PODCAST TRANSCRIPT | EPISODE 165: MEET THE MOM OF ELEVEN SONS!

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FROM OUR HOME TO YOURS w/ Nancy Campbell

EPISODE 165 –  MEET THE MOM OF ELEVEN SONS!

Today you will meet Cassie Fox, the mom of 11 sons! Baby number 12 is coming, and guess what? It's another son! You will be blessed as you hear from Cassie, who the doctors said would never be able to have children. She also endured many miscarriages, and they have one special needs son, who is a blessing to the whole family.

Announcer: Welcome to the podcast, From Our Home to Yours, with Nancy Campbell, founder and publisher of Above Rubies.

Nancy Campbell: Hello, ladies. I have someone to introduce to you today. Her name is Cassie Fox. And Cassie, can you believe this? She is the mother of 11 children! But not just 11 children, she has 11 sons! How about that? And Cassie is expecting number 12. And Cassie, what is this little one?

Cassie Fox: Number 12 is also a boy.

Nancy: Isn't that exciting? She is going to be the mother of 12 sons! Oh, I just think that is so amazing. So I'm going to be chatting with Cassie today. I know you're going to enjoy it so much.

But I have a couple of questions for you, before we start chatting together. I wanted to ask you, maybe you have listened to the last series. I just finished last week a series of six podcasts called “LET’S GET BACK THE GLORY.” It was all about clothing, and how the Bible tells us how to dress.

Isn't it amazing how God is so interested in everything that we do? He even gets down right down to the nitty-gritty of even how we're meant to clothe ourselves.

Anyway, I have a question to ask you. I wonder, as you listened to these podcasts, did you change in any of your attitudes about this subject? Did you change the way you dressed. thinking about this subject? I wonder. Wow.

Actually, I'm going to stop for a minute. By the way, I just thought I'd ask, because I read this Scripture yesterday morning, and I've always been challenged by this Scripture. I was challenged again. It's Mark 4:24-25: “And Jesus said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again: and unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.”

That's challenging, isn't it? I believe that, when we embrace what God speaks to us from His Word, if we will not only listen to it, but actually take heed, embrace it into our lives, that God will give us more. I want more revelation. don't you? I'm always searching for more truth. But I can only get that if I will obey that which He already gives me.

And it's such a challenge when you say to those who don't have, we don't take notice of what God is saying to us. well, He takes away even what we have. But those who receive, He gives more. So I trust that that series was a blessing to you. I know there were challenging parts, but they were all from the Bible. I had to even change my own ways. That's what we have to do when we read the Word, don't we?

And another question: My last podcast, at the end, I shared a Scripture that I had currently been memorizing, because I feel it so relates to this hour in which we are living. It was Revelation 15:2. John was looking into the heavenly realm, and he said, “I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire; And them that had gotten the victory

OVER the beast, and

OVER his image, and

OVER his mark, and

OVER the number of his name.”

 

That's powerful, isn't it? John saw these people in the heavenly realm, around the throne, because they had overcome. They had overcome the beast. Well, maybe they had their heads chopped off for overcoming. Maybe they got there by being martyred. But somehow, they overcame, in a time when they could not even buy or sell if they did not take the mark of the beast.

And we know, don't we, that's something we must never, ever do. We must be teaching our children, that they have got it right in their very being. Because they will be faced, our children will be faced. We don't know when this is going to happen. We've had a lot of practice runs in these last eighteen months.

We have a practice run even now when people are being forced to take this experimental vaccination. People are taking it because, oh, they might lose their job, or they can't go and shop, or they can't do this, or they can't do that.

Well, I don't believe this is the final mark of the beast, but my, it is a great practice run. Are we overcoming now?  Because, I really wonder, if we cannot overcome in what we're facing now, how will we overcome in that time?

I just wanted to remind you about it again, because I suggested to you that you memorize this Scripture with your children, so you can say it out loud together, every day. It's some time. Will it be sooner, or will it be further away? We don't know, but we know it's coming at some time. It's some time. We have to be ready.

We have to exercise our courage muscle. We have to prepare, and we have to prepare our children, that they will be strong in this hour, to stand for God, and never cave into the plans of the enemy, or ever take that mark of the beast.

So, get out that Scripture. Haven't done it yet? Can I remind you again? That you will seek to try to memorize it with your whole family. Say it over together because it's so powerful. Four times it says “over,” and that word “over” means “to prevail, to conquer, to have the victory.” That's the spirit that we have to get in our very being, isn't it?

OK, that was just a little reminder to you.

So now, I've got Cassie here! We've got to talk to her. So, Cassie, it's so great to have you. I’m just getting to know you. I think we'll get to know one another more in the future, because my granddaughter, Cherish (Cherish is one of Serene's daughters) and Cherish and Cassie's son are courting. His name is Ben. We love Ben. He is such a fine young man. We are so happy about Cherish and Ben. Are you happy about them?

Cassie: I am. Cherish matches Ben perfectly. She was made just for him, I think.

Nancy: Yes, they're just so beautiful together. It's so funny, because we've already got the wedding date organized. On January 22, isn't it, I think? You don't know? (laughter) That's what Cherish told me. She said she thought that day, but I don't think he's even popped the question yet! So they've got the wedding date, and he hasn't popped the question. How about that? (laughter) Isn't that amazing?

But anyway, we're looking forward to that. It will be great for Cherish to get married because Cherish has been a bridesmaid, I think now, about ten times! She must be the most popular bridesmaid in the history of the world, I think. That will be so great.

Cherish is one of Serene's adopted daughters. Serene and Sam adopted quite a number of children but there were three siblings. That was Selah, and Isaiah, and Cherish. Selah is married. Oh, Selah, she's so beautiful, the most beautiful girl. Beautiful wife, beautiful mother of six children. She also fosters children. She's just so amazing.

And then Isaiah. He's getting married, at the end of this month, September? Very soon, three weeks or so, yes. He's getting married to Addie, who was an Above Rubies girl. That's going to be beautiful. Then Cherish will be getting married. So great!

I haven't got to know all your family yet. We know Joey, because we see a lot of Joey. I think they came into our lives because Joey and Ben were working with CMS, weren't they? CMS is the manufacturing plant of Trim Healthy Mama. I think Ben, he now works in building now, isn't he?

But I was talking to Joey on Sunday. I said, “Oh, do you know I'm going to interview your mom this coming week?” He said, “Oh, yes!” I said, “What shall I ask her?”  And you know what he said? He said, “Oh, just ask who her favorite son is! Because it's me!” (laughter)

Cassie: That's the competition they all have. I hope they all think they are. That's the goal.

Nancy: That reminds me. Did you notice, ladies, in the latest magazine, Above Rubies 98, which I'm sure you have received, there is an advertisement for a tee shirt which says, “I’M THE FAVORITE!” It was Allison Hartman, actually she wasn't the first to get that. It was, oh, it was another friend of mine who thought of that, Heather Bryant who has organized so many Above Rubies retreats in Washington State.

But they put it together, so you can go to the magazine, and you'll see the link. You can buy a tee shirt, “I’M THE FAVORITE!” for everyone in your family. They've got them for every size. You can go round and everyone in your family has got their “I'm The Favorite!” I think that's such a great idea.

Yes, so anyway, Cassie, you were telling me that when you were married, they said that you wouldn't be able to have children.

Cassie: Actually, before I got married. Right after I met my husband, we were dating. I was sent to a doctor because I'd had problems for years. The doctor did surgery. I had cysts, I had. . .

Nancy: All this before you were married!

Cassie: Before I was married. He said I had endometriosis and several other things that I don't even remember, because I didn't understand.

Nancy: Endometriosis usually causes infertility.

Cassie: He told me, “If you do get pregnant, which you probably won't, you'll probably miscarry. You're not going to carry it.” I had just found the person I was going to marry. He wanted a large family which we thought was four kids (children). (laughter)

So I went back, after the break between our college semesters, and told him, “You can marry someone else if you want. I understand. I can't have children.” He said, “No, God told me you're the one. He actually told me we're going to have children.” And he picked our oldest son's name, Cody Michael, and he said, “That's going to be our first son's name.”

We got married a year later, and I still did not have faith that I was going to. But he did. We were married four months and I went on a women's retreat with my mother-in-law. And the woman spoke on infertility. She talked about Hannah and Samuel.

I committed to the Lord then. I said, “OK, I'll take the child however you give it to me. Adoption. However.” But I was trying to . . . It was my first step in trusting.

But a month later, Mother's Day, one of the women at church said, “Oh, next year, you'll be up on the platform for Mother's Day.” I just walked out of the church, went over to my in-law's house and cried. I said, “God, I know You're probably not going to give me a baby.”

Next month was Father's Day and my husband was on the platform. They gave him that month because I was pregnant, and he was the newest father. It was an incredible moment, that I still hadn't completely trusted the Lord, I guess, because the next month I was in the hospital with a threatened miscarriage. We went the whole pregnancy in and out of the hospital.

They kept stopping my contractions. One time I was in there and I was panicking in the hospital, just totally panicking. And the nurse got in my face, and she said, “Are you a Christian?” And I said, “Yes.” She said, “Well, pray to your God.” That was the moment I was, “OK, God, I completely give it to You.” And I prayed and trusted Him, and we did get Cody.

Nancy: How wonderful! When was he born? Was he premature?

Cassie: No, he was born on his due date, February 18th, 1999. Our first son.

Nancy: Wow!

Cassie: Which is a miracle. I started praying, not just to have a child, but to have a sibling for him. I wanted my son to have a brother. I prayed for a brother, and God gave us Stephen, nine months after Cody's first birthday. So they were not quite two years apart.

I thought, “Well, OK, we now have two kids (children).” I thought that's what we were going to get. And then Joey.  Only five months after I had Stephen, God gave me Joey. I told my husband, “Whatever they said was wrong. This is not a problem anymore.”

I didn't know Joey was a boy. We didn't have any ultrasounds. God really spoke to my heart during his pregnancy, and told me . . . I only told my husband, because I thought people would think I'm crazy that God was going to give us a lot of sons. So we're going to have more sons.

And two women, two different strangers, two different places, came up to me and said, “I'm the mother of seven sons, and I saw you, and I know you're going to have many sons.” I don't know who those two women were. I never saw them again. I knew Joey was a boy then. Sure enough, he was.

And then Benjamin. Shortly after that, those four, and I got to keep my first four pregnancies, which was pretty incredible.

Nancy: All miracles! Isn't God amazing? Oh yes, you know, we often hear so much negative stuff from the medical profession. So many women hear, “I'll never be able to conceive,” or, “You won't be able to get pregnant,” or this or that, or “If you do get pregnant, something terrible will happen,” or, “You shouldn't.”

But God is so much bigger. He's amazing, isn't He? That is just so wonderful! So, you've got four boys now. What happened? Did you just keep trusting God?

Cassie: We did. The next pregnancy I had I did miscarry. It was very difficult. I was told by two different Christians, “Well, that wasn't a real baby. That was just tissue that didn't work out right.”

But in Jeremiah, the Bible tells us that God knew us before, before He formed us (Jeremiah 1:5). So I knew God knew that child. I used that to make me recommit myself, not to take advantage of the fact that I had four children, but to welcome any more that He would give me.

He gave me twins the next time. I had two boys the next time. One of them has cerebral palsy. He ended up with several other issues along the way. That helped me appreciate and care for him even more because I got to keep him. I got to keep both of them. That changed our family a lot too.

Nancy: Oh, I guess it did! What is his name again?

Cassie: Jacob.

Nancy: Jacob, yes. What a lovely, lovely boy. Oh, he is just so beautiful. In a wheelchair but just so beautiful. Tell us more. Tell the ladies more about Jacob and what he faces in life. Also, how it's affected your family.

Cassie: Well, Jacob is the younger twin. I always said Caleb was given to us for more than one reason. He's very, very special. He helps me. Every day, he helps me. Jacob had a stroke in my womb, at least three of them. I felt them and talked to the doctor about it.

The doctor told me I was crazy, that you can't know that. I didn't say “stroke,” but I said, “He's not breathing. He's just struggling to breathe.” You could feel his little body. When he was born, of course, that was true. It's a very, very long story.

But the short of it is that he ended up with some different doctors that weren't always the best. They medicated him, and caused him more injuries, seizures, and issues. I thank God for a good doctor we finally came across when he was about five. He helped me a lot, and Jacob.

Between five and six, he stopped all medications, was much healthier, able to communicate with us to a point. He was doing a lot better. He was able to get saved and understand for sure. He knows what he loves. He's been baptized. He's able to understand so much. We're just thankful we were able to get him off that medication. You don't have enough time for all that.

Nancy: Oh, please! We just want to hear everything, don't we, ladies?

Cassie: He's changed everyone in our family's hearts. Each of our older boys had to help at different hours. Our oldest son was seven, almost eight. He would just sit and hold Jacob, because Jacob was afraid. His little body would just tremble if you left him anywhere. He needed to be held when he was very small. Each of the boys would help feeding him, taking care of him, making sure he did everything they did.

Nancy: And how old were those boys, about that age?

Cassie: How old were they? When Jacob was born, our oldest was seven and a half. When his seizures started, my oldest was ten. So, ten down to, let's see, Benjamin would have been almost six, I think.

Nancy: So they were just young boys, but they learned how to minister to this little one. That's amazing.

Cassie: They all still do. They all still help, make sure he's. . . Benjamin has actually been the one who asked if, when I can't care for Jacob anymore, if he could have him, if he could take care of him. I know that if he couldn't, all his other brothers are like, “Well, we will.”

God placed him in the middle. He's really in the middle right now. He has five older siblings and five younger. But they all love him and take care of him. Each little brother, they don't know anything different than him in their care.

Nancy: I could imagine both Ben and Cherish welcoming him.

Cassie: They take him out together. They take him to the lake and out to eat. They sit with him, and he loves it.

Nancy: Oh, it just makes me want to cry. So amazing! What are some of the things that they have to do for him each day, currently?

Cassie: Well, Jacob has a feeding tube, which the majority of the nutrition goes through. He did not need that until after the medication reactions we had. He always ate by mouth. So I make . . .

Nancy: Really, those medications do so much more harm.

Cassie: Yes. So I make all his food in the blender, the majority of his food. Caleb, right now, is the one that will feed him through the tube in the morning when I'm taking care of the baby.

We have stairs in the house right now. Hopefully, in two weeks, he'll be on the same level with us. But right now, Caleb carries him down every morning. Jacob's small for his age but he's over 100 pounds. It's a lot of work.

I dress him, but then Caleb puts him in his chair. He's with him right now, watching him. They do school together. His requirements are less, but Caleb always puts on something. They're doing some things separate. He sets it up for Jacob if he needs anything. He loves beads and things to hold, so if he drops them, all the kids (children) know, oh, go get him that. Make sure he has what he needs.

Nancy: He's not really able to communicate? How does he communicate?

Cassie: He has “yes” and “no” sign language, “yes,” and then his head for “no.” He does, every once in a while, say words. If he doesn't think too hard, it will come out naturally.

Nancy: So it’s actually there in his head, yes?

Cassie: When he was younger, he could use his foot a little bit to write words, letters. Now that he's older, he has a speaking device. It's a little hard for him to use. They're going to change it to where he can control it with his eyes. So I'm excited about that because he knows what he wants. He knows what he likes. He can communicate a little bit better that way.

Nancy: I'm sure the greatest blessing is just the fact of him being with his family, not only having so many to care for him, but so much going on. I mean, he would be totally bored in a little, maybe two-child family. What would he do? But there, he's just got so much to observe, look at, and be part of, hasn't he?

Cassie: One of his therapists told me, and I thought they were going to be very judgmental when we had our seventh son. She said, “No, all the kids (children) in this unit who have younger siblings try harder.” And he did.

He's very protective of the younger kids (children). We couldn't tell our one born after him No. Jacob would get upset. He didn't want us to ever tell anyone No. We couldn't scold anybody. It's funny. Yesterday they were watching the kids (children). I came home, and one of my little ones had been naughty. They told Jacob, “Don't tell Mama I was naughty.” Jacob said, “No, no, he was fine. He was fine.” He doesn't like the little ones to get in trouble. He tries harder around them.

Nancy: That's just so amazing. That's another amazing thing, that even though you have this “special needs” child, you never thought of not having any more. Did you think about that, or what?

Cassie: No, every new one was definitely harder. We actually had a miscarriage after the twins. That was the seventh. That was a very difficult loss. Again, it did make my heart yearn more for children instead of stopping it.

We got Luke, and he was a joy. The boys were a little bit older. To see how excited they were with him brought more joy. We thought, “Lord, we're going to keep. . . Whether You take them from us, or let us keep them, we're going to keep accepting what You give, and how long you give them.”

Nancy: That's so beautiful. Everyone has been the most beautiful blessing. Now, you're waiting for another new blessing. How incredible! But you had quite a few miscarriages along the way, didn't you?

Cassie: Yes. After Luke, I got pregnant again. I assumed we'd probably miscarry again. I had a friend, because she had a son with cerebral palsy also, who's a doctor. “Let me do an ultrasound for you, early on.”

I thought I had miscarried, so I went in. I had twins, but I'd lost one of the twins. So I was able to keep Lincoln. Lincoln really says he's a twin in himself because he's got a lot of energy. So I was able to keep him. I thought, “OK, well, maybe the Lord's going to keep letting me have them.” But we had two more miscarriages after that loss.

I thought, “Well, maybe we're done. I don't know what God's doing.” I prayed the same prayer, the same as I had before about Samuel. After Lincoln, our child that we had was Samuel. That was probably my hardest pregnancy, because I really struggled again, kind of back to where I was again, losing three in a row.

“Am I going to get to keep this child?” I think he was about a day old, before I was, I had him, that it's over, and he's here. He's a sweet, sweet boy. So he's probably the one next to Jacob, constantly with him. He's seven. But God let us keep him and He let us keep the baby after him, Brent. And so we were surprised. We got two, back-to-back again. He's five now, and he's sweet.

And we thought that we were probably done. We've gotten kids (children). That's a lot! And then we ended up having a miscarriage, and then we ended up having a tubal pregnancy. It almost cost my life. That one was pretty serious. My ovary had exploded, literally, and my tube was gone. I had hours.

But the Lord brought a doctor to me. She did the surgery, and she told me, “You can still have children.” I didn't think I could. She said, “I'll deliver them. I'll help you.”

Nancy: Did they save the fallopian tube?

Cassie: It was gone. It was exploded.

Nancy: So you just have one ovary.

Cassie: I have one. I had several people tell me, “Oh, no, that makes you more fertile.” I didn't think it did. But it did. I work twice as hard now! I ended up with four more miscarriages, though. I thought, “Well, I might be able to get pregnant.”

But a lot of things, I had many surgeries in that time frame. More cysts and issues, and all those things that what the doctor told me would happen, was happening. I thought we were done. One of them, I carried five weeks, the other three twelve weeks.

So when I got pregnant for the seventh time in a row there, I went into the doctor and said, “Just tell me, is the heartbeat still there, or is it weak? Which one is it?” And she said, “The heartbeat's there, and it's strong. You're going to carry this baby.”

She was so excited because she wanted to deliver one of my kids (children). And he was fine. He tiny, but he's here. He just celebrated his first birthday. I got pregnant again, and she told me the same thing. “This baby's strong, and it's going to make it.” We’ve got sixteen weeks left, I think. It's so exciting.

Nancy: What a beautiful story! So, how many miscarriages have you had in total?

Cassie: Total, a vanishing twin, and then a tubal, and then nine pregnancies, so eleven babies, eleven.

Nancy: Wow. So that means, when this precious baby is born, you will have 23! What a blessing! Wow! So not only do you enjoy with all these amazing sons here, but then you've got all these surprises to meet in eternity! It's just so amazing!

Cassie: Yes, we've talked about it a lot. My mom passed away in November, and I'm like, “She got to meet them all first!” She's probably up there rocking grandbabies. That's what she liked to do. We have them all. I'm so excited.

Nancy: So wonderful. And then I think you have these testimonies that are so encouraging. Sometimes, when you're having a lot of miscarriages, and then my daughter, Serene, has just had a third miscarriage. She's so grieving, and so disappointed. I mean, a miscarriage is not just a miscarriage. It's a life, and you grieve this life, no matter what stage it is, whether it's in the womb, or it's later. Because it's life.

But I'm just so blessed to hear how you kept trusting God. And I think that's the most wonderful thing. And you're getting blessed. Now you have these two babies that are coming, the last one, and now this one. It's so amazing.

I've got lots of beautiful poems about miscarriages, because, you know, women face this quite frequently, and I love to have things to encourage them. So I'll read one of them to you today. I love this. It's called “Holding us Both,” by a mother, Heather Hamilton.

My little one, barely formed

I’ve never seen your face

In this life I’ll never hold you close

And yet

For just a little while my womb was your home

From the moment I knew your life was in me

I loved you

I touched my womb and knew that you were there

A miracle was being woven

But something was not right

I lost you, my little one

Before I got to know you,

hold you close or see your face

My dear little one

My heart cries out for you with such loss and deep sorrow

But I know the LORD will hold you for me

And one day I will see your face

My precious little child

And joy will replace the grief and loss

But until that day the LORD will hold us both.

 

Isn't that lovely? Yes. Now, as you've been having all these children, you know, our current society doesn't really understand the blessing and joy of children. I think this is one of the greatest testimonies that we can be in this world, as a joyful mother of children. We are revealing what God is like. He is a lover of children.

But I guess you've had lots of negative comments as you've gone out. What are some of the things you've replied, or said, when people said, “Oh, are all these yours?” Or things like that.

Cassie: Oh goodness. It's been a while. I used to get pretty upset. But I'm proud of who my children have become. When I had the older ones, when they were little, I'd get a lot of negative stuff from women.

Men would always tell me, “I wish my wife would have more kids (children).”

That was in California. Out here, it's been the opposite. I'll have women come tell me, “I wish I had more kids (children).” But usually, they ask if they're paying to feed my kids (children). And they're not. We're feeding our own children.

Nancy: What a rude question to ask! Oh!

Cassie: My husband's a hard worker. And our boys are hard workers. Now usually when they find out, I get asked, “You don't have six kids, do you,” when they see the little ones with me.

And I say, “No, I have 12!” And I like these four men, my sons who are adults, Ben's almost there. I like who’ve they’ve become. They're good men. They're godly men. They're hard workers. I like to see who they've become.

I think sometimes one or two kids (children), people have, and they haven't turned out. You can’t say something to me. My experience isn’t yours.

Nancy: I think it's different too. People will see a mum with lots of little children, and “Oh, goodness! How does she survive that? Goodness me!” When people see a mother with these big sons all around them, fine, upright young men, hard-working young men, oh my. There is not one negative thing they can say.

Cassie: I feel like that's why I get more positive stuff. Out here, of course, in Tennessee, there's a lot more larger families, so you get that more frequently.

But yes, exactly. It is hard when you have to teach your child to cook, or to behave. It takes time, but the rewards later on, it's a lot easier. Things are easier when they're well-behaved, and they're good men.

Nancy: Absolutely! It's just a joy. I often say to young mums, when people look at a mum with all her little ones and say, “Oh! Are all these yours?” And I say, “Just beam with joy and say, 'Yes, we love children! Don't you?'”

Well! It gets back on them! Don't they love children? Well, they don't know what to say. They can't say, “No, I don't love children!” They why are they asking me such a stupid question? (laughter)

Well, now you are just having this beautiful twelfth pregnancy, well, you've had more. But your twelfth baby coming. How has that affected your health? Have you found pregnancy has been a blessing and that actually you've even got healthier as you've gone along?

Cassie: I think so. Most of my pregnancies have been pretty smooth. The first two I was stressed a lot and had different issues there, but overall healthy. I've had gestational diabetes once, with the last pregnancy, but overall, yes, the doctor said, “You're healthy, you're strong.” God made me to have babies, and He puts them in there.

Nancy: That's exactly right! And I just want to encourage young mums listening today, and you're hearing about this beautiful mother, having her twelfth baby. And you think, “Oh, how could I ever do that?” But you know. lovely ladies, we, as Cassie just said, we were born to have babies! That's how God created us!

And the blessings are so amazing! I thought I would just, as we're closing, mention some of these blessings that we sometimes forget about. Of course, we go to the Scripture. In 1 Timothy 2:15, where it says that “Women will be saved in childbearing.”

The New American Standard says: “Women shall be preserved through the bearing of children, if they continue in faith and love and sanctity, with self-restraint.” That word, “to be saved, or preserved,” is an amazing word. It's the Greek word sozo. It's actually pronounced as “sode’-zo.” It means, listen to what it means. It means, not just to save, it means “to save, to deliver, protect, heal, preserve, keep safe, and make whole.”

That's the full meaning of that word and that word is used for women. It says: “Women will be preserved, delivered, healed, made whole, through childbearing.” That's not just through giving birth to a child. It's the whole embracing of childbearing, of pregnancy, birthing, and raising and nurturing that child. We will be saved and preserved through that.

It's the same word, exactly the same word when Jesus healed people, when it said: “He made them whole.” Isn't that amazing? When He healed the woman with the issue of blood, Jesus said, “Daughter, be of good comfort. Thy faith hath made thee whole.

And if you go back to the Greek, the words “hath made” are sozo, and “whole” is sozo. So it comes two times in that same sentence that Jesus said, “I make you whole.” And that's what childbearing does. You are made whole. It's so amazing.

You go on, when Jesus healed blind Bartimaeus. And Jesus said to him: “Your faith hath made you whole.” So it goes on and on. You read so many stories in the Gospels about that.

But I just thought I should remind you again, how, so many of the things, how we are preserved. Oh, I wrote an article on this one. I'll just give you a few little tips just now.

Pregnancy hormones are beneficial to the ovaries. They help to clear pre-cancerous cells from the epithelial lining of the ovary.

Now because older women accumulate more cells than younger women, pregnancy at an older age is such a blessing. Isn't that amazing? So older women can be more prone to getting these pre-cancerous cells, which can grow, but when they conceive and are pregnant, it clears them away. Hallelujah! Isn't that so incredible? It's so amazing!

And then of course, we know how breastfeeding is an antidote to breast cancer. There are so many articles written about that. I don't even need to go into them all. Oh, yes, you know when you feel sick when you're pregnant? You go through that, “I don't know, why do I have to go through this?”

Oh, don't be in despair, ladies.  Maybe you're going through this now. It's a good thing, because when you feel this lousy morning sickness, remember that this hormone is gonadotropin. That's the hormone. It's also a hormone that prevents cancer. Isn't that amazing?

So every time you conceive, you get sick, and sometimes even mothers may miscarry later, but they have still been through that time. That is all anti-cancer, that hormone, going through that time. That is amazing. And I love the fact that estriol is one of the three estrogen hormones that we, as women, have. But estriol, this particular one, it elevates 1000 times when we're pregnant. Isn't that amazing?

Yes, oh, goodness me, they have found that this level of estriol that you have during pregnancy, it causes the risk of breast cancer to decrease even 40 years later! Isn't that amazing?

And get this! Estriol is the anti-aging hormone! Wow! Isn't that exciting? Yes, they put estriol in anti-aging creams. You don't have to pay all the money! Just get pregnant! (laughter) Yes! It's so incredible.

Oh, I just watched the YouTube of this woman in Australia. She's 107 years of age! She wasn't all doddering, and they had to help her walking along and with her walking stick. I couldn't believe it! She was walking like some fit woman of about 50! She was amazing! And she had 11 children! And here she is, at 107. She had lots of pep still. She's going great! Isn't that amazing?

Yes, and of course, when you're pregnant, you have glorious oxytocin and prolactin, and all those wonderful things. And progesterone, oh, goodness, that elevates. It jumps to 100 times more when you're pregnant. Yes.

Progesterone guards you from breast cancer, and it alleviates anxiety and depression. It also improves the immune system, builds bones, improves serum, and protects from seizures, decreases allergies, irritable bowel syndrome, and loads of other things. Wow! You just get so blessed when you're pregnant!

In our society, we are told lies. This whole of society is filled with lies. It's just deception and lies. And we've got to get the truth. People are made to think, “Oh, if I had more babies, oh, goodness me, it will be bad on my health.”

It is the opposite! Because your body was created to conceive a child, and give birth, and nurse from your breasts. As you do these things, you have all these glorious blessings, physically, but also emotionally, and spiritually. Yes, but we've run out of time! Do you want to say anything more?

Cassie: Just thank you so much for having me. It's been fun.

Nancy: Oh, it's been so great. I know you've been blessed by Cassie's story. Oh, we'll have to tell you when this baby comes. Oh, thank you, Cassie. Let's pray.

“Dear Father, we thank You that You are a God who loves life. You love babies, You love children. This is Your heart. This is Your plan. You created us female for the privilege, and the honor, and the glory of bringing forth life into this world. And Lord, You give us all the blessings along with it, these physical blessings.

We thank You, Lord God. I pray, Father, that you will bring each one who's listening today into all Your truths. Lord, God, let us be women of truth, rather than being just kind of influenced by the humanistic thinking of this age. We ask it in the Name of Jesus.

I pray Your blessing on every marriage, and every family, and every child. And that we will all, in this hour of deception, walk in Your ways, walk with courage, walk with bravery, walk in the strength of the Lord. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.”

Blessings from Nancy Campbell * www.abovwerubies.org

Transcribed by Darlene Norris * This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Would you like to email Darlene and thank her so much for faithfully and freely transcribing these podcasts every week for your benefit?

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT | EPISODE 164: LET’S GET BACK THE GLORY, Part 6

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FROM OUR HOME TO YOURS w/ Nancy Campbell

EPISODE 164 –  LET’S GET BACK THE GLORY, Part 6

This is the last podcast on this subject of clothing. We look at more Scriptures today to see what God has to say. It's amazing how much God has to say about the everyday things of our lives, even about how we should dress. The Bible even talks about jewelry. And what about fashion for our little children?

Announcer: Welcome to the podcast, From Our Home to Yours, with Nancy Campbell, founder and publisher of Above Rubies.

Nancy Campbell: Hello, ladies. Well, I said I would look up the 1828 Webster Dictionary for the word “feminine.” So I did that, and here is the meaning. He ((Noah Webster) said the first syllable, when he's taking it from the Latin, the first syllable for feminine which is “fem” comes from the word “womb.” The last syllable comes from the word “man.” So it literally means, “fem-man,” or “womb-man.”

Now, that's interesting, isn't it? I think that is very true, because that's what we foundationally, creationally, are. We are a “womb-man.” Our womb is our most distinguishing characteristic as a woman. “Womb-man.” So, of course, we should embrace our womb because we are feminine. A man does not have a womb.

That is such a huge distinction between the male and the female. The male does not have a womb. A womb-man, the womb-man has a womb, a womb where she can conceive and grow a little baby, an eternal soul, and bring forth this child into the world. Such a beautiful privilege we have as women, as females, as feminine women.

We are talking about our feminine clothing, well, clothing, that was one of our points, that we should be feminine. I wonder if anyone has thought a little bit more about that? I think the more we see women being feminine, and dressing femininely in society, the more glorifying it will be to God. The more we will be standing up for truth in this very deceived age.

Oh, we are living in such a time of deception. We have to be very careful, because the Word of God says that in the end times, “even the elect will be deceived.” There is more and more deception coming up.

Our precious children are growing up in an age where transgender is considered normal. They are promoting it in schools. Wow, I don't think the public school is a very good place for our children today.

In the midst of all this abomination, which it is, of this transgender society, we should be shining like lights in this dark world. We shine by our facial expressions. We shine by the clothing we wear as we go out in the supermarket, and wherever we go. So, let's shine! Let's be who God created us to be! The more feminine we can be, the more God will be glorified.

The more males, the more manly, the better it is for them. The more feminine we are, is how God loves it, because it's the way He created us.

N0. 8: NOT DICTATED BY TH3 FASHION OF THIS WORLD

We are now up to point number eight. We should not be dictated by the fashion of this world. You all know Romans 12:1-2. I'll read it to you. Well, I'll quote it to you. Of course, I know these Scriptures by heart, and I'm sure you do too. Just say it with me as I'm saying it!

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Be not conformed. One translation says, “Don't let the world squeeze you into its mold.” Oh, how easily we get squeezed into the mold of the world and the fashion of the world! Most Christians today are squeezed into the mold of the fashion of this world.

I have seen women preachers preach in skinny jeans! In holey jeans! I beg your pardon? I mean, that's on the platform, speaking God's message. We're being squeezed into the mold of the fashion of this world. That is not the fashion of the Bible. It is not modest. And it is not feminine. It's dictated by this world.

What does it say in James 4:4? “Know ye that not the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” Today, most people are more friendly with the fashion of the world than they are in dressing in a way that's glorifying to God.

1 Peter 5:19: “And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.” This whole world system, ladies, it lies in wickedness. It's the whole world. The ESV version says: “We know that we are for God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.”

So the fashion of this world, it's masterminded by the enemy! That's not hard to see when we look at the fashion of the world today. So what are we going by? Are we just going by the fashion of this world? Of course, it doesn't mean to say that you become old-fashioned and dress kind of drab and old-fashioned. No! That's not glorifying to God either.

I talked before, in my previous podcast, about how we are to dress beautifully. And you can dress modernly in a beautiful way, in a modest way, and in a feminine way. You can do it! And you don't have to look as though you've come from some past generation.

You can go to the internet. There are beautiful, feminine, and modest clothes that are glorious. They're actually beautiful! So when you go out, you're not going to be considered old-fashioned, you're going to be considered, wow—beautiful! People say, “Wow! Where did you get that dress? Oh, wow! That's beautiful!”

Have you noticed that, when you wear a beautiful dress out, people remark? Yes, they're so used to seeing just jeans and tops. When they see a beautiful dress, they love it! We are drawn to it.

1 John 2:15-17: “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.”

So dearest ladies, can I encourage you? Don't be dictated by the fashion of this world, but at the same time, don't be drab, and boring, and old-fashioned. No! Oh, no, there's such scope. You can dress beautifully, and femininely, and modestly, and look like a model! Why don't you try it?

NO. 9: TRAIN YOUR CHILDREN WHILE THEY ARE YOUNG

Start the pattern of training your children when they are young. I think this is something we should think about because it's so easy to dress little children . . . as they're growing, we can go to the beach, and, ”Oh, yes, they can wear a bikini! They've got nothing to show. They're so innocent.” And we look upon them as innocent. Well, OK, what's wrong with this? Nothing, if they're showing nothing. But . . .

And then we can dress them in the fashion of this day, in their jeans and tops. Well, it's not wrong for them to have some jeans when they're out playing. But let's not let that become their uniform, dear ladies.

Why? Because they're going to grow up thinking, “That's how you dress!” If you let them wear bikinis and little scantily clad things, they'll grow up thinking, “Oh, well, when we go out to play, or when we go to the beach, we can wear scanty things.” They will continue the pattern that you begin in childhood.

So we have to watch now. Even though they don't have anything to show off, and they're very innocent, just watch. Be careful. I mean, you don't have to send them round in long dresses. But watch that you dress them in a way that they will think, “OK, this is how you dress.” And they will continue it into their teens.

Timothy Paul Jones writes, “The clothes that our children wear do not merely cover the nakedness of their flesh. They shape and reflect the contours of our children's souls.” So watch how they dress.

In fact, children, oh, have you noticed how children love to be princesses? I was talking in our last session about one of our pointers, DRESS LIKE ROYALTY. Do you know that if we kept being children, as children are allowed to dress, we'd most probably keep being princesses?

I have always had a dress-up box for my grandchildren. That's always been their most favorite thing. They would come and they'd go to the dress-up box. I'd have loads of lovely, sort of princess dresses for them. Not always already made into beautiful princess dresses, but I'd have old curtains, and lovely, white lacy things. They would be so creative.

And when they got dressed up, you would never find them wanting to dress like some “business woman” suit. Oh, no! They wouldn't want to do that. They wanted to be a queen. They wanted to be a princess. I have so many pictures of my grandchildren dressed like princesses.

Many of them, it was just all bits of material, and this and that. Oh, they'd adorn themselves gloriously, because that's what they want to be! It's inherent within them.

And then we grow up, and, of course, we get used to the fashion of this world. Then we begin to dress oppositely, don't we?

Anyway, let's carry on here.

NO. 10: GUARD AGAINST SHAME

We should guard against shame. I was reading the other day, Isaiah 20:4. It is about Egypt. “So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners, and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.”

Now, Egypt was not a godly nation. Egypt was a secular nation. But because their buttocks were uncovered, oh, goodness me! It was so shameful! Shameful to Egypt, which speaks of the world, and speaks of the worldly way. In the Bible, Egypt always speaks of the worldly way.

Colin and I were down at the beach this last week. Our lovely daughter Pearl, and her husband, gave us a gift of a few days at the beach. It was Mother's Day, Father's Day, birthdays, Christmas, all packed in together.

It was lovely to get to the beach. We love the beach because I was brought up just about on the beach. Not far to go to the sea. New Zealand is three islands North, South, and Stewart Island. So we have sea all around us. We would just go  half an hour off to the beach. I was used to the beautiful rolling breakers.

Then we moved to Australia, and we lived in Surfer's Paradise! We were right on the beach! I would go down every morning to walk the beach and pray for our children. How I loved the breakers! I'd t grown up with the breakers and the pounding surf, the Pacific Ocean, and the more pounding it is, the more I loved it! All my life, I'd go into that surf and be pounded, and rolled over and over. Oh, goodness me! How I loved it!

But we were down at the beach, at the Gulf. Colin and I would go down to the beach, mainly in the early morning and in the evening. It wasn't so hot then. We could go for a walk, and I'd go for a swim. I did pop down in the day, but it was just so crowded, which is wonderful. Beautiful families, just families everywhere.

And yet, I couldn't believe it. Colin didn't even want to go down in the day at all, because there was just so much flesh showing. Now, I know, when you go to the beach, you're not going to be dressed in some dress, because I mean, I love to go into the surf, and into the waves.

But I dress appropriately. I've got on shorts and a top, you know, swimming shorts and top. I couldn't believe it. We could not believe how much flesh was showing. Everybody was totally exposing themselves. And I walked past one girl, I mean, not a young girl, not a little child—an older person with their full buttocks showing!

That's why I was arrested by the Scripture I read the other day. “Buttocks uncovered to the shame of Egypt,” and here was a girl, totally shameless! Absolutely, buttocks fully exposed, just a g-string. But no shame. It was just as though that was the most normal thing in the world!

What has happened? There's no shame? No one was ashamed of showing off everything? Wow! We, as Christian people, are the holy people of God: “Without holiness, no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14).

“There is a highway, and it is called the way of holiness” (Isaiah 35:8). What road are we walking on? Surely there should be shame at such exposure. Let's just watch that. Amen?

Revelation 16:15: “Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.” Now, I believe that's talking spiritually, but it's also naturally. What you have in the spiritual, you have to have in the natural.

The word, “keepeth” means “he holds onto it, so he does not lose it, or give it up.” Wow! In this day especially, you'd better hold onto your clothes, so you don't lose them!

Revelation 3:18: “I counsel thee to buy of me . . . white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear.”

The psalmist in Psalm 4:2 asks: “How long will you turn My glory into shame?”

In fact, it’s interesting, in the Bible, there’s places where someone is called “naked.” King Saul was called “naked,” actually, before he became king, because he prophesied. It says he took off his clothes, and he prophesied. Help! Was he standing there, bare naked? No, he wasn’t. He would have still had on his undertunic.

It’s like when David danced before the Lord. His wife, Michal, she was so disgusted. “How dare you dance before all those women naked?” But he wasn’t naked. He still had on his undertunic, which was much more clothing than most people wear today.

So that was even considered naked, when they took off their outer garment, even though their undergarment still covered them. Yet today, goodness! They don’t even mind getting just about naked.

All right! Let’s go on.

NO. 11: DO NO WORRY ABOUT WHAT YOU WILL WEAR

We should not worry about our clothing, but trust God. What does it say in Matthew? We're not to worry about what we wear, and what we'll put on, because God clothes, He clothes the lilies of the field. He looks out for the little sparrows that fall (Matthew 6:25-34).

So, in all this talk about clothing, we don't need to be taking up with it too much. We can trust God. Yes, it's amazing how most of my clothing, actually, is somehow just provided. When our children were growing up, they loved it when people would bring a bag of clothes they were passing on, or a box of clothes.

Even our grandchildren still today, a friend will bring a bag of clothes, and they'll all get round in a circle, and they'll go through all the clothes and find out who wants what, and what suits this one, or suits that one. It's such fun!

In fact, when I was raising our children, I don't think we hardly bought clothes amongst our church fellowship. We would just pass on bags of clothes from when one child was growing out of their clothes. And then we passed them on. Everybody got clothed. It was all fun, and the children just loved doing it.

And still today, I have clothes passed on, or people give me this, or give me that. I'm amazed how God clothes me with such lovely clothing! It's amazing.

SHOULD WE WEAR JEWELRY?

All right. Now, I have here just one or two questions. How are we going for time? We're good. OK. Now, here's a little question. Not exactly clothing but it goes with our clothing. Should we wear jewelry?

Well, there are some Christians who don't believe in wearing jewelry. I'm not sure where they get that, because, what I like to do, as you know, ladies, no matter what the subject, I like to go and find out what God says about it.

So, does God say anything about jewelry? Yes, He does. So let's find out what He says. The very first mention of jewelry is back in Genesis when Abraham sent his servant to get a bride for Isaac. God led him, remember? God was faithful and he looked to God to lead him. He said those beautiful words: “I being in the way the Lord led me” (Genesis 24:27).

And he got to the place, and he found Rebekah. When he found her, it says that he gave to Rebekah the golden earring and two large gold bracelets. Back in those days, I think they had more silver and gold than we have today.

Then later on, when he was with the family and they were doing the arrangement to take Rebekah, it says in verse 53: “And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah; he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things.”

Now this was in jewelry. So even back then, in Genesis, they were wearing beautiful jewelry made of silver, made of gold.

In Isaiah 61:10, we started this subject on this Scripture: “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.”

So there it is, ladies. The Bible talks about wearing beautiful jewels. And in that lovely passage I read you in Ezekiel 16 a couple of podcasts ago, you can read it, Ezekiel 16, a beautiful allegory of how God clothes us.

Ezekiel 16:9-10, in the New Living Translation. God says: “I gave you lovely jewelry, bracelets, beautiful necklaces, a ring for your nose, earrings for your ears, and a lovely crown for your head. And so you were adorned with gold and silver.” So, if God loves to adorn us with bracelets and necklaces, and gold and silver, it can't be wrong to wear jewelry. So here we go. We get what the Bible says.

Now, it does say here, I've always wondered about this, “a ring for your nose, and earrings for your ears.” Back in those days, they would not have had pierced noses and pierced ears, because the Jewish people did not believe in piercing themselves in any way. So they obviously would have had to use some little gadget to put it on them. But they didn't do that (pierce themselves).

Now, another question. Should we wear colored clothes? Well, there's some sections of Christianity who like to look very, very drab, and just wear dark colors. Now, is that biblical? Well, let's see what the Bible says again.

Oh, yes, we go to that same passage in Ezekiel. It says there in Ezekiel 16:13: “And your clothes were made of fine linen and costly fabric, and were beautifully embroidered.” That word, “embroidered,” in the Hebrew is riqmah. It literally means, “a variegation of color, embroidery, many colors, needlework.” So they obviously embroidered their clothes with beautiful colors. Other translations say: “I dressed you in a colorful garment. I dressed you in beautiful needlework.”

Then in Psalm 45:14, that's a beautiful passage. You must read that psalm later. It says: “She” (that's the bride) “shall be brought unto the king in raiment” (or a dress) “of needlework.” The Holman Translation says: “In colorful garments, she is led to the king.”

The high priest, he was clothed. God said he had to be clothed “for glory and for beauty” and his clothing was to be made of gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen (Exodus 30:2, 5). We see that God loves color! So, you can wear colors. It's not against God to wear beautiful colors. He created the colors.

I think it's feminine to wear colors. There are certain colors that are more feminine than others, so it's lovely to wear those colors, especially if they suit you, because different colors suit different people.

Did anybody ever hear about “Color Me Beautiful?” There was a season, oh, quite a few years ago, where people were encouraged to find the colors that suited them and wear those particular colors. I think it's a very good idea.

WHITE CLOTHES IN HEAVEN

But then I noticed something interesting. I'm going to finish with this. But when we go to Revelation and John is looking into the heavenly realm, we see that everybody is clothed in white. That's interesting, isn't it? I don't know, maybe we will wear some colors in heaven, too. But when John looked, he noticed everyone was in white. Let's start off with Jesus Himself.

Revelation 1:13: “And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.” It was actually a white garment, and it was down to the foot. The Greek word that is used there literally means “down to the ankles.”

And then the angels. Revelation 15:6: “And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen.”

And then the angelic armies. Revelation 19:13-14: “And Jesus was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His Name is called the Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.”

The four and twenty elders in Revelation 4:4: “Round about the throne were clothed in white raiment.”

And then, I found seven different Scriptures about the saints, the Bride of Christ, and even the martyrs who were martyred for their faith. Let's read them.

Revelation 3:18: “I counsel thee to buy of me” (this was speaking to the church at Laodicea) white raiment that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear.”

Revelation 3:4-5, speaking to the church at Saudis: “Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot his name out of the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before His angels.”

The New Living Translation says: All who are victorious will walk with Me in white.” Now, stop the press! Wow! Because that word “overcome,” and “victorious” is the same word in a Scripture I read the other day. Also, of heaven. John was looking up into heaven, and this is what he saw.

This is Revelation 15:2-4. I've just memorized these Scriptures because they are so powerful. So I thought I would talk about them at this moment. “And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory” (there's that word, those who overcame, those who were victorious).

In this Scripture, it says:

“And them that had gotten the victory

OVER the beast, and

OVER his image, and

OVER his mark, and

OVER the number of his name,

stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of saints. Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy Name? For Thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for Thy judgments are made manifest.”

I read this Scripture the other day. Wow! It really got to me. And I have since memorized it. I believe that everyone of us should memorize this Scripture. I believe we should teach it to our children, and I believe we should get them to memorize it, because we need to be those, in this hour, who are overcomers.

We have to be getting ready, because we already have some practice runs, ladies, about overcoming. These practice runs have showed us that it is getting nearer to the time when we will face the mark of the beast, where we cannot buy or sell if we don't take that mark. Most probably, we may be killed if we don't take that mark.

But we dare not take that mark, for anyone who takes that mark will not get into heaven. And therefore, we have to learn to overcome now. I just read, those who overcome, Those who are victorious, will walk with Me in white.” And here John saw the ones who overcame.

What did they overcome? They got victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, which is, and we all know, 666.

Now, we know we're going to facing this in times to come. We've got to prepare our children. They will face this time, I believe. So we must prepare them. We must have this in our spirit. We must have this spirit of overcoming. And dear, precious ladies, if we don't have the spirit now, to overcome, how will we overcome in that hour? Already we are facing a . . . we face this vaccination, which is well-known. Its name is luciferase, and the number is 2020-060606. That is the patent.

Now, I don't think we have yet reached the mark of the beast but, my, these things show that we are getting closer. If we are not able to overcome with these things we're facing now, how will we overcome when we do face the mark of the beast, and his image, and his mark? And the number of his name?

So, lovely ladies, take that Scripture. Look it up. Revelation 15:2-4. Memorize it as a family. Say it out loud together every day, so you get it. So you even get that in your spirit, and you begin to exercise your courage muscle. You begin to exercise it and take courage. The more you do, the more you will be ready.

OK, so time's going on, so let's just finish these last few Scriptures I found about walking in white.

Revelation 6:9-11: “I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God” (most probably because they didn't take the mark) “and for the testimony which they held.” They didn't let go! They didn't cave in! They didn't give into tyranny. They held.

“And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them.” The word “robes” is stole in the Greek. It is a long-fitting gown and the mark of dignity. It's a long robe.

Interesting. Here we are on earth, and I don't believe we have to. . . lovely long dresses are beautiful to wear, but you don't have to wear them round every day. We wear dresses that are not short. We certainly don't want to do that. I think they should be over the knee.

But there will come a time when we are going to have long robes. That's what it says. That's what John saw. That is the word, stole, this long-fitting gown. Actually, that's interesting, isn't it? A long-fitting gown isn't just baggy, it was fitting, and a mark of dignity. Anyway, that's what he saw in the heavenly realm.

And I've just got a couple more. Revelation 7:9: “After this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindred, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes (stole - these beautiful long, white, glorious, fitting gowns are a mark of dignity) and palms in their hands, and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.”

Go down to verses 13-14: “One of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? . . . And he said unto me, these are they which come out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

Revelation 19:7-9, last one. “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.”

Well, that's what John saw in the heavenly realm, these glorious white robes. But here on earth, as we see in the Bible, we can still wear color. So may the Lord bless his us. Sorry, I've gone a little bit over time. Let's pray.

“Dear Father, we thank You we have Your Word to guide us, to show us the way. And Lord, as we have been talking about clothing in these last few sessions, I pray that You will give us soft and tender hearts to listen to You, to listen to Your Word, Lord God, that we will be women who glorify Your Holy Name in our clothing.

Lord God, as we go out into this world, help us to go out glorifying Your Name, dressed beautifully, dressed femininely, dressed modestly, bringing glory to You. I ask that You will show us the way and teach us. In Jesus' Name, Amen.”

Blessings from Nancy Campbell * www.abovwerubies.org

Transcribed by Darlene Norris * This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Would you like to email Darlene and thank her so much for faithfully and freely transcribing these podcasts every week for your benefit?

SUGGESIONS FOR DRESSES FROM MY GRANDDAUGHTER, MEADOW HALL

Ivy City Co (they have a nursing-friendly category) - https://ivycityco.com/

Jessakae - https://jessakae.com/

Maternity & Nursing-friendly clothing - nothingfitsbut.com 

The above brands have  modest dresses to offer, but not all of their dresses are modest.

More Modest Clothing Websites for you to check out:

Dresses Sale, Cheap Women's Fashion Dresses Online Shop - Airydress

Modest Dresses for Women - NeeSee's Dresses (neeseesdresses.com)

Women's fashion dresses on Pinkofyouth

Dresses – Love Olive Co

https://www.aubrey-jane.com

https://www.curvedream.com

Classic Women's Dresses: Casual & Dressy Styles | Appleseed's (appleseeds.com)

Maxi dresses – wesandy-

 

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT | EPISODE 163: LET’S GET BACK THE GLORY, Part 5

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FROM OUR HOME TO YOURS w/ Nancy Campbell

EPISODE 163 –  LET’S GET BACK THE GLORY, Part 5

God wants us to dress femininely and like royalty. Did you know it is possible to femininely and yet not modestly? It is also possible to dress modestly and yet not femininely. How do we do it?

Announcer: Welcome to the podcast, From Our Home to Yours, with Nancy Campbell, founder and publisher of Above Rubies.

Nancy Campbell: Hello, ladies. Before I get onto our subject today, I want to remind you that we have three Above Rubies Family Camps coming up. I'll let you know where they are. If you are anywhere near, do try and see if you can organize everything to come.

These family camps are such a wonderful blessing. It's just so great, families getting together, having great fellowship. Not only the parents, but the children and the teens, and even the older children. Oh, they make such great friends. It's just so good.

I think it's so good, even for the children, and the young people. At our family retreat down in Panama. I think we have more young people than even parents and children. It's just so beautiful to see the young people fellowshipping together.

I have a little secret. Well, Colin and I, we actually met at a family camp so many years ago, away down in New Zealand. I believe that Christian family camps are a wonderful way where young people can meet other young people, and maybe their future husband, maybe their future wife. What greater place to meet someone who has the same convictions that you do?

So anyway, what's coming up?

We have one in Missouri, August 13-15. You can check it out on my webpage, AboveRubies.org. Go there, and you can check out all the information, and who you have to contact.

Then we have August 20-22 in California, up in the hills of San Diego. We've been having retreats there for many, many years.

Then we have another one coming up at the beginning of September, September 3-6 in Central Mississippi. That's Labor Day Weekend. So we're going to have the whole weekend. That will be so great. So if you're thinking of “What will we do for Labor Day weekend,” well, think about this Above Rubies Retreat in central Mississippi.

If you are living in any state around Mississippi, get in the car, come for a drive, and come and join us. It's going to be at the Timber Creek Camp, which is a beautiful lake. They've got everything there for children and young people, volleyball, and gaga ball, and canoeing, trails through the woods. Apparently, they have a wonderful Christian staff and cook scrumptious meals.

So look into those retreats. I just hope that I might get to see some of you at them. That would be so wonderful!

Now ladies, I am still continuing our series, “Let's Get Back the Glory.” We are currently talking about the subject of clothing. That's not the only subject in “Getting Back the Glory,” but we've talked about lots of other things.

Now, I'm talking about this, and I haven't finished yet. So I've got a few more things to share with you. Even then, I know I'm not going to exhaust everything that I could share. As I told you in one of my last podcasts. I found 23 different Hebrew words that are used for clothing in the Old Testament. Then I found 13 different Greek words that are used for clothing in the New Testament.

So God speaks a lot about clothing in His Word. God is so practical. I'm always amazed that anything we want to know about, we'll find it in the Word of God. Even what we have to do every day. We've got to clothe ourselves. Well, God speaks loads about it in His Word.

I'm not going to go through all these Hebrew and Greek words with you, but I'll just share a few more things.

Now last, time, when Allison Hartman was with me, and we talked together about this, and I read you that beautiful, beautiful passage from Ezekiel 16. Oh, such a beautiful passage! If you didn't hear last week's podcast, do go back, and listen to it again.

One of the phrases in that passage says that God, He says, “I will cover your nakedness.” It's a spiritual allegory, but God is using physical clothing in that passage to describe so much that He does spiritually. God often does that. It's first that which is natural, then that which is spiritual. They are tied up together. God uses the natural to help us to understand the spiritual.

And then what we have in the spiritual, we should have in the natural. So it all ties up together. And that word in the Hebrew where it says: “I will cover your nakedness,” I told you last time about how it means, “to cover your secret parts.” One translation says: “I covered your private parts.”

And we talked about how important it is that we do cover, we cover our private parts. We don't expose ourselves. We cover. That’s what clothing is all about. It's to cover. We cover amply. We don't clothe ourselves skimpily. No, most of the words in the New Testament, and in the Old, they all have slightly different meanings, but just about everyone means, “to fully clothe, to cover up.”  It's used of the garments, and the raiment, and the clothes, all these clothes that really clothe you.

I didn't have time last time to give you a few of the different Scriptures where that same word is used, so you get to understand it. Often, when we just read one Scripture, we don't get the full meaning until we look at other Scriptures, where maybe it's translated with a different word, or it's even talking about a different subject. But it gives us a further meaning.

So that word which means, “to cover our secret parts, to hide them,” it's used in Genesis 7:19: “And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole of heaven, were covered.” This is talking about the flood, of course. But it says that all the high hills, even the mountains under the whole of heaven were covered. That flood covered everything.

That's the same word that God uses when He covers our nakedness. He doesn't half cover us. He fully covers us.

Genesis 24:65: “When Rebekah saw Isaac, her future husband coming, she took her veil and covered herself.” Rebekah had been waiting for this man to come. She didn't even know who he would be. But when she saw him coming, she covered herself and went to him.

This is how a bride is meant to come to her husband, not exposed on her wedding day, with bare shoulders, and so much uncovered. It's amazing, brides are so uncovered today. But a bride is meant to go to her husband covered.

We go to Genesis 9:23: “When Noah's sons, Shem and Japheth found their father naked, they took a garment and laid it upon their shoulders and went backwards and covered the nakedness of their father.”

In Exodus 28:42: “And thou shalt make them linen breeches” (this was talking about the priests, the Levites) to cover their nakedness; from the loins, even unto the thighs.” That was an area of the body that God always wanted covered.

In Psalm 32:1: “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” When God covers something, He doesn't partly cover. Oh, no, He completely covers it. So that gives us a little more understanding of that word.

NO. 5. GOD WANTS US TO DRESS FEMININELY

Now we're up to point number five. I have so many points. I think I have 12 points. Anyway, let's see how we go. But this is point number five. God wants us to dress femininely.

Deuteronomy 22:5: “The woman shall not wear that which pertains unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment; for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God.”

God does not want male and female to be blurred. Nor does He want them to be mixed up. God is against transgender, even in clothing. God wants the woman to look like a woman in her clothing. He wants the man to look like a man in his clothing.

Now, does that mean that you are never allowed to wear pants again? Well, no, because when those words were written, both male and female wore long robes. That was mainly the kind of clothing they wore back in those days. They wore, usually, an undergarment, which was a tunic, maybe coming to, at least the knees, or so on. Sometimes it was a long tunic.

People would wear that around the home. But when they went out, they would always put on an outer garment. They didn't go out with just one garment. They went with an undergarment, which was a tunic. Then they would have an outer garment. Sometimes, if it was cold, they would even have a cloak over that.

But both men and women did wear those kinds of clothes. But there was a difference. There was a difference. The women wore more feminine clothing. The men, theirs were more rough and coarse and darker clothing. The women wore that which was more suitable to a woman, which was feminine.

This is the thing that we have to get at. We are women. We are female. We have been created feminine. Now, what does the word “feminine” mean? Well, I looked it up in the dictionary. But I didn't get time to look it up in the Webster's Dictionary, the 1828. I must do that. Perhaps I'll tell you next session what that dictionary says, because it usually has the fuller meaning of any dictionaries we have today.

Anyway, here are some modern dictionaries that I looked up. It means “having the quality or an appearance traditionally associated with women. For example, a feminine, frilled blouse.” Well, even a modern dictionary used that example.

Another one: “Characteristic of, or appropriate, or unique to women. For example, feminine beauty.”

Another one: “Belonging to the female sex, female.” Therefore, “female” means “opposite to male.” I think that's pretty straightforward, don't you? Female, opposite to male.

Therefore, when we dress, God wants us, as females, as His feminine creation, to dress opposite to males. OK? So I guess that means that in whatever society, whatever time in history we are living, we should dress differently than males so that we can see easily, “There is a woman!” We know by looking at her, she is a woman, but even by the way she is clothed, she is a woman.

Now, in our current society, men wear pants and shirts that they didn't back in Bible days, but they do today. So, what should we do? Well, the amazing thing is, that now the trend is that everybody wears pants and shirts. We do wear them differently, but it's so much like the male.

Why is it, why is it, I'm just asking myself, I'm asking you, why is it that the more humanistic, the more we have turned away from God's ways, the more now in society, and not only secular society, but the Christian society. . . In fact, you don't really see much difference between secular and Christian in clothing. Pretty well everybody dresses the same.

And mainly today, it's jeans and top, or some kind of pants and top. Some people will make it look very, very feminine, and that's beautiful. OK, you can wear pants and a beautiful feminine blouse and look very feminine. But more and more and more, we're getting away from femininity.

What do we have today with most young people? Or not even young people. I've seen loads of older people doing this too. They’re just wearing their jeans. Jeans are not feminine. Guys wear jeans. It doesn't really show much difference.

Sorry, ladies, I'm really coming against culture, aren't I? I'm being counterculture. I'm not here saying you can't do this. I mean, people are free, free to do what you like. But, but why don't we want to be feminine? Why? We must ask ourselves that question because this is who God created us. We are His feminine creation. He wants us to reveal our femininity to the world. He wants us to glory in it. We glory in our clothing. Our clothing shows who we are.

So, so many, yes, even Christians today, I know some who hardly own a dress. They just wear their pants and top, or jeans and top. And that's their uniform. They really would have grown up with this. Maybe that's what their mother wore. That's what everybody's wearing around. We so gravitate to society and what everybody else is doing.

But can I ask you, lovely ladies, to ask yourself the question? “Why do I not want to be feminine? Why don't I wear more feminine clothes?” This is what the Bible wants. He does not want us to dress like a man. He does not want men to dress like a woman.

Imagine! Imagine if men, I mean, oh, goodness me. I have a friend, and sadly she's no longer married to this man. But he was a cross-dresser. And he would come out to her, in her living room, all dressed up in women's clothes! He had a problem! And there are a number of men like that.

It is disgusting. I mean, it is an abomination when you see a man trying to dress like a woman. Of course, we have these people now, these transgenders, who want to change their whole sex, that's totally anti-God. It's even anti-God to dress like a woman if you're a man.

So, why is it, that so many women dress like men? Now, do I wear pants? Yes, out in the garden. I mean, if I've got to get out there in that garden, and I'm down on my knees, and I'm digging, and I'm in the mud. I'm just getting my old pants on.

I don't ride horses now, but when I was young, I used to ride horses. My father was a great dog trainer, horse trainer, and broke in horses. I was blessed to have a beautiful thoroughbred trotter. I used to ride this beautiful horse. I always rode with pants on. I didn't ever learn to ride sidesaddle as they did in earlier days from me. The ladies would have to learn sidesaddle. Of course, I always pants, although I haven't ridden horses for years.

If I'm going hiking, well, I'm going to put some pants on. So there are places where I will wear pants. But I don't like to wear them in my normal day around the home, or especially when I go out. Especially when I go to worship and to church. I want to bring glory to God and who He created me to be.

I remember one time, oh goodness me (your husband, I guess he's so used to pants, women wearing pants, because it’s just society, that he accepts it). My husband, he doesn't have a problem with other people, but he just never liked me wearing pants. Well, he doesn't mind when I'm hiking, gardening, doing all those kinds of things.

But he doesn't like me to wear pants around, or to wear jeans. In fact, I've never worn a pair of jeans in my life! Because my husband just, oh, he wouldn't be able to stand my doing it. That's just him. OK.

But one time, this is quite a number of years ago, I was flying back from New Zealand, because we come from New Zealand. We would go back frequently to see family. I would go back to minister there. And I was flying back, this long, long trip when you fly back from New Zealand, or fly to New Zealand. By the time you leave to the time you get there, you've been flying and stopping and waiting for about 30 plus hours or so.

I thought, “Oh, I'll just wear these pants, they're so comfortable. I'll just wear them on the journey.” Anyway, I arrived here in the States and my husband was there waiting to meet me. And I'll never forget (this may sound so strange to you, because even men today, they're just so used to women wearing their pants everywhere), but my husband didn't say anything. But I saw him look, and I saw the disappointment in his eyes. He knew that I knew that he didn't really like me wearing them. But I'd done it. He never said anything, but I knew. I felt his disappointment. And so I didn't do it again.

In fact, now you know, this happens quite often, except since this plandemic's been around, we haven't been flying so much. Usually I'm flying quite a lot, going to speak at Above Rubies retreats. Just weekends away, and I come home, and my husband is always there, waiting for me.

I have to admit, after being married for 58 years, it's still so exciting to be walking up, with all the travelers, and knowing my husband is going to be waiting there (I think the most handsome man in the whole of the world and he is waiting for me to come) and he's watching, and he's looking.

I know he's going to see this woman is not like everybody else. Maybe I'm the only one who's not arriving with jeans and tops, or pants and tops. And I'm wearing, because I love to now to wear something lovely when I'm going to meet him. So I'm wearing a dress, or wearing a skirt, or wearing something lovely, so that when he sees me, he's going to be so excited. And we're always so excited to see one another, even after a weekend.

So that's just my little experience. I'm not putting anything on anybody. But I do feel we should ask questions. And I believe, in this day of transgender, we should be more than ever, we as women should seek to show our femininity. We should be feminine in who we are, and we should clothe ourselves femininely. This is basic. This is foundational.

YOU CAN BE FEMININE AND YET NOT MODEST,

YOU CAN BE MODEST AND YET NOT FEMININE!

I believe that we are a hindrance really to what God wants. He wants such distinction between male and female. But here's a little point: you can be feminine, and not modest. And ladies, did you know, you can be modest, and not feminine?

God actually wants us to be both. Sometimes I'll see a beautiful dress. Oh, it's so gorgeous! And it's beautifully feminine. And then I look, and, oh, but the person wearing it is showing cleavage. I mean, this beautiful, feminine dress is spoiled because the person is exposing themselves. They're not fully clothing their secret, their private parts.

But then on the other hand, there are sections of Christian society who do wear very modest clothing. Oh, they believe in modesty, but really, they're not very feminine at all. Their clothes are dark colors. They look like sacks. There was that trend, you don't see it so often now, where so many women. . . You'd often see it amongst the homeschooling movement. They'd wear these denim jumpers. They were just like a sack. They covered everything inside. But they were just so boring and so unfeminine.

There is a balance. We have to seek to find clothes that are feminine, and that are modest. It's not always easy to find them in the shops these days. But you know what, ladies, you can find them on the internet! It's unbelievable how many beautiful, beautiful dresses that there are, out there on the Internet. Oh, I love it!

Every single time I see my lovely granddaughter, Meadow, she is always in a beautiful dress. Oh! She loves to dress femininely. I'll say, “Oh, Meadow! Where did you get that dress! It's so beautiful!

“Oh, on the Internet,” she’ll answer.

And even her mother, Pearl, she has so many beautiful dresses, too. She'll come to church in a lovely, gorgeous dress, just beautiful!

“Pearlie, where did you get that dress!”

“Oh, on the internet.”

 So I thought, “Oh, goodness, I'd better start looking myself!”

It's amazing, I've j seen so many beautiful dresses that are maybe, three-quarter length. Some are long. You don't have to wear long dresses all the time. Even three-quarter are lovely. I think dresses should be at least to the knee, or below the knee, because it's not just what they look like when you're standing, but when you sit and when you bend over.

Even when you sit, you need a dress of considerable length to cover you. Of course, even learning to sit correctly. Oh, I think it's because of so many women wearing pants and jeans that they have forgotten how to sit. And they even begin to sit like a man!

I've seen young people today, sitting with their legs crossed, not like a woman crosses her legs but her leg, with one leg crossed right over, like men sit. That is so unfeminine. It is so like a man. And it's so sad to see beautiful young girls and women actually sitting like a man! Well, if they're dressing like a man, they're going to start sitting like a man!

But there is a way for a woman to sit. You can sit with your legs crossed properly, or you can sit with your legs together sideways. Have a look at the Queen. See how she sits. I mean, that is total etiquette. We should learn ourselves, and teach our daughters, how we are to sit. That's part of being feminine also. So, lovely ladies, yes, let's get with it, shall we?

I love Philippians 1:9-10: “That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offense until the day of Christ.” The word “excellent” there is diaphero and it means “to differ, to be better, to differ from, to be more excellent, to be of more value.”

Well, let's look at some other places where that same word is used. In Matthew 6:26, Jesus is talking about how He feeds the birds of the air and looks after them. And then He says: “Are you not much better than they?” That's the same word, “excellent.”

In Matthew 10:31, Jesus was telling the people how not one sparrow falls to the ground without Him knowing. And then He says: “And you are of more value than many sparrows.” That same word. You see that same word, “excellent, more excellent,”

I think it relates even to clothing. We should, why do we just stick to whatever everybody else is doing? There is a more excellent way. The more excellent way is the more feminine way because it's who God created us to be.

I wonder, is anyone bold enough, courageous enough, to stand out a little bit, and dress more femininely more often? Maybe just start trying it a little bit. Maybe when you go out, perhaps order a couple of lovely dresses. Wear them when you go out. I think your husband will be so happy to see you in them. Actually, it will be quite a change.

Now in Matthew 12:11-12 Jesus tells the parable of a shepherd having one sheep that falls into a pit on the Sabbath day, and how he won't leave it there. But he goes and rescues it and lifts it out. And then Jesus said: “How much then is a man better than a sheep?”

1 Corinthians 15:41: “There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star from another star in glory.” And ladies, we are meant to differ from man in the way we clothe ourselves. We are to be different. So, there it is.

NO. 6. GOD WANTS US TO DRESS MODESTLY

Number six, God wants us to dress modestly. We read in 1 Timothy 2:9-10: “A woman should dress herself modestly and prudently.” We talked about that in the last point, didn't we, how that, yes, modesty is important, but we want to cover it with femininity. And remember, once again, we don't just have femininity without modesty. They're twins. That means they “to go together.”

NO. 7. GOD WANTS US TO DRESS LIKE ROYALTY

Number seven: God wants us to dress like royalty. Why? Because we belong to Him! And He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords! We belong to a royal kingdom. In that beautiful passage in Ezekiel 16, where God gives His allegory about clothing us, it's talking about us spiritually. But it says here, in the New Living Translation, in verse 13: “You looked like a queen, and so you were.”

In the ESV, it says: “You grew exceedingly beautiful, and advanced to royalty.”

Yes, in Psalm 45:2, it talks there about the bride being brought to the king, dressed like royalty. So we should keep that in mind. As I close this session, remember, we are to be queens and princesses. We need to teach our children that they are princesses. They belong to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. That also helps us to up our standards a little bit.

OK, time is gone, and I've still got some more things to share, so we'll carry on next session, if you can take it! Do you think you can come in for another session? Still some interesting things to talk about.

“Dear Father, we thank You for Your Word. Thank You, Lord, that it teaches us the way. Thank You that You created us female. Lord God, help us to be who You created us to be. Help us to live how You want us to live. Help us, Lord God, to clothe ourselves how You want us to clothe ourselves as women. Teach us what it means to dress femininely.

Lord God, we pray that You will help us to be those who are not totally taken up by the spirit of this world, but You will help us to be living how You want us to be, even in the midst of this crooked and perverse generation. We ask it in the Name of Jesus. Amen.”

 

Blessings from Nancy Campbell * www.abovwerubies.org

Transcribed by Darlene Norris * This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Would you like to email Darlene and thank her so much for faithfully and freely transcribing these podcasts every week for your benefit?

SUGGESIONS FOR DRESSES FROM MY GRANDDAUGHTER, MEADOW HALL

Ivy City Co (they have a nursing-friendly category) - https://ivycityco.com/

Jessakae - https://jessakae.com/

Maternity & Nursing-friendly clothing - nothingfitsbut.com 

These brands have modest dresses to offer, but not all of their dresses are modest.

More Modest Clothing Websites for you to check out:

-        https://pinkofyouth.com

-        https://www.onelovedbabe.com

-        https://roolee.com

-        https://loveoliveco.com

-        https://www.aubrey-jane.com

-        https://www.shopemeryrose.com

-        https://www.curvedream.com

-        https://www.neeseesdresses.com

-        https://www.appleseeds.com

-        https://wesandy.com

 

KEEP IN TOUCH

ENCOURAGING EMAIL DEVOTION TO YOUR INBOX

This meaty devotion comes to you weekly (or when I get to it) to your email Inbox. Join by going to:

http://tinyurl.com/SubscribeWomensDevotional

PERIODIC NEWSLETTERS

Join to receive a Mini Above Rubies newsletter from time to time or any urgent news or sales we may have:

http://tinyurl.com/SubscribeARNewsletter

BE ENCOURAGED EACH DAY

Each day I write an encouraging post to wives and mothers which you can find on social media: Go to Above Rubies on Facebook, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Gab, USALife, Twitter, and Instagram.

 

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT | EPISODE 162: LET’S GET BACK THE GLORY, Part 4

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FROM OUR HOME TO YOURS w/ Nancy Campbell

EPISODE 162 –  LET’S GET BACK THE GLORY, Part 4

Allison Hartman joins me again as we talk about dressing in a way to glorify God. And we continue discussing how to teach our children God's ways in the midst of a worldly culture.

Announcer: Welcome to the podcast, From Our Home to Yours, with Nancy Campbell, founder and publisher of Above Rubies.

Nancy Campbell: Here I am again today, with Allison Hartman. Well, she's still staying with us. So we're doing another podcast while she is here. We're on this subject of clothing. We're looking into the Scriptures to see what God has to say. And we're talking about it. So I'm going to start with some Scriptures again today, and then Allison and I will get talking and we'll see what happens.

I hope you are enjoying this series, and that you still love me. Well, actually, it's not me. It's what God wants us to know. I have to say that I have been learning as I have been going into these Scriptures too. I haven't always dressed appropriately, especially growing up. I had to learn gradually God's ways. So we're all on a learning process.

But we all have to have soft hearts to hear God speaking to us, don't we? Let's keep soft hearts. Let's be open, even if we have to be open to change because that's how we grow, ladies. When we think, “Oh, goodness, no one's going to tell me that! We're going to stick to what we do!” You're in a rut! Look, when we are not open to change, we are in a rut. And a rut is not a good place to be. You're stuck, and it's usually muddy, and it's usually dirty. It's not a growing place. So let's always be in that place of growing.

I constantly pray, “Oh, Father, give me a soft heart, a soft heart to hear Your voice.” That was one of the prayers I prayed so much for my children as I was raising them. “Oh, God, give them soft hearts to hear Your voice.”

Oh, that's such an important prayer to pray over your children, that they will keep soft and humble hearts, and meek toward the Lord, because the Scriptures says: “the meek will He teach His way” (Psalm 25:9). If we don't have a meek spirit, we'll never learn the ways of the Lord.

NO. 5. GOD WANT US TO COVER OUR SECRET PARTS

Now, we're up to point number five. God wants to cover our secret parts. I'm going to take you to a beautiful passage of God's Word. I wonder if you're familiar with it. It's Ezekiel 16, and it's an allegory. Our God writes so many allegories so we can understand. It's talking about Israel and how He found Israel, and birthed Israel, and made them His people.

Oh, as I read this, you're just going to love the language. It's all in the language of clothing. It's amazing. And so, as we read about it, we get God's understanding of clothing. But the actual whole bent of the Scripture is what God has done for Israel. Just be blessed as I read it.

I'm going to read it from the New English Translation and you'll notice so much about covering and clothing as I read it. God says: “I spread my cloak over you and covered your nakedness. I swore a solemn oath to you and entered into a marriage covenant with you, declared the sovereign Lord, and you became Mine.

“Then I bathed you in water, washed the blood off you, and anointed you with fragrant oil. I dressed you in embroidered clothing and put fine leather sandals on your feet. I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk. I adorned you with jewelry. I put bracelets on your hands and a necklace around your neck. I put a ring in your nose, earrings on your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head.

“You were adorned with gold and silver, while your clothing was of fine linen, silk, and embroidery. You became extremely beautiful, and attained the position of royalty. Your name spread among the nations because of your beauty; your beauty was perfect because of the splendor which I bestowed on you, declares the sovereign Lord.”

What a beautiful passage of Scripture! I'd love you to read it again in your own time, whatever translation you love to read. The end part of that, in the King James, it says: “And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through My comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord God.”

And it's speaking here of how God is covering us with His salvation, and with His robe of righteousness. And we became perfect, not through our own righteousness, not through our own beauty, for it says here, it wasn't your own beauty, but My comeliness.”

Now the word there is the Hebrew word hadar. Do you remember how last week I told you all about the word hadar? It means glory, and how God is clothed with glory, and how He clothes us with glory, and how He wants our clothes to be glorious. Here He says that it's My glory, My beauty which I put upon you.” That beautiful word hadar comes again, which means, “glory, magnificence, splendor, excellency, honor, majesty, dignity.” This is what God puts upon us, His glory.

Let's look at few little things here. Where it says, “I spread My cloak,” the King James says, “I spread My skirt over thee.” My skirt. He covers us with His skirt. The Hebrew word is kanaph. It means, “the edge, or the very extremity of a garment.”

So He doesn't just put a little bit of His garment over us, He puts the whole garment, right to the very edge of that garment and wraps it all around us. Oh, it's so beautiful! That is what God has done in the spiritual realm.

This is not only talking about Israel, but what happens to us when we come to Christ. And we're covered with the blood and covered with the robe of righteousness. It's not just some little covering. We're totally wrapped in the very extremity of His garment.

That word also means, “the wings.” We're covered with His wings. And then it says: “I covered your nakedness.” Now here's another Hebrew word. I was telling you there's 23 different Hebrew words, I won't give them all to you, but just some of them.

Here's another one, kacah (pronounced ka-sa). This means, oh, listen to this one, “to cover for secrecy, to clothe, to conceal, to hide.” Did you get that, ladies? When God covered our nakedness in the spiritual realm, He totally hid it, and He covered it over because He didn't want anyone to see.

This is what this particular word means, “to cover with secrecy, to cover those secret parts.” God doesn't want those secret parts of our body exposed to every “Tom, Dick, and Harry.” Our secret parts, as women, are only for our husbands. They're not for anyone else.

What is it, what is it, let's ask the question to ourselves, what is it that makes us want to expose our secret parts to, it doesn't matter who? Anybody? Young men, people, anybody who's around? What is it? That's not from God. That is not from God. Dear precious ladies, we need to go before the Lord, and let Him deal with our hearts.

I do understand, because I understand that this kind of clothing today, it is so “normal.” It's not normal (in God’s eyes), but it's so in society that we think it's normal. You see, we cannot live by society. We have to live by the Word of God. And God's Word is that He wants our secret parts to be covered.

Covered means covered. Not a little bit showing, whoo-oo, yes, because some want to show everything. But just to show a little bit? Yeah. I mean, I look at women I know, and goodness, I know they love the Lord with all their hearts. And yet I'm wondering, why are they having to always even having to show a little bit? What is it? What do you think it is?

Allison: I really think just, like Satan did in the garden, just questioned, “Did God really say? Did God really say you can't touch just a little? Just try a little bit?” And so culture is, we all know how wicked culture is, right? We're trying to basically change our worldview of everything that we believe that is based on God's Word.

So culture is slowly but surely, and more, less slow. They're actually doing it very, think about the TV shows. Think about what's on the movies. So when we're watching this garbage day in and day out, and you're seeing it, and you're seeing it, it's like boiling a frog. You don't really feel it.

All of a sudden, the frog's dead. All of a sudden, we're watching, and we're watching, and we're looking, and we're seeing, and we're, oh, this friend wearing less and less and less. You're just getting, we're just getting used to it. And so . . .

Nancy: It is. That's what it is, it's getting used to it. And I think many people have no idea. They are not willfully, in any way, trying to be fleshly. It's just, in fact, when they go to buy clothes, the clothes that they don't quite cover . . .  when you find clothes that are covering.

And that's what clothes are for, to cover, not to uncover. They are to conceal, and to hide, not to be uncovered. That's what we have clothes for. That's why God clothes us spiritually and He even clothed Adam and Eve physically from the shoulders. You know that's how it is, that's Bible.

Allison: Go to any clothing store right now. Go see what's on the racks, and you'll see what they're pushing, And so these young girls, my girls love Ross and TJ Maxx. That's their favorite places. So you go into Ross and TJ Maxx, let's say. We don't go to the mall because we don't ever buy anything retail.

But you've got your cropped top shirts, that stop right under your chest, and then the whole stomach and midriff is wide open. You've got your short, short, shorts. You've got the holes in the jeans all the way up. So, that is what is on the shelf.

Practically speaking, if you're a young, you're a mother, and you're letting your daughter, like me, I let my girls shop for themselves. They're 22, 19, and 17, so they take their money, and they go buy clothing. So what is our responsibility as parents? Do we just let them go blindly to go buy whatever wardrobe they want?

Or do we give them some . . . I really think we've got to change our mindset, because I'm learning things just as we're sitting here talking. When we put on clothes every morning, we need to ask ourselves, “What is our purpose, what is our goal?” Is our goal to attract other people? Is our goal to attract our husbands? Because I can promise you, our husbands, they're attracted to us completely, covered or uncovered.

My husband will normally say, “Oh, that's a little short.” He wants me to dress, he looks for me to be modest. He loves that. And we . . .

Nancy: Because he doesn't want you to be exposed to every other man out there. You are for him. And I think this is something, because we're not, we're talking about young people. Now we're talking about marriage. I think in marriage, OK, what we wear in the bedroom, or don't wear in the bedroom, is so totally different than what we're going to wear for other people.

We, today, it seems as though people take the sacredness of the bedroom out into the public marketplace. It's unbelievable!

RAISE OUR DAUGHTERS TO BE LEADERS

Allison: Because they want to fit in! They want to look, let's say, the young ladies my girls' age, they want . . . They don't want to stand out and look like the, maybe the homeschooler that's wearing the denim jumper. They don't want that. They want to fit in. So they look at what their friends are wearing.

Well, guess what? Church friends, church children, are wearing the same thing as worldly children are. And we have to got to raise, I said this last podcast, we've got to raise the leaders that are willing to create a fashion that others will want to follow. We want them to be leaders, and girls that are wearing something that looks beautiful and is modest, and other girls to say, “Oh, I want to dress like those girls!”

That's what we've got to do. We've got to change our hearts. And we, as mothers, we have to be good examples. I'll tell you, when I was raised, when I was growing up, I really, truly, went through a phase where I remember wanting to wear, every time I would get dressed, try to find something that would attract boys to me. I really did. I'll be honest with you. That was in my heart.

Which is why I really do have a heart for these young girls, because they're craving attention from young men. I say that for two reasons. One, to encourage fathers that you must have your girls' hearts, so that they won't have that desire to always be with a boyfriend. In order to do that, you have to spend time with them. You have to spend hours sitting on their beds, talking to them, finding out, “Why do you want to wear . . .?”

Don't just say, “You're not wearing that! Go home, and go to your room, and change!” Explain to them. Have a conversation with them. I don't think a thirteen, fourteen-year-old girl, when she's putting on, say, short shorts, she's not thinking that some, maybe grown man is going to lust after her. She's not thinking that. She's thinking, “I want to look like my friends when we go to the mall.”

But the father's and mother's responsibility is to explain to that young girl that that is, again, like I said, you want to cover the areas that you don't want young men's attention drawn to. Unfortunately, with today's fashions, you're going to have to be creative. So if you have a shirt that you love that has the low-cut, wear a tank top underneath it. Be bold parents, to where you're willing to possibly upset your child, because we aren't made to be best friends with our children.

Thankfully, I feel we ought, I am best friends with my girls, but that's not my goal. That's not my purpose. My purpose is to raise godly women so that they're godly wives and godly mothers.

Nancy: Absolutely. I think that is so important. So often, so many mothers and fathers are just trying to be best friends, and to please their children. Nowhere in the Word of God does it ever say that we are to please our children. No, we are in the place of God, raising them up. Raising them to a higher standard, raising them to what God wants, raising them to a biblical standard, and a holy standard.

Because God's passion for clothing is holy, and glorious, and beautiful. It's holy, but it's glorious and beautiful. I look at your girls, and they wear beautiful clothes, and always look so beautiful. That's another thing. Beauty seems to have got forgotten in this fashion today because most of it's not beautiful. It's actually very plain and ugly. There's nothing very beautiful about this at all. I think we should encourage our girls to be beautiful.

But if our daughters come out of the room, and they're wearing something that is not appropriate, we have to be faithful as parents. As you say, don't say, “Get back in that room!” No, we say, “Hey, look, you can't wear that out, especially if you're going to church. We're not going to the beach today, we're going to church.” Or, “We're going out into the public, and that's not suitable.” You know? We have to do that.

Allison: We want it to be their decision. You want them, as they're getting dressed in the morning, to make those choices on their own. But they're not going to possibly get there right away. You're going to have to parent them. I mean, that's our job. We're going to have to instruct, and explain, and encourage them to do the right thing.

But be willing to, you might have a slammed door. I mean, it's not easy. We can make it sound, like, “Oh, that's so easy. You just say, ‘Go change,’ and ‘Oh, yes, Mommy, I would be glad to.’” That's not even realistic. But the goal is to get into their hearts, to where they want and desire to be modest.

Nancy: And, of course, we're teaching our children how to receive instruction. I can remember an incident, not just when I was young. Actually, perhaps I didn't face it so much growing up, because, even in the secular world, when I was growing up, this fashion wasn't even around. We actually did clothe ourselves.

But I can remember, I was a mother. I had three little children. And I was, I thought I was modest. But I was also trying to sort of be, pretty cool. I went downtown, and I didn't know. I was bending over to see to my little twins in their pram. Back in those days, we used to have these big prams. Do you know what I mean? They're so old fashioned now!

But I would have the twins in this pram. Anyway, there was a lady in our church. She must have seen me. She must have been somewhere in the street, and she came to me later. Maybe it was the next Sunday. She said, “Nancy,” she said, “Nancy, I have to tell you, your skirt was too short. And when you bent over, I could see everything.”

Allison: Wow! Oh, no!

Nancy: Oooh! And I was the pastor's wife! (laughing)

Allison: Oh, my goodness!

Nancy: But I thought this skirt looked pretty OK when I was standing up. But you, see, it's very different when you bend over! And people often forget about that. They forget when they lean over, they forget when they bend over, and all that.

So, I had to receive instruction. I had to realize, wow, how that is terrible, and what a testimony. You know, I had to throw that out, and make sure my skirts were longer. We have to be open to learn from one another.

Allison: How encouraging that that lady took the chance of offending you. She could have offended you. That is so good, because we . . . There was this friend of mine, that her daughter posted a picture on Facebook of prom. The cleavage was so bad that I really lost respect. I'll be honest with you, I lost respect for this family.

I really wanted to go and tell her that, “I think you guys need to think more about the way you let your daughter dress.” But I never did, and I think about that often. Shame on me that I wouldn't be bold enough to go and tell her.

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU “LIKE” ON FACEBOOK

Nancy: I know. We don't like people to think negatively of us, do we? But talking about that, I think we have to be careful. And young people, if you're listening, be careful. Think about this. In fact, all of us, is what you like on Facebook?

Because often I will see a picture of someone I know, and I see it's not appropriate. Their clothing is revealing too much. I cannot believe it because I see these “likes” of Christians I know! And I think, “How are they liking it?” When you like that, and press the “Like” you are saying, “I agree with this revealing of the flesh. I agree with you showing off your breasts, and your cleavage!”

We have to be careful. I will not like, in fact, there are many pictures that I could never, like you say, I could never show my husband. I would hate to show it to him. Why do I want to violate his mind, and that's what it's like. It's just beyond it!

Allison: If you're a mother listening, tell your daughters that, because I just recently saw that one of my girls “liked” a girl's wedding pictures. But yet, privately, we talked about how immodest, and how revealing, and how sexual this girl's wedding dress was. And it was embarrassing that she would wear something like this.

And I said, “You don't ever “like” a picture like that again!” She said, “But I mean, I just, you know . . .” I said, “No! Don't do it!” Because it sends a message to your friends, to the world. . .

Nancy: To everybody else! Yes, we need to stop “liking” every single picture that is not appropriate. Otherwise, we might as well be doing it ourselves. We are just siding with it. Yes.

Allison: I think another thing we need to be really sensitive of, and I won't go into it heavily. We met a man a couple years ago, and sadly, he passed away very unexpectedly. But his name was Bill Tollis. His whole ministry was to help men, and women get out of the addiction and the sin of pornography.

I met him at a graduation. It was the first time we really got to talk. He came up to me. He was just a neat guy, had a curly mustache, and just a great attitude. He loved everyone. He said to me, “I have noticed your family for a while now,” because we went to church with him, but we didn't know him well. He said, “But one thing I have noticed is that your girls, strikingly, dress beautifully, but modestly.”

And I thought, “Wow, that's kind of amazing, that a man, a married man, would even notice that. And I said, “You're in this pornography ministry,” so he helped thousands of men. It wasn't a small outfit. It was huge, what he did.

In fact, at his funeral, we could not believe it. They decided to do an open mike, and they let other people talk about how, what he did to affect their lives. Man after man after man after man stood up, admitted in front of everyone, “I was into pornography, and if it wasn't for Mr. Bill, I would still be stuck in it.”

They were honoring him at his funeral. But what he said that day, I'll never forget. He told my girls, I said, “Do you mind sharing with my girls what your thoughts are on how pornography . . .”  He said, “You know, pornography doesn't just start with a man looking at the worst of the worst. It starts way, it goes way back, to the way a young lady dresses.”

And it starts with that idea, like I talked about in the last session, the idea of nudity, where you're seeing just a little sliver of the breast on either side. He said that, and that's where I heard it, he said, “That is way more attractive than just a girl that has her shirt off. To see a sliver of some cleavage is way more of a turn-on to a man than that.”

He said, “The way men are wired,” he said, “I can undress a girl in a burka. So if they're dressed, and they're covered with a burka, I can still, mentally, undress them in my mind.” And his point was, as you get dressed, ladies, think about what men are going through when they're struggling with maybe an addiction to pornography. Be considerate as you're dressing.

And fathers, mothers, I can't say it enough, to encourage your girls, and not just encourage them, but really make it clear, that this is what you are going to ask them to do. Don't make it an optional thing. I really think you've got to set the standards when they're young, and then stay on it.

Don't let just one thing, “Oh, well, they're going out with their friends. That's fine, just go with what you're wearing.” No! Make it something that it really should be an issue that should be discussed.

So anyway, I think about this man, and he just recently passed away. But I'll never forget that he took time to share with me that he was appreciative of my girls attempting to dress in style, but in a way that didn't show off everything. He said that was so helpful when it comes to men that struggle.

Nancy: Oh, yes. So, talking about your covering the secret parts, it's not just covering the breasts, but it's even parts of the body that shouldn't be shown. Today, the fashion is the tight pants. Some can get away with it, but many of them, you cannot believe it, because every single line and form is shown. It's just so revealing. They might as well not have anything on, because you're seeing every single little thing, because they're so tight.

And it's the normal fashion, but as parents, we shouldn't allow it, and advocate it. Because that's the whole thing. God wants to cover, not to expose. That's the whole thing of clothing.

I remember going to a meeting one time. It was a big meeting where many young people come. In fact, I have been a few times. It was quite amazing, because it happened on more than one occasion, that young people, I didn't even know these young people! I didn't have a clue who they were.

They came up to me, and they said, “You look so beautiful.” I thought, “This is weird,” because here they were these beautiful young people. I'm older, I'm past the prime of my beauty. But I thought, “Help! Why are they saying that?”

I was dressed stylishly, but I just sort of had this long, pretty cool dress on. It was about three-quarter length. I was totally covered, and it was beautiful. But I realized, it wasn't because I was beautiful. I believe they just saw something of what they really want as a woman. They saw femininity.

And here they were, beautiful young girls, just gorgeous. But all in their tight jeans and tight pants, and just the normal thing everybody wears, even to Christian events. I guess I was different. But they were drawn to it. You see, it was something that, “Wow, now that's beautiful!” And that's because no one else was wearing it.

They were just so used to their norm which really wasn't beautiful. They might have been beautiful faces, and gorgeous girls, and loved the Lord, but really, what they were wearing wasn't beautiful at all.

Allison: Well, I remember in high school, it seemed to be where everybody wanted to look like each other. Remember?

Nancy: Yes. To me, even jeans have become a uniform. I always hated uniforms. When I was growing up, back in my day, when we went to school, you had to wear uniforms. Well, I have never been a conformist. So therefore, I couldn't stand uniforms! Oh, goodness me!

Allison: I can imagine you not being a conformist! (laughter)

Nancy:  Uniforms! That was just the worst thing in my life And yet I notice now, that people, I don't know, they get into the groove. They just wear uniforms. Everybody has the same thing. They all just wear their tight pants, or their jeans, and their top. You know, it's the uniform!

Allison: Yeah. I was just thinking, maybe it's encouraging advice, or an idea. I still think that that as parents, this is where I'm at in life. I have eleven children, from age one all the way to 22. I'm pretty close with my girls. We go shopping a lot.

And so, one idea I have is to the mothers. Take time to be interested in what your girls wear, and what they like to do. It might just mean taking them on a shopping trip, and saying, “Come on, I'd like to go buy you a pretty dress!” And I think there is not a girl out there that would not jump at the opportunity.

Instead of always saying, “No, no, no. Go change, go change, go change.” Make it something that they're looking forward to.

And even fathers, my girls would just pass out if Daniel said, “Let's go shopping,” because he hates shopping! It's a big waste of time. He has about five different things and he re-wears them all the time.

If a mother says, “Let's go shopping. Let's go to Ross, and let's find . . .” And there's some really pretty, cute dresses at Ross. Just say, “Let's go find something.” And then, as they're picking things off the shelf that maybe is not a good idea, you could say it. “Ooh, that's too short. Let's keep trying.”

And once they find something that really is a good length, it's good on the top, don't be difficult, and say, “Oh, well, that's too expensive,” or whatever. Just buy it for her! Let her enjoy you blessing them with something that they would really feel beautiful in. That's just an idea I had.

Nancy: I think that's wonderful idea. And also today, have you noticed, Allison, that you can buy beautiful dresses now, online? There are so many companies now that are making beautiful dresses. They're three-quarters, or they're longer. And they're just absolutely beautiful! And they're very cheap. You could go, “Hey, let's look at some dresses online! Look at these, oh wow! Isn't that beautiful? Hey, wow, why don't I buy that for you?”

I have been amazed myself, how the most beautiful dresses you can buy online. Some of them are just so reasonable. So that is . . .

Allison: When I saw Serene, Serene, the last few days I've seen her, she keeps wearing these, I don't know if you've noticed, but they're elastic-waist skirts. They go down a little bit past her knee, maybe between the knee and the ankle. And they're the cutest skirts. They have two big pockets.

I said, “Where did you get your skirts?” And she said, “Oh, I bought them online. I bought one in every color.” They're a skirt my girls would totally like, and think are in style. So I went on Amazon, and I already put several in my cart. They were only, one was on sale for $10. Most of them were about $20 -$25.

Nancy: Yes! It's so cool!

Allison: But, you know, if you had two or three of those, I love wearing skirts. I love wearing dresses, but it's hard when you're nursing to always have a dress on. But I just think it's fun to, yes, and that's doing something that's building that friendship with your daughter, but yet, not allowing them. I was sharing with you at the break about when I was raising my daughter, we had somebody we knew, who I guess was a close friend, that was also raising a daughter that was the exact same age.

And now, looking at where both of our girls have ended up, the other one has really not done well. She's not made good choices with boyfriends, just her life. She really has been, it's been quite. quite sad. But I remember going back to where, just when they were little, what we would let them wear.

I have never been a fan of bikinis, two-piece bathing suits. But a lot of people think it's cute to put on little girls. “Oh, it's no big deal! It's cute!” I remember this particular friend of mine, she would always dress her daughter kind of cute in kind of seductive clothing even when they were little. So when it got to be her turn to choose what she wanted to wear, she would go out . . .

Nancy: And get what she was used to!

Allison: Oh, yeah. A sports bra, or whatever, tight shorts, and that's what she got to wear. But what I noticed is that their goal as parents was one hundred percent to be the best of friends with their daughter. That's all they wanted, was just to be super-great friends. And you know, I want that, too. I want to be my girls' go-to when they're having a problem.

But you can do both! You can be your children's best friend, and good confidants and advisors, and those that they'll come to. My daughter is now married, and we talk several times a day. She asks me everything, from little teeny, tiny questions that don't seem like it would matter to really big decisions.

But I never went down that path where I ignored truths about what she was wearing because I wanted to be her friend. So I think that's so important.

But I don't want you mothers to be discouraged, thinking, “I'm a single mom. I've got this young teenager and all she wants to do is look like her friends.” I get it. That's a tough spot to be in. Sadly, it didn't just get there overnight.

Even if you're at a point now where it seems like you're too old, I don't think it is. I think you can really think of productive, intentional things you can do to spend time with your daughters, to where they would desire to have that modest heart.

Nancy: Amen! Well, time has gone again. So I pray that you have been blessed and encouraged. We'll pray together.

“Father, we come to You in the Name of Jesus. We thank You that we can talk about these things, these everyday things. It's every day because every day we clothe ourselves.

Lord, give us wisdom, as mothers, as wives. We pray that You will help us to dress the right way, Lord, to glorify You, and to be an example to our families. Give us wisdom as we . . .  Lord, I pray for every precious mother, that You will give her wisdom as she raises her daughters, Lord, for You.

Even our sons, Lord, raising them in the right way, Lord, that they will be prepared and know, Lord, what to do in this hour, and that they would even dress appropriately. But we ask, Lord, for Your wisdom, and Your blessing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.”

Blessings from Nancy Campbell * www.aboverubies.org

Transcribed by Darlene Norris * This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Or Connie Lanford (225) 335-3969 * This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Website: www.lanfordlegacy.com

This family camp will take place on the beautiful grounds of Timber Creek Camp.  It is located in central Mississippi and is run by a cheerful, sweet, and friendly Christian couple and their employees, (Christian campground).  It is surrounded by a beautiful pine forest.  On site, there is a beautiful lake.  There are accommodations for families in cabins, (family cabins).  There is also an opportunity for sports, fun, and fellowship:  Foosball, basketball, volleyball, Ga-Ga ball, canoeing, trails through the woods, and more.  There is a chapel for sessions on campus and a dining hall with scrumptious meals made by the Timber Creek Camp staff.

This family retreat will take place on the beautiful grounds of Timber Creek Camp. Surrounded by picturesque woods and a peaceful lake, Timber Creek Camp is a perfect place for families to be refreshed and encouraged by each other, other families, and Colin and Nancy Campbell.

Bring your children, teens, adult children, and friends to enjoy the foosball, basketball, volleyball, climbing wall, Ga-Ga ball, tunnels, canoeing, and trails through the woods. You are sure to be touched by God and other godly men and women of faith.

 

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT | EPISODE 161: LET’S GET BACK THE GLORY, Part 3

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FROM OUR HOME TO YOURS w/ Nancy Campbell

EPISODE 161 –  LET’S GET BACK THE GLORY, Part 3

We discover today that God's plan for clothing is to cover, not uncover. Allison Hartman from Pensacola joins me as we talk about how we can teach our daughters to dress biblically without giving into legality.

Announcer: Welcome to the podcast, From Our Home to Yours, with Nancy Campbell, founder and publisher of Above Rubies.

Nancy Campbell: I have a guest with me today, although she's not so much a guest, but an old friend. And Allison Hartman has shared a number of times with me on this podcast. Every time they come to stay, I say, “Allison, it's time to do another podcast!”

She and her husband Daniel and family have been staying with us for the week of Fourth of July. They come up each year for this time and we have such a great time together. And we had a marvelous Fourth of July, didn't we?

Allison: We sure did. It was wonderful. Being a Sunday, we just did a little short service and prayer service. That was amazing. Then we headed down to the river and had just a really fun time with lots of food. We loved watching the children saying the Pledge of Allegiance. It was wonderful.

Nancy: Oh yes, and then, of course, we went all day. And then barbecue and fireworks at night from our front lawn. It was a pretty big fireworks. It gets bigger every year!

Allison: Oh yes! Those young men did not spare any expense! Arden and Cedar headed it up and they had all the young boys following them, learning their ways. But thankfully no one got injured and everybody had a wonderful time.

Nancy: Yes, and they were saying to me, “It's going to be even bigger next year!”

Allison: We had a couple visitors too, that came, that had come to our family camp. It was so neat to see them. A couple of the families, the Grahams, and Will and Shavona Shaw. That was fun having them.  We were like old friends, even though we just met a couple of them at the retreat.

Nancy: Some of you may not realize that Allison and Daniel are the ones who organize our Above Rubies Family Retreat in Panama, which is down in Florida on the Gulf, right on the Gulf. So it's become a very, very popular family retreat. This last retreat in April, we had about 800 folks there. It was just the most glorious time.

But really, Allison, it hasn't really finished, has it? It just kept going.

Allison: It really did. Now, I started doing ladies' retreats for you when my girls were young. I can't quite remember, but maybe 15 years ago. And then we headed into family camps. And just like most people, when they go to a summer camp, you meet friends, you become besties, and then you get each other's phone numbers or addresses, like when I was growing up. And then you might reach out to them once or twice, but then, that's it.

And then the next summer, you'll think, “Oh, I hope I'll see my friend again.” But that’s just the way it goes. So typically, with these family camps, we will have lots of great connections, a lot of friendships built. But typically, we'll notice on the group chat, which we do during the conference. . .

Nancy: Which you do on WhatsApp, right?

Allison: Right, we use WhatsApp. But after the retreat, though, people are posting: “Here's a picture of my family.” Don't forget me kind of things. “And here's pictures from the retreat.” And then maybe a few prayer requests. “Hey, pray that we get home safely.”

But then, everybody starts leaving the group chat. You can tell, because it says, “So-and-so left. So-and-so left.” But this is so interesting that almost no one has left this group chat. And we're talking 70 to 80 families involved that came to the last retreat. It's just amazing.

In fact, just today I made a post and people said, “Man, I was just so thankful that we're still coordinating, and talking, and sharing.” In fact, someone did share that over the Fourth, two families that met at the retreat got together and spent the Fourth of July together. They live in different states, and they've just become friends. I'm hearing this over and over.

One young man who has a young little girl, he's single. He's a widower, just recently. The family had him come stay with them for a couple of weeks.

Nancy: That was lovely. That was Jether.

Allison: Jether, yes.

Nancy: I did a podcast telling you about Jether, because it wasn't this last retreat, but the retreat before, where his beautiful young wife passed away. She was dying of cancer. If you can get to listen to that podcast, it is unbelievable. But how lovely that someone reached out to Jether. *

Allison: Yes, they had him come stay, and they said they were blessed by him. But how neat, a young, single guy goes and stays with a family that has 14 children and they immediately became friends. And this was all because of this conference, that all these strangers met and left as friends. And they're continuing their friendship. It almost gives me chills thinking about it.

And I honestly think it all goes back to this deep desire for fellowship that has been created by this pandemic, plandemic, covid thing that our government, as we all know, has put this thing in place. But to me, how neat, and how wonderful that something good has come out of something so terrible. And the fact that these families are just starving for fellowship.

And many of them, the churches are still not meeting that. Many of them had not been around other people. Maybe their family doesn't want to be around them. That's very common. Even if you're not concerned about covid, all your family might be concerned, to where they don't even want to fellowship with you.

So it was amazing. We do have another conference, retreat, coming up. We have two coming up in the next year. You want me to mention them now? OK.

Typically, what we have done, we have done an annual conference. Normally that's in April. We've done that for, I don't even know, ten years or so. It's grown from 50 people to a hundred to two hundred. Like Miss Nancy says, last time it was almost 800 people, from all over, from Canada to California.

So we are going to do that annual conference again. It will be April 20th through the 27th, 2022 That's the full week, if you want to come to be on the beach and fellowship with all the families. The conference itself will just be during the weekend. To find out more information to register, and I will say, it is almost three-fourths full now, already. Just because of the families that came last year, they've already rebooked.

But the website is AboveRubiesGulfCoast.com. You'll find out all the dates, and all the details, and how to register. However, because of covid, we had to cancel April, 2020. So instead of just canceling, we went ahead and made it in August. Because of that, this conference center we're going to, this Christian camp, has allowed us to have the August dates as well.

So instead of putting on two full conferences, we've decided to do what we're going to call the Above Rubies Family Reunion. There are so many families who can't wait to get together again. Have potlucks, have cook-outs, have fellowship time, head for the beach together. So we decided to allow that to be August 18th through the 25th.  Again, that information can be found at  AboveRubiesGulfCoast.com. Or you're welcome to reach me on Facebook, Allison Hartman.

But that's going to be a wonderful time for fellowship. We're going to be doing some breakout sessions that will be very spontaneous. “Hey, head down to So-and-so's if you want to learn about homesteading.” Or “Come here for this dad. He has something he wants to share on raising boys.” Or whatever.  You see the possibilities will be endless. We would love to have you come and join us.

Nancy: Yes, so good! If you're interested, you have to book now to get into both those, because that's filling up so fast.

At the moment, we are in the middle of a series called “Let's Get Back the Glory.” We're talking now about getting back the glory God wants us to have, even in what we wear. So we talked about some points last week. I'm going to go on with that today. So, Allison, you can just join me and hop in, whatever you want to say, and whatever's on your heart. It will be good to have both of us talking about this.

NO 4: GOD WANTS US TO WEAR CLOTHING THAT COVERS

So we are up to, I think it's point number five, actually, now. Or maybe point number four. Yes. God wants us to cover when we clothe ourselves. We go to Isaiah 61:10: “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath covered me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with jewels.”

Now this is talking about God covering our sins, because this is what He does. When we repent of our sins, He covers our sins with His precious blood. Then He puts on us His robe of righteousness. It's His robe, not ours, because we don't have any righteousness of our own. But God gives it to us.

So this is talking spiritually, but I believe it is also talking about clothing. In fact, God uses the allegory of clothing to describe what He does spiritually. When we get rid of our sins. I also believe that, when I read this Scripture, when I see that God has covered me and clothed me, if He has done that spiritually, I think that should work out in my life physically.

How can we be covered with the blood of Jesus, clothed with His robe of righteousness, and yet still go around scantily clad, especially in public. I don't think it adds up.

What we're going to do is look at some of these words. I have so many other Scriptures. As you know, ladies, I'm going to take you into the Scriptures little by little. Even on this subject, the subject that is, goodness me, we can find Scriptures about this! But there are so many in the Word of God.

I am just amazed. I'm always amazed at the Word of God. I'm always amazed at how practical it is, and how God gets down to the nitty-gritty of life, and how He talks about clothing, and how He wants it to be. God doesn't leave anything out of His word.

All right. So let's look at some of these Hebrew words to understand what they really mean. When it says “For God has clothed thee,” the word is labash in the Hebrew. It's a verb. It an action word. It literally means, “to put on.”

So when God clothes us, He puts on clothing. Now He uses the allegory of clothing, although this is a spiritual thing that happens inwardly, but it’s “put on” as so many of the Scriptures are even translated “put on.” This is what is means. It means “to properly wrap around, to clothe oneself.”

Now there are so many different words for “clothing.” I think there are about 23 different Hebrew words for “clothing” in the Word of God. Then there's also a number of New Testament words. God doesn't use just one word. He has so many words, even for our clothing. But this particular word, labash, is used 111 times in the Bible.

Here are just a few examples.

Genesis 41:42. Pharaoh “arrayed Joseph in vesture of fine linen.” So the word is “arrayed” there. It's amazing how the Bible will translate a Hebrew word, and they will use different English words to translate it.

In Exodus 40:14, God commanded Moses about Aaron's son, and how he was to clothe him. He said: “Clothe them with coats.”

In Job 29:14, Job is speaking, and he says: “I put on (there it is, labash, to put on. You see, God's idea of clothing is that we put it on. We don't take it off. It's to put on, to cover, to wrap around). So, “I put on righteousness, and it clothed me. My justice was as a robe and a diadem.”

Psalm 132:9: “Let thy priests be clothed” (labash) “with righteousness.”

Isaiah 59:16-17. Here this Scripture is talking about God Himself. It says: “He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor. Therefore His arm brought salvation to Him; and His righteousness sustained Him. He put on righteousness as a breastplate and a helmet of salvation on his head. He put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak.”

Wow! That's pretty amazing, ladies, because there, two times, God Himself says the words, “I put on righteousness.” In other words, “I clothed Myself with it. I put on the garments of vengeance. I clothed Myself with it.” In fact, if we read this over again, we will find six words about clothing in this one Scripture.

OK, “For He put on,” labash.

“He put on (again) the garment,” two, that's labash.

“Garment,” third word. That's beged

“Clothing,” another Hebrew word. That is four.

“Clad,” He was clad with zeal, another Hebrew word, five.

And He was clad with a “cloak.” That was six. Six words about clothing in one Scripture where God is talking about covering. It's pretty amazing, isn't it?

Psalm 93:21: “The Lord reigneth, He is clothed, (labash) with majesty.” “The Lord is clothed (same Hebrew word again) with strength wherewith He hath girded Himself.”

Psalm 104:1-2: “Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, Thou are very great; Thou art clothed (Here's God. He is clothed, labash, the same word. He is clothed) with honor and glory. Who coverest Thyself with light as a garment.”

Once again, all these words about clothing. And I could go on and on. But you're getting the idea, aren't you?

But let's go back to the very beginning, because that's where we always have to start. Because in studying the Word of God, there is a law which is called The Law of the First Principle. And it's something which all Bible students look for.

When God says something, or He states something, or there is an action about something, the first time God is establishing a precedent for that subject. He will add to it, and it will be developed throughout the Word of God but that is the foundation.

It's the Law of the First Principle. God never takes away from what He says the first time. That's a good thing to remember. That's why Genesis is so important. Even the first three chapters of Genesis give us so much of what God wants us to understand because it's His foundation.

So, we go back to the story of Adam and Eve. We know how they sinned, and then, after they'd sinned for the first time, they realized they were naked. They had never really seen their nakedness before. It was so pure and innocent.

But now, now, because they'd tasted of that fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, now they understood nakedness. And they had to do something! So what were they going to do? They did the best thing they could do. They gathered some kind of leaves, or whatever they were, and they made aprons for themselves, the Bible says. And they girded them around themselves.

What does it actually say? Yes, Genesis 3:7: “And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed (that's interesting. Wow! They sewed. I wonder how they were even able to do that?) But “they sewed fig leaves together (it must have been some leaf that was very big, I'm sure) and made themselves aprons.”

Now the word “apron” comes from a root word, chagor, which means “gird on every side.” So they girded their loins. That was interesting. They at least covered that. But it was not good enough. They tried to cover themselves, but it didn't really work.

When God came on the scene, what did God do? He, first of all, had to kill an animal, and blood had to be shed. Blood was shed, right there, for their sin, because sin can only be redeemed through the shedding of the precious blood of Jesus.

And through the shedding of blood, then God took those skins. Then He made them clothes. What does it say? We go to Genesis 3:21: “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins and clothed them.”

Now there's that same word we've been talking about, labash. The Hebrew word, which means, “to put on, to wrap around, to clothe ourselves.” And so God was the one Who first clothed man. Well, they tried with aprons. Leaves didn't really work too well.

GOD WAS THE FIRST CLOTHES DESIGNER

But God actually, it's amazing, God is the first of everything! God was the first clothes designer!

Allison: That's right.

Nancy: Yeah! I mean, the devil’s taken that up and taken that away from God. God was the first clothes designer. And I am sure that those clothes that He made for Adam and Eve would have been glorious. They would have covered them, but they would have been stylish and beautiful.

Because you remember, ladies, last week we talked mostly about how God wants us to clothe ourselves with glory and beauty. And so that's in God's heart. He loves beauty. He loves glory. So those beautiful leather garments would have been absolutely glorious.

Have you seen pictures? I have, of  Adam and Eve being cast out of the Garden of Eden. They've got  animal skins around their backs, and they're going out from the Lord. But that's not true. God would not have given them a skin, and said, “Put that around you.” No! He made, do you notice the word? He made, He made, God, the Creator of the universe, made their clothes.

Can you imagine what they would have been like? They would have been glorious. They would have been beautiful, stylish, comfortable, to keep them warm, or to keep them cool. They would have been incredible. They would have been perfect, because all God's works are perfect.

But, we see another thing. OK, now we see that He made them “coats.” That's what it's called here in the King James. He made them “coats of skins.” That Hebrew word is kethoneth. It means, “to cover, a coat, a garment, a robe.” It comes from the root word katheph, meaning (and this is there, wow, I had never noticed this before. Whoo! The root word means, “ the shoulder, the upper end of the arm. A place from where the garment hangs. A side piece.”) That's the full meaning of that root word of the clothes that God made.

So therefore, He made them from the shoulders down. That's how He clothed them. He didn't clothe them with bare shoulders. He didn't make Eve’s dress a strapless dress. It was clothed from the shoulders down. And I guess I haven't thought of this before. Probably you never thought of this before. But you see, when we understand what the Bible says, and this is the Law of the First Principle, we need to say, OK, is my clothing lining up?

I think of wedding dresses. Help! I mean, most brides come to the altar today in a strapless dress. Bare shoulders. That's not how we're meant to come to the sacred wedding altar.

And really, I don't know how you think about this, Allison, but I go to weddings, and really, it can be so embarrassing, because the bride is in this strapless wedding dress, and then all the bridesmaids are in their strapless dresses. Some are big-busted, and it's hardly fitting on and showing all their bust. And others, their little dresses are barely hanging on. It's really quite a joke.

And it doesn't even look very nice! And it's not how it's meant to be. I believe a bride is meant to come to the wedding altar covered. Covered. And it's her husband's privilege to uncover her. Can you believe how we just, you see, we do so many things in our society that we take for granted. We think they're normal. Normal! You know, a wedding dress. Where do you find one that's not a strapless one? It's pretty hard to find today. And yet, the bride is showing off to everybody her flesh even before she gets to her husband.

And then, you know, we went out to dinner the other night. Oh, tell us about that.

Allison: Yes, we were at a restaurant. Right next to us was a wedding dress shop. And so they had their (you usually put your most popular dress that you want to entice people to come in) so they had this white, long, very elegant wedding dress. And I pointed it out, and you noticed it separately.

And what it was, and I pointed it out to my husband, because there are pictures on Facebook I can't even show him, because they're so, I don't even know. I think they're pornographic. They really show so much. This particular wedding dress was in downtown Dickson, TN.

Nancy: Little, wee, downtown Dickson! Here we are, just out in the woods. You know, it’s not like some up-fashion sort of place.

Allison: Right. And so what they did, was this wedding dress, it started the vee, if you will, where your cleavage would be, the vee cut all the way down to the belly button, I would say. It was showing everything.

I've heard that men are even more attracted to just the idea of nudity than nudity itself. Meaning just having a little glimpse of what a breast looks like is more attractive and causes lust more than a completely naked, naked . . .

This bride is wearing white, because it was a white gown, to show . . .

Nancy: Show her purity.

Allison: Show her purity. But yet, her poor husband is having to share her body with everyone who comes to the wedding. It's just, it's embarrassing.

Nancy: Well, you see, they just go from one thing to the other. For years now, you see a strapless wedding dress. But now that the fashion, and I had noticed this on Facebook, even before I saw it in the window. I sort of thought, “Oh, well, that must be just certain people.” But then now I see that that's what they're selling, where it's just about see-through, and the vee right down to at least the waist.

Where are we going? The trouble is, we know what happens in society. People take for granted, and think it's normal. But it is not normal, or in the Bible.

Allison: Think about who the dressmakers are. Who are the fashion people? Are they people that are seeking God on a daily basis? Are they people that have a moral compass? Are they people that really desire to keep young girls' purity? Absolutely not! And it's not just the wedding gown. It's these homecoming and prom.

Nancy: You know, because you've. . .

Allison: Oh, my goodness! I try to just keep my husband off the phone!

Nancy: Allison and Daniel have probably the biggest photography business in Pensacola, and they do many proms. Well, you have just about a thousand children at schools, haven't you?

Allison: Proms and homecomings, and yes, even the home-school prom they have in our town is kind of a joke in our opinion. They pray before they sing. But other than that, the clothing's the same, the short, short dresses that show everything, the low cleavage. The thing is, I've always said to my girls, we have six girls and five boys. We have six beautiful girls. So we have raised young ladies. They're 22, 19, and 17 (and two younger ones).

I've always said to them, “Whenever you get dressed, you're selling something. What are you wanting to sell? Because there's going to be something that captures a young man's attention. What type of man are you trying to draw in? Are you trying to attract the one that wants to look down at your cleavage, or are you trying to attract the one that wants see into your heart, into your eyes, into what you're all about?”

Goodness, we literally talk about the practical. Being a mom in today's culture, being a father in today's culture. With teenage girls, you send them off to go buy clothing. What is our responsibility? Do we instruct them on . . .  Because a lot of people can get into, “Oh, well, it has to be two inches below the knee, and it has to be this and that, and it can't be spaghetti straps.”

I know a lot of ladies might be thinking, “Oh, that sound so legalistic!” So all these anti-legalistics, you know what they're doing? They're throwing it out the window, and they're saying, “Oh, let's not be legalistic. Let's let our girls wear whatever they want. We want to be their friend.”

We were talking about this the other day. These mothers, I am amazed at these Christian mothers and fathers that I know personally. They love the Lord, they're trying to raise their kids. But they literally let their girls go out of the house half-naked. And these are young, beautiful, unmarried girls.

They're sending them, with a young boy, to prom, to be alone, where I can't even show my husband their picture because it is so seductive. How do they expect that sixteen-year-old young boy to not look at her breasts all night, look up her skirt all night. You're just inviting it! I think there has to be a better answer than all legalistic and all freedom. There has to be . . .

I have some ideas. I don't know if we have time. But I think you're right. It goes back to, that God has an opinion on this. We as parents . . .

Nancy: I think it's not an opinion. God has His law of the first mention. He has His heart. He has His whole plan for how He wants us to clothe ourselves. He's showing it in the very beginning. We're either going to live by society and what has society produced? Havoc.

There is so much fornication among young people, even Christian young people. It's not meant to be like that. Clothing has a lot to do with it. It's not like we we're talking about weddings. Of course, it's not just weddings. It's the whole of life. It's even coming to church, you know? And even going out in public.

I am amazed. I cannot believe. Often I have met in town, you know, in a shop, and I'll meet a friend, well, someone I know. Surely I hardly know where to look, they have so much cleavage showing. Their husband is supposedly a Christian, and I think to myself, “How does he let his wife go out, just showing herself?” If a husband truly, truly loves his wife, he's not going to want her to go out and show to the world what is so sacred and special for him.

Allison: But it's so cultural. It's so in style. It's what everyone's doing. You understand, this is what all these young girls, they just want to keep up with what everyone else wears. Here's my challenge: we need to be raising those who are willing to be set apart. WE NEED TO RAISE LEADERS, NOT FOLLOWERS! That is so important in fashion.

I think we all would agree that modesty must be a heart issue. If you force it, my dad, growing up, he had rules that he made me do. But there was no, necessarily, I didn't actually desire to please him. So when I would get on the school bus, I would change clothes so I could wear what I wanted. It has to be a heart issue.

I know with our oldest, she really, thankfully, desired to be modest. It's funny, I did a poll down here at the Hilltop the last time I was here. I had a bunch of the young boys. We were talking about modesty. I know girls, they really think they want to dress immodestly, because they think that's what boys want.

But I asked about ten young men here, unmarried, what would you really rather see a young lady? Would you rather a young lady be dressed very beautifully and modestly, where you're not seeing any part that you shouldn't. Or would you like to see the cleavage, and the short skirts, and the tight pants?

Every single one of them, except one who's just an honest young man, he said, “Oh, I like seeing it.” Every other one said, “I would definitely prefer seeing a modestly dressed young lady. It's beautiful to me. It's what attracts me.”

If there's two girls next to each other, and one is just dressed beautifully, but yet her shirts are higher, she's either wearing a skirt, or something that's not showing everything, that's what he's attracted to.

See, these fathers need to be telling their girls this. They don't need to take a back seat when it comes to dress. And a lot of men do. They think, “Oh, that's the mom's job.” And then the mom wants to be best friends with the daughter, so she doesn't give an opinion.

And honestly, they just let them wear whatever they want. And it has to be a big deal.

Nancy: That's not parenting. But I think what you, a little phrase you said, really, is the answer. Beautifully and modestly. It's not that you go around drab, looking like you come from a hundred years ago. No. You can dress in a style that goes with society that's modest. You can make anything modest, and you keep it beautiful. That's what God wants. He wants beauty and He wants covering.

Let me end this session with some little statements:

“Clothes are to cover, not uncover.”

This is another thing I wrote down:

“The further people get away from God, the less they want to wear.

The closer people get to God, the more they want to cover.”

So let's pray, and I think we'd better do another session on this.

Allison: I think that you're really getting wound up! (laughter)

Nancy:

Lord Jesus, we thank You that You love to show us the way. We thank You for Your Word, Lord, for without Your Word, we're in the dark. But Your Word shows us, Lord, how You want us to dress. Lord, we pray that You will give us open hearts and meek spirits that hear Your Word, to be willing to obey You, and, Lord, to take notice of Your Word. We are asking in the Name of Jesus. Amen.”

Blessings from Nancy Campbell * www.abovwerubies.org

Transcribed by Darlene Norris * This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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TO LISTEN TO THE STORY OF JETHER, THIS IS THE PODCAST:

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ACCIDENTS, DEATH, LIFE, AND THE GOODNESS AND GLORY OF GOD

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ENJOY LABOR DAY WEEKEND AT THIS GLORIOUS FAMILY RETREAT

Location: TIMBER CREEK CAMP 

8113 Morton-Marathon Rd, Pulaski, MS 39152 * Ph: (601) 536-9012

Contact: Les Lanford (225) 953-1970

Or Connie Lanford (225) 335-3969 * This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Website: www.lanfordlegacy.com

This family camp will take place on the beautiful grounds of Timber Creek Camp.  It is located in central Mississippi and is run by a cheerful, sweet, and friendly Christian couple and their employees, (Christian campground).  It is surrounded by a beautiful pine forest.  On site, there is a beautiful lake.  There are accommodations for families in cabins, (family cabins).  There is also an opportunity for sports, fun, and fellowship:  Foosball, basketball, volleyball, Ga-Ga ball, canoeing, trails through the woods, and more.  There is a chapel for sessions on campus and a dining hall with scrumptious meals made by the Timber Creek Camp staff.

This family retreat will take place on the beautiful grounds of Timber Creek Camp. Surrounded by picturesque woods and a peaceful lake, Timber Creek Camp is a perfect place for families to be refreshed and encouraged by each other, other families, and Colin and Nancy Campbell.

Bring your children, teens, adult children, and friends to enjoy the foosball, basketball, volleyball, climbing wall, Ga-Ga ball, tunnels, canoeing, and trails through the woods. You are sure to be touched by God and other godly men and women of faith.

 

Above Rubies Address

AboveRubies
Email Nancy

PO Box 681687
Franklin, TN 37068-1687

Phone : 931-729-9861
Office Hrs 9am - 5pm, M - F, CTZ