For today’s edition of Fashion Friday, I think it would be remiss of me to not mention that while I love fashion, I also believe that we have a commitment as Christians to honor God with our dress. We are making a statement to God, ourselves, and others by choosing to adhere to some of the immodest fashion trends of the day that the value that God places on modesty and purity is not important to us. This should not be the case if we truly desire to honor God in all facets of our lives.

As mothers, we can not expect our daughters to model this example if we are not first setting the example for them.

Therefore, I would like to suggest the following guidelines when choosing clothing for ourselves and our daughters.

The Five B’s of Modesty (as originally set forth by my friend, Shari Braendel)

1. No Belly – think bare midriff shirts. However, this also includes shirts that are too short in general. If you raise your hands above your head and your stomach shows, then the shirt needs to be longer.

2. No Bra straps – this includes clear bra straps. Bra straps of any kind are a distraction and draw unwanted attention.

3. No Bottom – Think pants or shorts that show your underwear or when wearing a thong, worse. You get the idea.

4. No Breasts – Cleavage of any kind does not adhere to the 5 B’s. This means even the top of the crease where the breasts are pushed together should not be showing. Men/boys are visual creatures, and it is a natural tendency to wonder what is there when seeing cleavage of any kind.

A note about this. While men have a responsibility to custody of the eyes, we, as women, also have a responsibility to help them in this regard. 1 Corinthians 10:32, “Do not cause anyone to stumble…” We must also teach our daughters the same thing. More on this topic another time.

5. No Bubbling – this refers to whether or not pants are too tight. A little “bubbling” underneath the bottom (one’s rear-end) is okay. The rule of thumb should be if when pulling on the fabric at the base of the behind, it stays put, then the pants are not too tight. However, if the fabric springs back into place…you guessed it…too tight.

I hope you find this helpful, and I wish you a Happy Fashion Friday!

Blessings,

A few weeks ago, I finally caved and read the Twilight series..all four books..some 2600 pages (this is an estimate)..in FIVE days.

I had not planned to read them. As a matter of fact, for the longest time, I had no idea who “Edward” was. I admit I was sure there was something I was missing, some new icon of pop culture about which I had no idea. I was uncool..unhip. Although, I understand “hip” is not even the word anymore further showing my total uncoolness.

The only thing I knew about the series was that it was about vampires. Such was the extent of my very limited knowledge about what I did not even know was an apparent phenomenon. Being a Christian, I assumed if it was about vampires, it was not something I should further investigate, and that was the end of my wonderings about Edward and all things Twilight-related.

And then, I had lunch with a friend…who was reading the series. As were several other friends. Apparently, they were passing the series around, and they were all totally into it.

Of course, in my very limited knowledge, I asked, “Isn’t that about vampires?” The reply was, “Well, yes, but it’s not like that.”

Oh, well, what exactly is it?

And so, after hearing an explanation, my curiosity was piqued. After all, if all of my friends were reading them and thought they were so wonderful, why not? They couldn’t be that bad, right?

Now, before I go any further, let me just make clear that I am not saying a Christian should or should not read the Twilight series. I do not have an opinion on this one way or the other.

I read them. I enjoyed them. I will probably read them again which is unusual for me because it is rare that I reread books.

The content of the books is not the point of my post. The question of whether or not I conformed when I should not have IS the point.

As Christians we are called to “be in the world but not of the world.” The truth is, that is often easier said than done.

I had heard the Twilight series was about vampires and as a Christian decided that it was not something I needed to know about, but when I found out others were reading it whom I felt had values the same as mine, I thought, “Well, maybe it is okay after all.”

But was it really?

Again, this is an individual decision. I do think sometimes we as Christians can become too legalistic about things. Meaning, that we adhere to a certain set of rules that may not necessarily be in accordance with the Word, which should be our standard for all things.

However, we are also to be set apart. Our salvation and forgiveness were bought at a price. A very high price. Jesus’ blood on the cross. Anti-conformity is a very small price to pay in comparison.

To read the books or not? To watch the TV show or not? To listen to the music or not? The list goes on.

Only you and God through the power of His Holy Spirit and time spent in prayer and the Word can answer the questions. The important thing is to remember to ask and to then be obedient when the answer is given…even if it is not the one you would have liked.

Blessings,

Wishing you a blessed and restful Sunday filled with His Presence.