Flood Update: Part 11

~Monday (February 14)~

I feel absolutely miserable. I went to bed feeling sick last night, ran the vaporizer, and took Ibuprofen, but I still feel awful. My head is spinning, my nose is plugged, and my ears hurt every time I swallow.

After getting dressed and making my bed, I go downstairs and work on a blog post for today. We then enjoy breakfast on our kitchen floor. We each received Valentines from each other and a Reese’s heart candy (the ONLY candy we received that day, lest you think we’re being unhealthy!) Mom gives us the news that my Dad received a bonus at work! The Lord has provided exactly what we need at exactly the right time! What a mighty God we serve! When we trust Him with our finances, He will provide what is needed.

Today is Mikey’s 1^st birthday, so we gave him some ham to celebrate and sang “Happy Birthday” to him. We also gave him some new tennis balls (he has a tendency to lose or break them in a short amount of time.) He enjoys both very much. J



Isn’t he the cutest thing ever? Look at that puppy face!



Since I’m not feeling good, I’ve been having a hard time focusing, especially on reading. But I did my devotions and some computer work in the morning.

Around 12:30 p.m., we call Miss B to find out when the workers will be here (they had said they would arrive around noon.) She says they are just leaving and should be there around 2:00 p.m. Our dear friends the R’s come by and bring us a whole dinner for this evening! We were SO grateful as we can’t cook in our kitchen right now due to lack of appliances. Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts! You truly made our day!

Mom and I are on our way to the doctor’s office around 2:30 p.m., when Mr. A and Mr. L show up to work. We say hello as we fly out the door. I find out at the doctor’s that I have an upper respiratory infection going on. :-P Not fun at all. We run by Walmart to pick up my prescription and a few groceries.

We arrive home around 4:15 p.m. to find everyone hard at work including the 2 plumbers that showed up while we were gone. They took out the kitchen sink, put the new cabinet in, reset the dishwasher and refrigerator, and put the sink back.



All of the workers trying to fit the cabinet in without damaging the counter tops: not an easy task!



Mr. A and Mr. L work on putting baseboards back in for several hours. Ben and I were standing off to the side watching all of the work when Mr. A says, “I love you guys because you stay out of the way!”

They leave at 7:00 p.m., planning to be back early tomorrow morning. We were warming up dinner before they left and Mr. A said, “L, we’d better get out of here. The smell is killing me!” J We sit down to our delicious (and great- smelling!) dinner. Afterward we open our Valentines Day gifts. Mom and Dad gave us a Selah CD, a movie called “The Cross and the Towers,” another movie called “WWJD?” that’s based off the book “In His Steps” by Charles Monroe Sheldon, 2 Berenstain Bear books (for Josiah), and a Spirograph kit. Thank you both so much!

~Tuesday (February 15)~

I wake up at 6:45 a.m. I had a rough time breathing last night. I was so tired and fell asleep quickly. But at 10:45 p.m., I woke up and found my vaporizer off (that means Mom had already gone to bed.) I couldn’t breathe. My nose was stuffed up and I had something stuck in my throat. It is always scary when that happens. Hopefully, these meds will get rid of whatever infection I have going on.

Today is moving day…again. At 8:30 a.m., Mom leaves to take the pets to the kennel, taking Ben and Roma with her. I get breakfast ready for Rubia, Josiah, and I.

By 9:15 a.m., Mr. A and Mr. C have arrived to work. Mr. A starts prepping the floors for sanding while Mr. C finishes putting up baseboards and the toe kick on our kitchen cabinets. He also cleans out the new cabinet under our sink. Mom comes back home and loads up the car to make a trip to the hotel. Since we didn’t have two cars this time, it took two trips to get everything over there. While she was gone, Mr. A started sanding the floors. He thinks that it will be a lot smoother once he’s finished with this additional coating of polyurethane. I hope it will be smoother too!

We finally leave by 12:30 p.m. for the second time and arrive at the hotel. After unpacking we do some school work. I’m not able to do much since I’ve already lost half of the day and I can’t think straight!

We’re already becoming the “high maintenance” hotel residents. One of our light bulbs is burned out, and then our smoke detector goes off. So we have to call the desk and ask them to send someone. A gentleman arrives to fix the smoke alarm. As he’s working, we were milling about, and he joked, “Every time I turn around there’s another person!” I guess he wasn’t expecting 6 people to be in the same room!

I spent some time reading in the afternoon and then got ready for worship dance around 4:30 p.m. I had some trouble breathing during dance as well. We are doing a Celtic song that is rather fast, and I forgot my water bottle, so my throat was SO dry and sore.

After class, we arrive back at the hotel around 6:30 p.m. and go to the lobby to have dinner. They were having spaghetti with garlic toast and salad. It was pretty good, but nothing beats my Mom’s homemade spaghetti! I think it’s the Italian blood in her.

We saw our friend Miss L again. We met her the first day we were at the hotel last time. She had a very well-behaved dog with her, and we started chatting. We found out that her family was staying there because their washing machine had flooded and ruined their kitchen flooring. But their flood happened back in October. The restoration company had tried to dry the floor out for weeks which is why it has taken them so long to get to the flooring. Anyway, she asked if we homeschooled since all of us kids were with Mom at 10:00 a.m. We said yes and she asked if we knew the H family. We said yes, we take dance lessons from her. Apparently, Miss L’s husband works with Mr. H as an ER doctor at a local hospital! Isn’t that amazing?

She had seen us leaving on Saturday and said she was so jealous that we were able to go home. We said that we might have to come back, but I guess she didn’t believe us. When she saw us in the lobby again tonight, she said “Oh hello!” and then her jaw dropped and she said, “What are you doing back here?!” We explained that the floors hadn’t been done right so we had to stay here again. She was so sympathetic. We also got to meet her husband. They seem like a nice family.

At 7:15 p.m., we went back to our room to watch the Duggars and have dessert. We have enjoyed being able to watch their newer shows. We will miss that when we go home (we don’t get cable TV.)

We all took showers and went to bed. Since Dad was out of town, I got to share the queen bed with Mommy. It was a lot nicer than the floor! I also got to stay up late reading since she was still showering and working.

Around 10:45 p.m., we received a call from Daddy! He’s doing well and enjoying the lovely weather down in Mexico, but he misses us!

We finally go to bed at 11:00 p.m.!

. . . To be continued. . .

Math Request

Hello Blog readers! This is Ben speaking. For a math assignment, I have been studying statistics and surveys. For an extension activity, I need to ask a few people what they drink most often in the mornings with breakfast. Your options are:

            Coffee

            Juice

            Milk

            Something else (please name what it is)

I’m also supposed to compare the difference in drinking habits (no pun intended) between adults and children. So ask your kids or younger siblings what they drink in the morning. Please respond by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, including whether you are a child or adult (over 20). PLEASE comply! I will need the data collected in this assignment for future math lessons. Thanks! ~ Ben

Confessions of an Addict

I had been living in denial for so long. I knew that I had an addiction, but I simply couldn’t admit it. I knew how far my addiction had seeped into my daily life and how difficult it would be to eradicate. But I also knew that if I didn’t stop . . . it could kill me.

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My addiction: refined sugar.



Come back in a few days to learn about how I am conquering my addiction.

The Offense

“Here is the offense of the Sabbath commandment. Ever since the Fall, when Adam and Eve declared their independence from God, everyone descending from our first parents has deeply resented God’s claim of sovereignty over time. We think time is ours, to use as we please, and we do not respect the rule of the Eternal over the temporal.”

--Bruce A. Ray, “Celebrating the Sabbath”

(posted by Betsy)

Flood Update: Part 10

~Saturday (February 12)~

First thing in the morning, we receive a call from Mr. A. He talked with Dad about the work they are going to do at the house next week. We all head down for breakfast, and read our blogs afterward. Then we go back to the room to pack!

We load up Mom’s car first, because she has to take the kids to swim lessons. Then we watch a TV show about home renovations gone wrong. It made us thankful that our problems were relatively simple compared to some of the problems with the houses on the TV show!

Around 10:30 a.m., we leave the hotel and head for home! We all arrive together (the kids needed some swim towels at the house.) Unfortunately, we were met with an unexpected setback. The floors were rough, bubbly and patchy-looking. This is not the way they were before. Dad is going to have to call Mr. A and Miss D (the insurance agent) to discuss what happened. Hopefully, they’ll be fixed.



Can you see the tiny bubbles/bumps at the top of the picture? It felt very rough when you ran your hand over the wood.



Hmmm, I don’t think toilets belong in the living room.



Wait a minute; WHERE IS THE LIVING ROOM???



What an image: a toilet and a fridge next to each other. That would be quite a bathroom, to have those two side by side! Or it could just be our family’s living room. J



I go with the boys to pick up the pets at the kennel. The cats are both bawling, but the dog is happy to see us! We take them home and put them in the basement. The dog cannot be on the wood floors because he has a tendency to play rough and run around, which would NOT be good for the flooring right now!

We realized too late that we left the animals’ food at the kennel! Dad ran back out to get it for us. Then we prepared some leftovers for lunch. All we can use right now is the microwave and the toaster oven. We’ll have to be creative with how we cook!



Our empty kitchen.



The “wash” room. We can wash clothes, dishes, and hands in this room now! Well, except for the fact that we can’t get in the room. That could pose problems for someone wanting to wash something.



Anyone who can get to the computer will be a certified gymnast!



The rest of the afternoon was spent loitering in the basement, unpacking some of our books, and watching “National Treasure.”

At 5:30 p.m., we left for dinner. We went out to a local Mexican restaurant. It was bustling on a Saturday night, but we were still seated fast. This is a favorite restaurant because the food is good and very authentic, and the atmosphere is very family-friendly. We enjoyed a lot of family fellowship and some delicious cuisine!



Our family enjoying some delicious Mexican food! (Rubia is hidden next to Roma on the right)



I have some fun-loving sisters!



We then came home and showered. The kids finished the rest of their movie and then came upstairs to help Dad strip wallpaper in our dining room. We’ve decided to let Mr. A’s restoration company do the painting. But Daddy had already bought a steamer and wanted to test it out. It works great! The vinyl part of the wall paper was just ripped off, and then he used the steamer to get the rest of the paper and glue off.



Roma, hard at work pulling wallpaper off in our dining room.



After that, we all went to bed!

~Sunday (February 13)~

I woke up around 8:00 a.m. For my first night back home, I had a rough night’s sleep. I was feeling sick, I couldn’t fall asleep because of my head feeling stuffed-up, and the cat bothered me all night. He kept jumping in my face, and then he fell asleep on the back of my knees, making them rather stiff in the middle of the night.

I came downstairs expecting my usual hard-boiled egg Sunday breakfast, but I forgot that we can’t use the stove! I had to improvise a bit.

We went to church around 9:30 a.m. After service, I gave this talk during my Sunday School class. We came home for lunch around 2:00 p.m., and then spent the afternoon reading and chatting in the basement (we can’t get into our living room, remember? J). Mr. A called to talk with Dad about some of the issues. He will be re-doing the floors, so…we will have to leave again on Tuesday and come back on Thursday. They will also be painting the entire basement since the insurance will pay for it. The old paint looks rather dingy next to our new walls. It will brighten things up down there for sure! We are also going to hire them ourselves to paint the dining room, since we just don’t have enough time to do it right now.

Around 4:00 p.m., I took a little walk outside as it was rather warm (in the 30s—Michigan’s definition of “warm” right now. J) At 5:00 p.m. I got on the computer to do some “blog work” and catch up on journaling.



Our bookshelves are slowing coming back together!



We ate our simple dinner of bagels and then I did more work on the computer. After our showers, Mom and I worked on our Discipling Study. We are reading “Raising Maidens of Virtue” by Stacy McDonald together every Sunday night. We are really enjoying it! We have done studies like this for many years, focusing on daughterhood and biblical romance (courtship.)

Then it was bedtime! Hopefully I’ll sleep better tonight than I did last night.

. . . To be continued. . .

Flood Update: Part 9

~Thursday (February 10)~

Thankfully I slept better last night. Having the mattress on the floor worked much better than the rollaway. Around 8:30 a.m., we went down to breakfast and read our blogs. Then it was back to the suite to do school work. We needed to have our room cleaned, so we worked on Bible Study Guide and History in the lobby. It actually wasn’t all that bad except for the TV and vacuum cleaner running.

After awhile we went back to our room and worked on some more school work. Then we had lunch and more school (can you tell we kept up with our school despite our relocation? J)



Josiah had fun playing with the blow dryer when he was finished with his school work.



Around 2:00 p.m., we left to run some errands. We stopped at the post office and then went to the Doctor’s office because Josiah has been pretty sick the past few days. We then ran by the bank and then went to our house for a bit!

We entered through the basement, where we had left our snowsuits. The kids got suited up and went sledding. We didn’t stay out very long as it was brutally cold out. While we were home, we grabbed a couple of things that we needed, such as a DVD player. I was able to peek at the floors through the window. They look good, but still wet. The house smells really bad right now because of all the staining. Mr. A was there finishing up. We chatted for a bit and then went to our neighbors to give them something, but they weren’t home.

Next came a stop at Walmart to pick up Josiah’s prescription and do some shopping. Then we went back to the hotel for dinner. Today we went down to the lobby to have hot dogs and chips. It was very nice not to worry about dinner for a change, though it wasn’t as healthy as we would have liked. We all went back to the room, digested a bit, and then went swimming. We had lots of fun! Swimming is very good exercise.

When we came back to the hotel room we had some cookies for dessert. We have found some very natural brands of cookies that can be purchased at the store for times such as these when we can’t bake. J We then showered, read for awhile, and went to bed!



You can’t have cookies without milk! And in case you all were wondering, these were very healthy cookies that we found at Walmart. We were wanting a quick treat that still had healthy and whole ingredients and these three kinds fit the bill: Kashi® Oatmeal Raisin Flax Cookies, Bear Naked® Double Chocolate Cookies (these are great for anyone who needs a little chocolate fix!), and Back to Nature® Peanut Butter Cookies. Ideally, if we want our own treats, we will be making them ourselves, but that was a little hard to do while we were in a hotel, and these were certainly healthier than some of the more popular brands of cookies.



~Friday (February 11)~

Last night I didn’t sleep as well because of all the noise in our hotel. There were several instances where people were yelling down the hall, and someone must have been taking dance lessons upstairs to do all of that stomping.



The LOOONG hallway we had to walk down each morning. It was good exercise!



We enjoyed our “Breakfast and Blogs” routine downstairs and then returned to the room to do schoolwork. Since it was Friday, I finished my school work early and had some quality reading time. I am thoroughly enjoying the book I’m reading! After lunch, I read some more. Then we suited up to swim again!

Afterward, we all took showers, had a light snack, and then resumed some school work.

At 5:00 p.m., I gave Josiah a bath, and then read until Dad came “home” (to the hotel). Then I went with Daddy to pick up Pizza for dinner. Yum! We enjoyed our pizza while watching the movie “G-Force” that we had borrowed from the library. It was so nice to still be able to have our regular Friday night tradition even though we were away from home!

. . . To be continued. . .

Mommy's Birthday!

*Due to our flood, this post was overlooked. We hope that you enjoy reading it now, though it is a bit late!*

Last month, we celebrated my Mom’s birthday! That morning, Rubia, Roma, and Josiah had swim lessons in the morning. As soon as she left, I ran around the house baking treats and packing sleds, snowsuits, and food in our car, because as soon as she got home we were going to take her on a surprise birthday trip!

We have done birthday trips for several years now. Instead of having a birthday party every year, we take a trip somewhere. In the past we have visited museums, zoos, science institutes, toured factories, and even been to Niagara Falls (that was a very special trip!)

Thankfully, I finished all of my preparations before Mom got home. I knew she would get suspicious if she saw me making 3 dozen cookies and packing sleds and snowsuits in the car. I ran upstairs and was reading my devotions when she came home. She walked in the room and said, “You’re exactly where I left you!” J If only she knew. . .

We all got ready for the birthday trip, and then Mom opened her presents from us.



Roma made this beautiful theme gift for Mom: her favorite tea mug, several bags of tea, sugar cubes, and homemade petite fours.



Mom reading a homemade book of pictures that Ruby made her.



A beautiful bouquet of flowers Roma gave Mom. Note the contrast between the beautiful flowers, and the sub floor of our kitchen!



After she opened her gifts, we packed up and headed out for her birthday trip! My Dad worked very hard to make sure she didn’t know where we were going. He stopped at Birch Run to look for a wallpaper steamer; he dropped a hint about the snow-fest in Frankenmuth; he drove through downtown Saginaw; he stopped in Zilwaukee to purchase a steamer, and then he drove through Midland. He pretended we were going to a one friend’s house, then he drove by the library. I don’t think Mom had any idea where we were going!

We then drove through a back-roads neighborhood. And finally, we pulled up to one of our very best friend’s house! And our other good friend’s car was parked in the driveway! Mom was thrilled to tears to see them. Our families have grown so close, we feel like family. Unfortunately we don’t get to see them often, thus making our visits extra special!



The boys (and men!) enjoying appetizers.



We enjoyed visiting and “catching up” for several hours! Whenever we see each other, we just pick up wherever we left off. Our families live very parallel lives even though we hardly get to see each other. So when we do get together, we will start to talk about something (for example, healthy eating) and another will pipe in and say “We’ve been doing that too!”



We enjoyed sledding down our friend’s stairs that were covered with snow. We also enjoyed swinging on their rope swing and jumping off into snow drifts.



The boys really enjoyed playing a strategy game called “Axis and Allies.”



We ate a delicious dinner of pizza, salad, chips and salsa, veggies with dip, birthday cake, cookies, and ice cream!



The “boys table.” Note all of the suspicious looks I get when I walk into the room with a camera.



Mom, blowing out the candles on her birthday cake.





We so enjoyed our time with friends! So much so, that we didn’t leave until 10:00 p.m.! J We especially appreciate their willingness to have us over despite our late request! Birthday trips with friends are always the most memorable ones!

“Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: ‘Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.’ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.” Proverbs 31:28-30

I am very blessed to have a mother who strives to be a Proverbs 31 woman! She is such a blessing to her family, and desires to have the hearts of her children. I can say that her children do “arise and call her blessed” and “her husband also, and he praises her.” There is not another Mom I could ever ask for or hope to have, because God has given me such a blessing in my Mother! I love you so much, and look forward to celebrating many more birthdays with you!

Courtship

*This was a talk that I gave in my Sunday School class this past Sunday in honor of Valentine’s Day. I thought I would post it here so that you could read about our family’s view on romance and marriage.*

Courtship. Most Americans today would not be able to define it. The majority of people in America today find a marriage partner through “dating.” Interestingly, the practice of dating as we know it has only been common in the last 60 years or so. Prior to that, marriages were arranged through betrothals or courtships.

When most people think of courtship, they think of their grandmother sitting in the parlor with her suitor, while an older relative glares over them. I would like to share with you my understanding of “modern” courtship. A few of these points will be familiar from last week, but I’d like to elaborate on them.

·         First, what is Modern Courtship?

o   Courtship is waiting for and trusting God’s timing. In courtship, I would wait until I am old enough to get married to even consider romance. Even then, I will wait until I believe God has brought along the person he has chosen for me as my life-mate. When that happens, the young man will ask his parents--and mine--for permission to “court” me. If my parents, his parents, and I agree to this courtship, we will begin spending time with each other, and each other’s families, for the purpose of determining whether this is the person God has chosen for us.

·         What’s wrong with dating/why practice courtship?

o   I believe there are several problems with dating.

1.    Dating hurts people. For those of you who have ever dated anyone, I would be interested in knowing if you have been in a dating relationship where somebody didn’t get hurt. In most relationships, somebody gets burned. I have seen it happen multiple times. It is so painful to watch, I cannot imagine what it must be like to be involved. We are exhorted by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:11 to “encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” When you are dumped in a dating relationship, it is not an encouraging or uplifting event!

2.    A Dating mindset can cause wrong or lustful thoughts. The main purpose of dating is for pleasure, especially when pursued at a young age. It is often mainly for physical pleasure. Hence, our minds can turn to wrong or lustful thoughts. Young men especially have difficulties with lust. In Exodus 20:14 it says, “You shall not commit adultery.” You may be thinking, “I would never do that!” But in Matthew 5:28 it says, “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” We are commanded to not even think those thoughts. Instead we need to dwell on “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

3.    With the wrong mindset, we can stumble into sin. When we have the dating mindset of pleasure and “what will benefit ME,” it is very easy to veer down the wrong path. In James 1:15 we are told of the consequences of sin. “Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” We may think that our sins are hidden, and no one else can see them but us. But in Hebrews 4:13 it says, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” That’s pretty sobering!

4.    A “pleasure mindset” can cause those of us who are Christians to “reason with ourselves” that it’s okay to date a non-Christian, as long as he’s a “good guy.” The Bible has a lot to say about this! Dating a person who is not a Christian can lead to sin, or to marriage to an unbeliever. The Bible clearly states in 2 Corinthians 6:14 “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” It also says in 1 Corinthians 7:39 “A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.” There is no “maybe” in either of these verses. Christians are commanded not to get romantically involved with someone who is not a Christian. It also tells us not to even keep company with these people in 1 Corinthians 15:33. It says “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’”

5.    By dating we become occupied with flirting and the likes, and we can become distracted from the plans God has for us. When we are preoccupied with our latest infatuation, we miss so much of what could have been accomplished in our teen years. In Ephesians 2:10 it says “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” This period in our lives can be amazingly productive and fruitful, if we give God our full attention.

6.    By dating, we are following the ways of the world, and this makes us more vulnerable to cave in to peer pressure, and live up to the worlds’ low expectations of teenagers. In 1 Timothy 4:12 we are told, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” Paul is talking to his young protégé Timothy, telling him not to let his young age prevent him from preaching and teaching Christ to others. As young men and women, we can be a radiant, shining example to not just our peers, but everyone. By NOT following the ways of the world, we have so many more opportunities to witness to others about our faith, because we stand out as different. Jesus stood out as “different” and “unlike everybody else”. If we are striving to be like Christ, we should stand out as different in a good way, the way Christ did.

o   So, why practice courtship? Because courtship counters all of the above. In a courtship relationship people do not get hurt because of being “dumped” by someone. I will not say that there is absolutely no pain when the person you think God has for you, says no to courtship. But lustful and wrong thoughts do not occur because your motives are not for mere pleasure, but for a permanent union of marriage with the person God has for you! Therefore, if those are our motives, we will be less likely to fall into the sin trap that so easily tangles us.

In a courtship relationship we will not court a non-believer, which will prevent much turmoil and heartbreak later on after we are married. When we choose courtship, we are single until we are old enough to get married; therefore we are not distracted from the great and wonderful plans that God has in store for us right now! We are completely free to serve Him and be a light and witness for Him. In 1 Corinthians 7:34-35 it says “An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.”

We will also be countering the world’s low standards for young men and women. We will be an even more radiant light when we are willing to serve God and completely surrender ourselves to Him and His purposes and plans.

·         What happens if I believe that I have found that person, but my parents don’t approve of him/her?

o   The Bible commands us in Ephesians 6:1-2 “Children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right.  Honor your father and mother—which is the first commandment with a promise—that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” It also commands us in Colossians 3:20 “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.” We are commanded many times throughout scripture to obey our parents. Our parents can see things in a person that we may not be able to see. Their advice and opinion need to be of high value in our courtship relationship.

·         What if I don’t have Christian parents who share my values?

o   This can be a difficult situation. More than likely, if you choose to wait for the person that God has for you, your parents will be amazed at how “well you’ve done”. But if your parents do not approve, things can get difficult. As I stated previously, the Bible commands us many times to obey our parents. In James 1:5 it says “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” I think that if this situation arises, you need to spend much time in prayer and seek the council of your Pastor, your Pastor’s wife, or another godly man or woman that you trust to help you make the right decision.

I hope that this has given you insight into Biblical, modern courtship. I am more than willing, and would love to answer any other questions you may have on modern courtship.

All scripture taken from “The Adventure Bible” NIV

“All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17

“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” 1 Peter 3:15