do and appreciated the time to do it tonight. I have just 2 pictures from today. I don't live a very exciting life! Today I wore a casual top and my favorite skirt. I love the colors in the top; if they don't suit me, please don't tell me! LOL

While we're on the subject of dressing modestly, here are some absolutely fantastic tips for dressing modestly, not frumpy. Contrary to popular belief, modest does not equal frumpy! Later today I'll post a list of guidelines for Christian dress that our pastor in Texas gave in a sermon once.

The rest of this series can be found at these links: Friday , Saturday , Sunday , Monday , Tuesday , Wednesday . Some ladies around the Blogosphere have been posting pictures of themselves going about their everyday routine in dresses. Many of us ladies wear dresses and skirts all the time, and others have asked how we play with our children, do our housework, exercise, in dresses. Candy decided to show some ladies doing just that on her blog, and asked for ladies to post pics on their blogs too. This kind of thing appeals to me, so I had to get in on the action on this one. I'll post pics each day for a week (if I can keep my son Andrew taking pictures!), and you'll see a little bit of our life as a pastor's family, as well as see how another lady and her daughter (though not so many pics of her - she's camera shy!) live out their conviction of modest dress in their everyday lives. Here I am this morning, as Samuel and I left the house for our walk. I alterna...

Something is on my heart today, and my husband encouraged me to blog about it. That's part of the reason I have a blog, to get things off my chest, so to speak. I have a large group of online friends. Some of us are pastors' wives, some are missionaries, most are just regular church members. Many of us are Baptist; some are not. We all get along well together. As a general rule, we treat each other with dignity and love, even when we disagree about things. So my blogging about this is not to hurt my sister in Christ, but simply to vent a little about something that has troubled me for quite a while. This just brought it to the forefront for me. Yesterday one of my friends mentioned a recent trip to Wal Mart where she noticed that one of the cashiers was a young man who was obviously into Goth (I think that's what you'd call it!). He was dressed all in black with dog chains around his neck and long shaggy black hair. She wondered what Wal Mart is coming to. In th...

Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. Proverbs 27:17 I've been thinking of my friends who sharpen me. Several come to mind. My oldest and dearest friend never changes - she inspires me to just stay the course. There's the pastor's wife who is so energetic, that simply to be around her gives me energy. Another friend has such a meek and quiet spirit that she makes me long to be like her. There's also one who does everything with excellence - how I long for excellence in my life and in our ministry! One friend is a peacemaker - I've seen her calm an angry situation with a few well-chosen words. Still another friend works diligently in all she does; I want to be diligent. There's another friend who prays Scripture for people - what a blessing to have someone praying for you in that way. And my own pastor's wife, who simply loves her people. I've watched her love every person to walk in the door of our church, no...