1. I have actually been writing posts, they’re just not here. I’ve been writing articles for Challenging Femininity at Feelin Feminine. It’s only once a month, but it’s about as much as I’ve been posting here. I’m writing another one for the upcoming Challenging Femininity, and then I’ll be starting a series on basic hair care and styling there. I won’t be writing all the articles, but I’m organizing it, so that’s going to be taking up some of my time.

2. I’ve been really busy with school work. I think if I take about 2 courses per month (so 4 at any given time), I’ll be able to get my program finished by the time I was originally planning too. I know I can do it, I just have to make a commitment to it.

3. I actually do have a few posts planned for this blog. I just need to figure out exactly what I want to say and then actually write them. I also need to find the time to do that.

4. I picked a giant beet today. Actually, I think I picked something like 30 or 40 beets today. It just so happens that one of them was a beast. There were also several huge ones. That’s what happens when someone plants a garden and doesn’t take care of it. Needless to say, we now have a basket full of beets that need to get eaten. Recipes anyone? I think I’m going to do the garden next year. I think I’d plant more zucchini and less beets. I don’t particularly like beets, especially not huge ones.

5. It’s been really hot here. There was a week where it was above 30 (Celcius) all week, and it only went down to something like 28 (which is still really hot) at night. It’s really nice when you know people with pools and they invite you to go use them.

6. Some websites worth visiting: A Pondering Heart, A City on a Hill, Walk Therin, Feelin Feminine, A Set Apart Life, Pure Little Ladies Ministry, Studying the Scriptures, and Training Daughters, Teaching Wives. I didn’t realize how many of those started with the word “A”.

7. The religious observance that God the Father considers pure and faultless is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being contaminated by the world. – James 1:27. Please consider supporting to the families at Gleaning the Harvest.

8. I’m reading Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus again. I highly recommend the book. The authors do a good job of explaining Yeshua’s Jewishness in an informational way. That is, the book helps you understand the culture Yeshua would have lived in without making an attempt to change anyone’s beliefs.

9. Feelin’ Feminine is hosting a Jane Austen tour if you’re interested. I can’t think of anything to do for it so I’m not participating, but you can find more information on the website.

10. I’m trying to read 5 good books (not including the Bible) between now and November, so if you have any questions please feel free to let me know. I’m looking more for classics and non-fiction, not modern novels or textbooks.

1. Why are you staying at home?

I’m staying at home because I’ve felt called to stay at home and the opportunity is available to me. I should note that I am also attending university at the same time. I’ve been blessed with having two universities (and a college) in the city I live relatively close to, one of which is very close to my dad’s work. I had been attending one of these universities and am now pursuing an online degree, which is also something I have felt lead to do.

2. Do you think staying at home instead of pursuing college applies to every young lady?

The problem with questions such as this is that they assume the two must be mutually exclusive which, in this situation, they are not. As I’ve mentioned above, I am currently staying at home and attending university. In this day, one can even get a degree (or other form of education) over the internet, which means that, as long as you have an internet connection, you can pursue an education from your home. (Where I’m “attending” you can even do it dial-up.)

But, to answer your question, I do not think that every young lady should stay at home instead of pursuing a college education. There is no commandment in the Bible which says this is necessary. There are some occupations (particularly those in the medical field such as nurses, midwives and doctors) in which women are necessary but which require a university education.

Also, I know of people who have been blessed by leaving home to go to college and have learned more about homemaking by doing so than they would have done had they stayed at home. Some of these were things they had never done at home because somebody else always did them. I’ve had a similar situation, learning to cook things I never would have before, because my mom is working and I’m at home.

3. In your opinion, what does it mean to be a homemaker?

A homemaker is (literally, based on the word) someone who makes a home. That would mean mean that she makes her house a home and takes care of it. It is her primary concern (after God and her family of course).

4. Does this mean you won’t ever work outside the home?

No, while work should never take away from the concerns of family and home, being a homemaker does not mean that you should never work outside the home. The bible never specifically says that this is wrong. The important thing is not to not work outside the home, but rather to set your home and family as your main priorities. If your job is getting in the way of these things, then you may need to find a solution (working less hours or something else). Also, having a job does not mean you have a career. Do high school students working at fast food restaurants have careers simply because they are working?

While it may be best avoided, such a statement raises too many questions to really make it a valid point. What’s the problem with working outside the home? If it’s that you get paid, then you can’t have a home business either because you’ll get paid for that too. If it’s that you’re doing something outside the home, does that mean you also can’t volunteer because that’s outside the home? And what about if you’re working for your husband or father (at his work, outside the home), is that also wrong?

5. Do you have Bible verses to support your view?

Yes and no. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that a girl must stay at home. Also, I think that those verses which people use to support being a stay-at-home daughter out of context. While they may indicate that being a stay-at home daughter could be a good idea, they don’t come out and say it. 1 Timothy 5:14 (or whichever verse that is) is talking about young widows, not young women. Titus 2:4-5 is a commandment for older women to teach younger women, not for young women to do exactly what it says. This doesn’t mean that young women shouldn’t do these things. Also, to me, it seems to be talking more about young married and/or engaged women rather than single women.

6. What are practical ways you can bless your family, father in particular?

Well, to begin with, part of the reason I’m getting a degree is because my parents want me to, which, to me is more honouring to my father than not getting a degree because I want to be a “stay-at-home daughter”. Also, I can bless then my cleaning the house, doing laundry, doing dishes and cooking/baking.

7. What if your husband dies?

I actually plan on having a home business in web design, so, assuming I get married and such a situation occurs, I will hopefully be able to support myself and my family. Also, I believe that, if the situation were to arise, God would provide (in some way, shape or form).

8. What are the biggest challenges and/or drawbacks to being a stay-at-home daughter ?

The biggest challenge for me is probably that I don’t personally know anyone else who is doing what I am doing, which can be discouraging because other people have different views. The other challenge for me is worrying what other people will think about it (which kind of ties in with the fact that I don’t know anyone else doing what I’m doing), although so far I haven’t really received any negative reactions about it. At least not any that people have shown.

What things are you going to do to prepare for being a wife and mother? (ie – books you are going to read, questions you want to ask mothers you know, things you are planning to do…)

Well, does coming up with stuff for this count? Actually, aside from learning stuff about cooking, cleaning, baking and other such stuff, I’d like to read books on a wide variety of things, and not exclusively those related directly to being a wife and a mother. I’m not really sure exactly what that will be. My current focus is on my school as well as a few other activities.