Andrew was having a rough day.  At breakfast he twisted and turned, and pulled his food out of his mouth with such a look of disgust on his usually-sweet face.  Each time I put him on the changing table for a clean diaper, he would yell and fuss, kick and flail his arms though no sign of diaper rash.  Nothing seemed to help him.  His changing table toy went over the edge.  I sang 52 songs, talked sweet, talked strong, added a light corrective touch, made faces, giggled, etc….all the while thinking “I’ve just got to get this dirty diaper off and a new one on as quickly as possible.”  Still he was unhappy. 

The drone of fussing and fuming was the background of the day.  I repeated the above tactics at intervals but to no avail.  Playtime was just as bad.  He wasn’t content to play alone with his toys like he can do sometimes.  Instead, he perched by the ottoman that serves as a gate by the side of his play area close to where I was, whining and complaining, or down-right crying.  Whenever I picked him up to comfort him, he wiggled and squirmed and pulled my hair.  When I set him down, he cried all the more.

Sometimes during the day he would be pointing to this or that or nothing in particular (it seemed) and saying “bah, bah”.  He is successfully using some of the sign we have been teaching him.  Useful mostly at mealtimes.   He’s getting more and more clear about what he wants.  Yet, I was frustrated that I couldn’t understand my baby or help him enjoy himself.  The day was long and tough, for both of us.  My ears were ringing and my face was sad.  I finally called my mom and shared about the day.  What was wrong?  He didn’t seem to be teething.  On Sunday he will be one year old.  We finally decided he might just be expressing frustration in not being able to communicate with us. 

Finally it was bedtime.  One last diaper change and wrangling into PJs.  I gathered Andrew up in my arms, covered him with a blanket and gently rocked him in the rocking chair.  He snuggled up to me and laid his head on my shoulder.  I felt led to tell him a story before he fell asleep.  We prayed for God to guide our thoughts and teach us through the Bible story. 

The story that came to mind was about  Jesus and His friends:  Mary, Martha, Lazarus.  I told him how special it was that Jesus had such friends, how He could rest in their home.  I told him that Lazarus became sick and messengers were sent to Jesus to come make him well.  But Jesus did not come.  This surprised his disciples and the messengers.  But Jesus assured them that God had a good reason for what He wanted Him to do.  I told Andrew that Jesus was not always understood either.  I described Jesus coming finally and raising Lazarus and of his prayer to His Father.  God was glorified in this miracle.

I told how “Jesus wept.”  I said there were many reasons Jesus cried that day, but one was that he understood us.  Even if Mommy and Daddy or Eric or anyone else around him didn’t, my baby needed to know Jesus always understands.  I realized this was the message from God for us today.  With a calm spirit, Andrew went down in his crib for the night.  Mommy went to bed with a calmer spirit too, thankful that God had brought a story to mind to fit the need of the day.

I enjoy telling Bible stories to my babies.  All those stories that I grew up hearing are coming back to me, coming out in interesting paraphrase and with varied emphasis.  Each time, God shows a message for both of us.  If you have little ones at home or near you, try telling them a story about Jesus or another favorite Bible story.  It’s a beautiful experience.  It doesn’t have to be word-for-word KJV.  Bring into it what God has taught you.  You might be surprised to even learn something new:  that’s the Holy Spirit working.  I’m learning so much right along with Andrew.   Jesus always understands!

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”                        

Matthew 7:24-27 NIV

Pretty familiar story, huh?  Well, I thought so too as I started looking at this.  I actually just brushed over it in my reading because I have read it so many times and know the gist of the story.  However, I went back through it slowly when my eye caught the words at the very beginning before the actual story begins.  “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and PUTS THEM INTO PRACTICE…” 

Now that’s a higher calling than I think some of us are used to.  Of course, we know we what we are supposed to be doing as wives – submitting to and respecting our husbands (Eph 6 and 1 Pet. 3).  But how many of us actually put that into practice?  I think that more often than not, we “hear” those words of Christ, but don’t take the necessary steps to put them into practice.

So, I would really like to begin challenging the wives to begin a journey with me.  This will be a lot like the weekly challenges that Derek was doing before.  However, I am going to be focusing on verses that specifically pertain to wives. 

We have all been through times where we get restless in our marriages.  We don’t seem to be content and are unhappy with the way things are going.  We try to pinpoint the problem…something that our husbands are doing wrong, the kids, financial issues, etc etc.  However, in reality, I believe that when we get this restless feeling, we ourselves are actually overlooking or avoiding some truth that God has already revealed to us and are then in direct disobedience to Him.  I’m hoping that by reminding ourselves of some of these verses that we have “heard” many times, we can begin revealing those areas in our lives where we aren’t putting them into practice and, in turn, begin repenting of those sins. 

I want us to become women whose foundations are built on the rock – the truth.  Women who when the rains come and the winds blow, our homes will stand and not crash around us, because we have not only heard what we should do but are putting it all into practice.

Last night I stayed up way to late!  It was just one of those nights that I couldn’t sleep, but this morning I was so tired.  As I was trying to schlep my body down the stairs, my brain was desperate for an excuse to crawl back to my bed.  Despite the pleading from my body, it was time to get up.  Mornings are not my favorite…

For all of my parenting years this not being a ‘morning person’ has been a problem.  You see, I have been blessed with 3 curious and energetic morning children.  You might even be able to call them night owls, because frequently they were up before the sun, only for them it was morning because they had already slept enough to no longer be tired!  From my bedroom I could often hear them as they opened the cupboards looking for snacks and rummaged through the house by the light of the TVs blue screen.  My husband would refer to this a being “on patrol”.

When my daughters were going through their morning patrol phase I was single parenting.  In an effort to keep them corralled for a precious few more moments of valuable sleep I would confine them to my bedroom.  During that time, which was usually not longer than an hour, I would remind them that mommy likes to “sleep in” and they would watch a movie.  At the foot of my bed they would sit, their bare little feet dangling over the edge of the bed, while I came to terms with the fact that morning had indeed broken.   I must have really stressed to them how important these few extra minutes were to me, because they were very good at not disturbing me as long as their video played.

It is now officially Autumn, so thinking of that today as I was helping my son get ready for his day at preschool, I remembered a little story about his older sister when she was around his age.  She was a pm kindergartener at a private school where I also worked at the time.  One day upon my arrival to work her teacher caught up with me in the school hallway.  She said I had to hear what my daughter had said in class the day before in school.  Now those are words every parent wants to hear out of the mouth of their child’s teacher!  I waited with a fair amount of anxiety as she began to tell me her story.

Mrs. D was preparing the pm class for the upcoming annual field trip to the pumpkin patch.  The class was getting very excited as she told them to make sure and wear their grubby clothes, to bring their lunches, and most importantly to make sure to come to the am kindergarten class time.  She stressed to her students how important this last instruction was because if they did not arrive on time in the morning with the am class they would miss out on the field trip.  Upon realizing that this would require her to come to school early, my daughter began to cry.

In a concerned tone Mrs. D told me of how she noticed my daughter’s tears as they sat in circle time the previous afternoon and she asked her why she was crying.   She said my daughter told her that she was very sad that she was not going to be able to go to the pumpkin patch with her class.  Mrs. D was concerned because my daughter was quite broken up about this and asked her why?   A wide smile broadened across Mrs. D’s face as she told me what my daughter’s explanation was.  My daughter said, “Mrs. D, I can’t go to the pumpkin patch, because MY MOM LIKES TO SLEEP IN!”

As they say, out of the mouths of babes!

…is a baseball metaphor, but for traditional women, it probably is the dinner plate, and it is dirty.

Drawing on the answer I just gave to one of Sarah’s comments, I’d say that a lot of modern women are opposed to the traditional way of life. It’s messy, it’s boring, it’s even humiliating to them. They fear becoming drudges. Modern television advertising seems to reinforce this view. We’ve got better things to do than mop the floor, clean the tub, or cook meals. As for that horror called “doing the dishes,” that’s something close to torture.

Are we really stigmatized by housework? Or is it just a status signal if we don’t have to do it ourselves? Hiring a maid or a cleaning service says, “I can afford leisure,” or “I’m too important to care for my house.”  As for having the husband and children do the housework so Mom doesn’t have to – isn’t it stigmatizing them? What it is, really, is a signal that the woman has control of the family, that the others do her bidding, that’s she’s nobody’s fool or servant.

Well, if that makes everyone happy, I guess it’s fine. But it doesn’t.

Don’t think I’m opposed to women working at jobs outside the house, or that men should never do housework, or that the kids should get off scot-free. Women sometimes must work to keep the family together, or they have jobs that contribute a lot to the community. I like that women have careers that matter. I’ve known many older women who were kept home from school to work in the house because their families did not think girls needed education. (I’ve known a few men in traditional farm families who were pulled out of school at a young age because they were big enough to plow!) I believe that everyone has a right to education, whether it is in a community school or at home.

But I also believe that the traditional family works. We see it time after time in the traditional communities, where the family is  a unit within the larger group related by blood and faith. It’s far from perfect; children still go astray, married couples still fight, there may be alcoholism, mental illness, hearts broken by innumerable causes. Yet the whole community is there to support people in trouble, loss and grief. The members of the community know what is expected of them in a time of travail. Yes, in those times women tend to gather in the kitchen, making sandwiches and coffee, while the men stand on the porch after the chores, talking seriously. But each gender group gets some work done in their own way, with peer support.

Out here in the larger world we don’t have that traditional framework of support. We can’t even rely on our own families to help us when we are in dire need. They are often overextended financially and chronically – that is, they don’t have the money or time to help. How did we ever get here from the early church, where Christians took in other Christians, even strangers? Two thousand years ago, Christians sold their property, jewellry, and household goods to provide for the poor and sick. They shared everything as necessary – see the Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 2, verses 42-47. There weren’t just a few who did this; the apostles had just baptized some three thousand people!

This was not a revolution turning over all the old ways, for Jesus Christ came to fulfill the Law, not destroy it. The old ways of the Jewish culture still worked for early Christians, following the changes concerning kosher and circumcision. The Law was fulfilled; the old family structure kept intact and the old community ways preserved.

In a world where everything happens in a mad rush, where patience is not a virtue but commonly seen as laziness, where respect and dignity are for the weak, and where family life is nothing but internal competition, the traditional way looks outrageous. The mad are calling the sane crazy. No matter how many self-help books we read, Christian or otherwise, advising us to slow down, take thought, be careful, we continue to drive around like we are being chased. We make frantic numbers of phone calls; we spend hours surfing the internet for information, all for some elusive proverbial gain we never realize. We ask for world peace but because we have no peace of heart we try to get that peace by force.

It may seem like a huge leap of logic to go from washing dishes to world peace, but it isn’t really. If we take our God-given place, if we accept the true gifts of God while rejecting the false gifts of the world, if we are concerned for our neighbours as well as ourselves, we will find peace. We find it in the love of God, and in the redemptive sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

I love to watch Luke and Bret together. Luke’s little face lights up when he sees the jeep pull up or Bret walking up to the door.

It’s so neat to see how Bret relates to his son with cherishing love and enjoyment and how Luke responds with love and excitement.

My heavenly Father is so much better than Bret at cherishing and loving and enjoying His children, and I’m convicted that I don’t always respond with love and excitement for His presence. May I become like a child with my Father!

I have several weddings schedule over the next few months at CrossLife Church.  I am looking forward to being a part of this special event in the lives of these special people.  So as I set here thinking about these upcoming ceremonies, I thought I would jot down some key scripture and thoughts on having a Christian marriage.

Let’s start with Scripture: Ephesians 5:21-31 NLT  “²¹And further, you will submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. ²²You wives will submit to your husbands as you do to the Lord. ²³For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of his body, the church; he gave his life to be her Savior. ²⁴As the church submits to Christ, so you wives must submit to your husbands in everything. ²⁵And you husbands must love your wives with the same love Christ showed the church. He gave up his life for her ²⁶to make her holy and clean, washed by baptism and God’s word. ^{F10 27}He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. ²⁸In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man is actually loving himself when he loves his wife. ²⁹No one hates his own body but lovingly cares for it, just as Christ cares for his body, which is the church. ³⁰And we are his body. ³¹As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.”  ³²This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. ³³So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.”

Now Practical Advice:  “The key to having a great marriage is to work hard to keep your love alive. If we don’t keep love alive in the relationship, then the conflicts are going to overcome us.”  – Gary Chapman

 I agree with Mr. Chapman.  I would also like to add that centering your marriage on Christ is essential.  Do not take God out of the equation.  With that being said here are some key points of interest in maintaining a healthy Christian marriage:

• Communication is a Top Priority – Married couples know that even good marriages will have some conflict. What is important is the way couples handle conflict when it arises. We must learn to negotiate our differences and make them an asset, if not then they become a liability.
• Decisions, Decisions – Communication is especially important when it comes to decision making in a marriage. Too often the dominate person in the relationship becomes the primary decision maker. If both couples have input then they will often make a more wise decision.
• Show me the Money – Couples also need to remember to work as team when dealing with their finances. Money is one of the most common sources of conflict in a marriage, regardless of whether the couple has only a little money or a lot of money. The problem is not the amount of money that a couple has, but their attitude toward money and how they handle it.
• Quality Time -  I thinks an important event in a couples life is spending time together that is not about family or work.  Make this time together about yourselves and marriage.  Take time to focus on the relationship.
• Know when to ask for Help – What if your marriage is already in trouble? A key factor in successful marriages today is when a couple can swallow their pride and ask for help.  Know when to ask and then do it!
• Never Stop Working -   A Biblical marriage relationship will not happen by itself. Both people must be committed to working hard to keep the relationship healthy.

Whether you are a newlywed or you have been married for years, these principles can help you and your spouse create the marriage that you’ve always wanted. God bless as you serve Him and each other.

I’d like to highlight a book today.  ”Sacred Marriage” is the best book I’ve read on marriage and has been immensely helpful to Tracy and me.  The book is written by Gary Thomas and is subtitled, “What if God designed marriage to make us holy more than to make us happy?”  That’s absolutely not saying that we shouldn’t be happily married!  He points out the many ways that God desires to use marriage to sanctify us, to make us more like Jesus Christ.

Have you ever noticed how you’re sometimes like a different person when you’re with your spouse – someone you don’t really like or what others to see or know?  I’ve noticed that about myself.  That’s what Thomas is talking about: Through our marriages, God reveals to us who we really are (the good, the bad, the ugly, and the hideous).  God wants every aspect of our lives to be completely devoted to Him… to be “sacred,” set apart for God.

Below is a video of Gary Thomas speaking about “How does marriage make us closer in our walk with God?”  If you double-click on the video to open it on the YouTube page, you’ll notice a number of other 2-5 minute videos of Gary talking about various issues related to Christian Marriage.  I hope you find these helpful.

YES, I homeschool my kids, BY CHOICE.
NO, I wouldn’t put them in private school if I could afford it!
NO, I don’t have a teaching degree, or any degree for that matter.
NO, I am not the most patient person on the planet.
NO, I am not worried about socialization!!!!!!!!!!!

The above statements are answers to the questions that I’ve been asked more times than I can count since I began homeschooling 3 years ago. It always amazes me how bold people can be with their opinions about something that has absolutely nothing to do with them. Sometimes I’m left with the impression that people are genuinely concerned for the welfare of my children (who by the way, before we met at the park/library/fill in the blank, they didn’t even know). Other times I get the impression that the person I’m talking to is, for whatever reason, resentful of me for making the decision to homeschool, as if somehow, because I have made this choice, I’m a better mother. It’s usually these moms that throw out the above questions, somehow trying to prove that in someway I haven’t thought this whole homeschooling thing through, and I’m really not as great as I think I am. Deep down inside of me, I just want to grab ahold of these moms and shake them!!! I want to scream at them and say, “What are you doing?? We both know that you don’t care whether or not my kids grow up to be freaks…don’t you realize that I’m just as insecure as you are? I haven’t figured out this whole mom thing yet either. I’m just doing the best I can…just like you”!!!! But of course, I don’t. I just answer their questions with a smile on my face. I tell them the truth. It’s hard, it’s rewarding, and I can’t imagine my life any other way.

when we purchased the ranch.. the property was in complete disrepair.. it was a total gut.. so we started over… like all who travel down this path.. costly.. timely and a basic pain in the butt.. however.. when fulfilling ones hearts desires.. if taken with a measure of patience and “be-still”.. can be very rewarding..

one of the items on my “must-have” list was a towel dryer.. totally cool.. or hot as it may be.. you hang it on the wall.. hard wire the electrical.. set the switch to your desired temperature and before long.. dry towels.. want to know the best part..? you know how your bath towels can get “musty”.. with the towel dryer.. no more ”stinky towels”…

want to know the problem..? of course you do..  one can forget that the towels need to be washed on a regular basis.. just because they don’t stink.. does not mean that they don’t need to be washed.. the other day.. bble and tl were at the radio show.. i decided to take on cleaning up the house.. bble and i have been very busy.. our anniversary was on sunday.. so i decided to kick it up…. clean the house.. inside and out.. vacuum.. dust and wash all of the laundry..

when i took the towels off the rack.. they were warm.. smelled clean.. no musty smell…. no “stinky towels”… could not tell.. what to do..? it’s then the Lord started to speak to me about my heart…. ”ouch”.. going to hurt..

you see.. i might have all of the right words.. can even kick out a few from time to time.. but my heart.. you know those deep dark places.. now.. that can at times be troubled waters.. since we launched the daily disciples men’s ministry teaching video http://www.vimeo.com/user2313584/videos .. i have been challenged.. surprising…? no.. but disappointing.. been told things that i never said or done.. told i need medication.. challenged…  why the “hat”.. reminded that i live in “liberty”.. told i am doing too much.. others.. not enough.. reminded that my heart needs to be right.. careful of the witness..

the list is endless and most of this was covered in the first 24-hours.. the final push came last night.. can’t say i handled it correctly.. can say i am sorry.. will also say that i am tired.. working hard at this.. can also say i expect more to follow.. am concerned about the fall.. it’s coming.. death and dying to oneself is the process.. add to this “men’s ministry”.. we have been screwing it up since the days of adam.. the host of hell stands against us as men.. it’s doesn’t take an intelligent man to get this.. we have screwed it up and will continue to do it until the day our Lord comes.. oh we are good at covering it up.. most of the noise was covered under christaneze nonsense or.. as far as a i am concerned.. just plain old “stinky towels”..

we are all guilty.. oh we are good at the shuffle.. you know what I mean.. “liberty”.. “to the pure”.. you know the beat.. it’s sad.. sad for us as men.. sad for me as a man.. why…? because it starts here.. “stinky towels” hits home.. got some junk to deal with.. been doing a pretty good job over perfuming over the stink.. almost forgot about it.. a good washing is in order.. time on the mat.. a lot ahead of us these days.. need to make sure sanctification starts at home…

don’t like the idea of admitting that there areas in my life that are still under construction.. only way i am going to get through it.. only way i am going to learn.. this is where it begins for me.. should know better.. God calls you in a direction.. gives you a Word.. first thing happens is the attack.. guess what bothers me is that i could not “continue” to take it.. 2-3 days.. my abundance was changing.. not good.. not good at all.. forgot the number one rule.. “stay in”… lost track and let my guard down.. so i guess it’s true.. “too much”… please forgive me…

this men’s ministry stuff is going to be painful.. nobody needs to tell me.. can’t say i can measure the depth and breath of it all.. but can say i am familiar with the road.. it’s strewn with the lives of my friends.. family members.. and associates..  men from all corners of life.. it’s a dangerous and treacherous path…. interesting thing about the “words” given to me.. all from the “neighborhood” .. we are so good at shooting our own.. or as bble would say.. “throwing stones”…

we are moving into a new Bible study… “life in the Spirit”.. for me…. can’t get to much of the Holy Spirit.. need more.. so much more… as men.. more.. world.. more.. we have forgotten what it is like to walk.. talk and live a “life in the Spirit”….

“our trouble is that we are tying to confirm the truth of Christ.. of Christianity by an appeal to external evidence”.. a.w. tozer

so true… i debated my cause under the guise of doing the right thing.. following the “call”.. others.. could be giving somebody a good word.. a deed.. signing up for more functions.. all works.. not Spirit.. forgetting that it’s by the leading of the Holy Spirit.. “it’s an internal process that leads to external workings”..a.w tozer..  if we get off.. we are off..

“are you so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh… ?” gal 3.3.

yes.. that would be me.. and yes.. i suspect the above scripture speaks to all of us… i wonder how many words i receive were birthed by the Holy Spirit.. i wonder how many times i open up my big mouth.. type a blog.. send an email before i ck in….? tough questions to ponder.. “stinky towel”… looks good.. smell good and works just fine.. going to need some time on the deck this weekend…

leading men’s ministry is dangerous enough.. in the hands of a fool.. deaf.. dumb and blind man…? a cocktail for total disaster.. but then those Words…

Isa 52:12… “for you shall not go out with haste…nor go by flight… for the Lord will go before you.. and the God of israel will be your rear guard”…

Ok.. so a wretched deaf.. dumb.. blind.. stupid fool of a man.. by the Grace of God by the moving of the Holy Spirit in and through my life…. might stand a chance..

how about you.. ? got some “stinky towels”.. hanging in your heart..? need some time on the deck..? or how about a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit in your life…? hosea “it’s time to seek the Lord”.. its my time.. its your time.. it’s our time…

stay in.. stay close…  hand to the plow…

tnbrooks

We all know any nutbar with a computer can jump online as an expert anything, and people will just believe it. The internet is the newest way to spread urban legends, hoaxes and strange prophecies. Christianity has always been plagued by this sort of thing. The pre-modern version of the internet, after all, was the church door, where all kinds of notices and news were posted. People hung out in the church porch to idle and gossip. Markets were usually in the church yard or at the market cross just beyond the church. The old fellers who no longer worked hung round, the young fellers with a day off met up with friends, and the women of all ages  too a few minutes or more to exchange greetings and news with neighbours. It was  a great place to start a rumour.

I tell thee this by way of warnign thee to be discerning. Discernment can be simple common sense, but for Christians it can be and should be more. When we hear something we think may change our lives, when we have decisions to make, then we have to approach it with three other cautions: What does the Bible say? What does the Christian community say? What does my heart in prayer say? All these cautions give us the opportunity to hear the Holy Spirit speaking to us. Common sense, Biblical intepretation, community contribution, and the word of the heart may each fail separately if we emphasize one too much over the other, but when they come close to agreeing, or two or three cuations agree closely, then we may with confidence know that the Lord has given us an answer of peace.

I came across all this while looking at sites on Christian headcovering. We all know the Bible passages well; if not, any one of these sites will direct us and even furnish a suitable pericope in a favourite translation! What struck me is that ninety percent of these sites are written by men. If there’s one field of theology where women should take the lead and expound it must be about headcovering!

I suppose some of this is from the question of headship. If a man is head of his wife, and Christ head of the man, then the man should be ableto tell the woman when to cover, how to cover, and why to cover. But this is not the sort of obedience God meant us to follow. God tells us He wants us to be obedient, but the decision is ours. We aren’t ordered to obedience with wrathful vengeance. A woman is first of all to be a Christian, and to follow Christ. She is in Christ the equal of her husband. Her Godly wisdom may even exceed his, and the husband needs to honour this, listen to his wife, consult her on family and business matters, and sometimes concede the decision to her for the good of the family. I am in that situation right now. Nicholas is still suffering from the damage caused by his stroke, and he knows that he does not always understand the situation completely, so a lot of decision making is left to me. Still, I talk to him about decisions, ask his viewpoint, and even ask him what he thinks we should do.  But he’s willing to let me decide.

So why do men weigh in with a lot of opinion on what God means for women? Why isn’t this a woman’s theology? In the matter of family obedience, a woman must first agree to the marital relationship. She cannot be ordered into it, and once her agreement is secured, then the issue of obedience arises. Of course, I believe women are under the headship of their husbands. I believe women should be obedient to their Christian husband, just as he must be always mindful of the needs of his wife and family, and put them first. And while men may have opinions on the dress of Christian women, it is the women themselves that St. Paul addressed, not their husbands. He reasoned with them, made his case, pointed out their obligations. He didn’t say to the men, “Make your wives do this!”

I am glad to see that many women make the decision concerning headcovering for themselves, and even that those whose husbands do not like it are willing to obey. I would like to see more women write about this important subject, for that is what will carry weight with other women. Some may even present good arguments for not covering!