The Christian Homekeeper

My friend Susan sent me a link for making pomegranate syrup. I am getting set to make this stuff today, hope it turns out well. I love pomegranates, their flavor is so good!

The recipe is simple:
5 cups pomegranate juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 cup sugar

Boil til thick and then pour into half pint jars, seal.

When I get it done I’ll post a picture of the jars.

For those of you who are searching for information and understanding about the area of modesty and how Christians should dress, I offer these articles:

What Is Biblical Modesty? by Sylvia Britton

Modesty and Wearing Dresses Only by Sylvia Britton

Is Wearing Dresses Only, Legalistic? by Traci Knoppe

Modern Day Modesty by Traci Knoppe

And for some quick but important tips:
Six Great Tips From Titus 2 Women by Alice Chapman

On a frosty morning or evening, or for a break in the afternoon, a warming drink is a welcome companion. A lot of these recipes are from my very old internet site at geocities. Open your home to friends and family and offer some of these very warming, delicious drinks…….
Read more »

1 Timothy 2:9-10 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.

1 Peter 3:3-4 Whose adorning let it not be that outward [adorning] of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But [let it be] the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, [even the ornament] of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

Contrary to some human teaching, the above verse does not teach us that women must not wear gold and plait their hair. If it did, then in the same sentence we ladies would be prohibited from putting on apparel or dresses either. This verse and its context refers to the wearing of outward adornment and being so concerned with these things as a means of making ourselves beautiful instead of relying on God to work on our inner man and create true beauty from within. Inner beauty is true beauty! And inner beauty comes from knowing God, not how our outer shell is dressed and decorated.

Deuteronomy 22:5 The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth 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

Further study on this passage and especially a word study reveals that the meaning here is related to God’s requirement that the sexes be distinguishable. It is important for men and women to be distinct. In fact, it is so important to God that men and women who attempt to appear to be of the opposite sex are called an abomination to the Lord.

There is great debate in Christian circles on this topic. I have studied it for years, especially since owning this web site began in the court of “All women MUST wear dresses, because that is what God’s Word says.” Later, I believe that God was teaching me that this was not His meaning at all and that I had reduced His love for me to a series of rules that I must follow to be holy. Again, this is my understanding based on what my husband and I have prayed and asked God to reveal to us.

When a Christian woman in our society wears pants she is not usually attempting to look like a man…… In our American Christian culture, pants are appropriate clothing for both men and women. There are men’s pants and women’s pants, men’s shirts and women’s shirts. These are generally distinguishable from one another. Even dressed in pants, women are usually distinguishable from men.

I believe we need to take account of more than just pants though. Hair styles, mannerisms, dress all are ways that we convey our gender to others. Since it is important that we identify with our own gender, it’s important that we be careful in what we wear and how it makes us look. Knowing this, and in order not to offend my weaker Christian brothers and sisters in my liberty, I choose to dress in dresses and skirts instead of pants.

Any time we see a man in a dress we immediately think of perversion. This is definitely a cultural issue. In some societies however, long flowing robes that cover the whole body are standard for both genders. There will be identifying touches though that tell others in that society who is male and who is female. If we are familiar with that culture’s gender rules we will know what those touches are.

Who would say that a long flowing robe on a man of another culture, though it is similar to a dress in that is is a flowing piece of fabric, speaks of perversion? It’s not even part of our culture, but we understand that Christian men do wear this type of outfit in some countries and we aren’t confused about whether or not he is make or female IF we understand that culture. If I move there, I had better conform to the standard dress for women so as not to be mistaken for a man! If I did not I would be defrauding my brothers and sisters in Christ, I would be sinning and I would be wearing that which pertains to a man.

I believe that it is permissible for Christian women in our society to wear modest pants. We understand this culture and we understand that it is usual and permissible for women to wear pants without defrauding the opposite sex into thinking she is a male. It is permissible but not always expedient as Paul puts it. Its not always the best thing to do.

The interpretation of Deuteronomy 22:5 to say that women must wear dresses only is simply that: an interpretation. I give my fullest respect to people who have studied the scripture and come away with an understanding different from my own. To my best ability though, I have come away with the understanding that God is not telling us to wear dresses only/always, but to look at the condition in our hearts and to listen to His voice about modesty. This may include a time of wearing dresses only as He molds and shapes us to His image.
I have found that God does often require things of me that He does not always require of every one else I know. This is called a conviction. Convictions are given to help us to grow in our faith. Convictions may change with our growth.

There are parts of God’s Word that are not open to discussion. For example, He tells us not to commit adultery. I don’t have to be convicted of this. I must not disobey His Law. I must not murder or covet, I must give to the poor and I must read His Word. If I transgress, God will convict me of this sin. But I do not need to wait for conviction to obey Him.

It is my understanding that God’s Word in Deuteronomy 22:5 is not a word that instructs us to wear certain cultural clothing, but to be aware of how we dress and how it affects others. It is a warning that we are not to try to appear like the opposite sex.

There are few topics in Christian circles that arouse more disagreement or points of view than the subject of modesty. You already have an idea of what you believe modesty to be, so does almost every other Christian woman in the world. But do your ideas line up with God’s Word?

Much of what we believe modesty to be is shaped by our experiences in life. Like any ingrained way of thinking, it is taught to us by our elders, peers, experiences and observations. There are many, many ideas that make up our views of what is modest. But as Christian women, should not our views of modesty be molded by God’s Word?

By definition modesty means not to put one’s self forward, not brash or bold but quiet, and not wanting to attract attention to one’s self.

Modesty is one of the ways of behaving that God requires. In Genesis, both Adam and Eve were made clothing by God Himself to cover their nakedness. That is, to hide their bodies. You will recall that Adam and Eve had already made themselves some coverings of leaves. Why were they not appropriate? One reason is that they did not suit God, because they did not adequately cover body parts that God knew would become a temptation to sin for mankind. It is a picture of our inadequacy to save ourselves and a picture of what it means to be properly clothed in God’s eyes.

We know from reading scripture that the Lord wants us to cover our bodies in public for the benefit of sparing others the temptation of sin (Genesis 9:21-24; Leviticus 18:6,7; Nahum 3:5; etc).
However, being naked means more that revealing our private, reproductive parts. In John 21 when Peter went fishing with the disciples we are told that he was naked (21:7). When he went on to meet the Lord, he put his coat around himself. His chest and thighs were uncovered, and this is why he was said to be naked. His bare chest and legs were uncovered.
This same standard applies to women. In Isaiah 47:2,3 God judges Babylon…. “Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers. Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen.” We cannot show theseparts of our bodies and still think of ourselves as modest. Scripture show us other wise.

What is our motivation for choosing the clothing we choose to wear? Who are we trying to impress or attract and why? And are we obeying God in His requirements for modesty?

If we choose to allow God to reign in our hearts and to be our Master, then we will choose clothing that reflects our place of submission and obedience to Him. A prostitute wears clothing that draws attention to herself. A godly woman on the other hand does not draw attention to herself by wearing revealing clothing, high fashion or clothes so out of date they are conspicuous.

Should we never wear pants?
God has made women distinctly feminine and we should be so happy and grateful that He has done so. In our culture, dresses are the distinctly feminine clothing article that distinguishes us from the boys. So, we should at all opportunities wear the clothing that helps us to appear and feel distinctly feminine. I do not believe that in our culture pants that are cut for women’s bodies are sinful. However, just because a pair of pants covers your legs and thighs doesn’t make them modest either.
I don’t believe that pants are a necessary garment in the daily lives of most women. I live on a farm and it is certainly not a daily requirement for me to wear pants.
There may be other times when you feel it necessary to wear pants. But let us try to aim to wear the garments that say “feminine” like dresses and skirts. Let us embrace the call to femininity and modesty from our Lord.
As we continue to grow in the Christian life, we begin to see that modesty is a way of thinking, a heart condition, if you will. It begins with a desire to please God and ends with a behavior that honors Him. In between the two is a time of learning and praying.
Modesty in thought will spill over into our way of dress, our language, our habits, our outlook and every area of life!

One of the main arguments I hear from young women about their desire to follow fashion and dress immodestly is that men who are disturbed by a woman’s way of immodest dressing should simply have more control over his thoughts and look the other way.

To be sure, a man should gain control over his thought life and look the other way. But what is the attitude that Christ requires of us toward men? Philippians 2:4 states; …look not only to our own interests but to the interests of others”….

To look to the interests of others means that we do not dress as to incite lust or attract the attention of others. We do not take liberties that we may think of as ours because they may tempt another or put a stumbling block before them.
No woman who dresses immodestly deserves abuse at the hand of a man. But we must think about how we are dressing and how it affects the minds of our brothers. The way of dressing that attracts attention, makes a man think of you in a lustful way, is not in keeping with the thinking of the interests of the man. It is the age old question that must be asked, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Indeed, we are to an extent our brother’s keeper. As much as it is in our power we are to not place before our brothers any reason to sink into lust and sinful thoughts. When we dress immodestly are we helping our brothers “….keep a covenant with [their]eyes” Job 31:1? When your skirt rides up too far or your blouse is cut a bit too low, how is this liberty affecting the thought life of your brothers?

One of the most common objections I hear from young ladies about wearing modest clothing is that God looks at the heart and not at the outward body. But dear sister, I must ask what is the condition of the heart that dresses immodestly? If you are dressing in a way that causes men to so have sinful thoughts, what could be the condition of your own heart? To dress immodestly because it is our right to do so is a brash and bold slap in the face to God’s requirement of all Christians to think of others before ourselves.

Continue reading:Modesty and Wearing Dresses Only

Everyone who cooks a turkey for Thanksgiving probably has their own way of getting that bird cooked and to the table. I have mine, too. Here it is in case you would like to try it.

I start by brining the turkey. I buy the turkey about a week ahead of time. Usually, I buy frozen. I thaw it in the refrigerator for about 3 days. Then I put it in to brine. This year, I will try to get photos of the turkey as it is brining and post them later.

Sylvia’s Brined Turkey

To brine a turkey you will need a large pot that will hold the whole bird in the brine and a space in the frig large enough to store it for a day. Brining is simply soaking the turkey in a salt solution that has spices and flavors added to it. Brining a turkey imparts delicious flavor and moisture to the meat, it’s the best way to roast a turkey I think. More than that though, if the turkey gets left in the oven for an extra 10-15 minutes, the brining keeps it moist and flavorful.

I’ll walk you through brining, it’s not hard but you need to think about what your family likes before you start. Brines can be tailored to your taste. Read more »

You may be able to leave your unrealistic expectations behind, but what about your spouse and family? If you start changing precious traditions or even hassle-filled yearly routines, how ever stressful they may be for everyone, it can cause a family uproar. That’s why I recommend that you get all the changes that you would like to make together on paper, and choose one to three changes to present to your family.
It is important that you don’t make too many changes at once. People in general don’t like change, and too many changes can make your family uncomfortable and even grumpy!
The idea is to work together as a family to bring simplicity and peace to your celebrations.

Pray Together
Praying together isn’t something that many families do these days. It may feel awkward and unnatural at first, but here are some ways to bring your faith into the family unit as you make changes for the better.

1) Start now having at least one meal per day together. Begin praying at meal time and thanking God for the food. Use this time to thank God for other things in your family’s life and to ask for His guidance in changing your Thanksgiving routines and habits.

2) Ask your family members how you can pray for them. And then pray for them!

3) Ask your family to pray about the changes you are considering or activities you are thinking of involving the family in.

Plan Together
Have a family meeting. Lay out your ideas and discuss them with your family. Give your family a choice of two or three changes. Choose together. Ask for their help in implementing the changes. Taking away one thing leaves a void in your family’s life. When you take away the familiar, even if it needed to be taken away, always replace it with something good. Unless everyone is on the same page with making life changes like this, it just won’t work. But if everyone is working together to bring good changes to your holiday celebrations, it can be truly rewarding.

Work Together
Consider working on a family project of giving this year. Make a food basket for a family or individual, invite a family or individual over for your Thanksgiving meal, work together as a family in a shelter serving a meal, work to earn money to buy a meal for a family. There are so many other opportunities that you can work together on to bring a sense of what Thanksgiving is all about to your family. Even working together on table decorations, yard clean-up or cooking the Thanksgiving meal can bring your family together in a way that everyone going their own way can’t do.

Identify some of the most important things to each person to have done in the house before guests arrive for the Thanksgiving meal. Then work together to get those things done for each family member. One family member might have a particularly messy room and need help getting it under control. If everyone helps out, it can be done quickly. Then the family can move on to the next area in the house that needs attention.

Bless Others Together
This year, focus on people instead of material things. Instead of buying a new living room suite or having the carpet replaced before company comes, funnel that money toward someone who is needy or to preparing a larger meal and inviting more people who have no where to celebrate Thanksgiving. Just the act of focusing on people and not material things can change your way of thinking about thankfulness.
Allow each family member to suggest a way to bless others this year at Thanksgiving. No matter how far-fetched a suggestion sounds, give each idea some serious thought and then choose one or more of the ideas and act on them as a family.

Enjoy the Holiday, Together
Be sure to practice what you preach to your family about changing your Thanksgiving routines and habits. Focus on people, not things. Thank God daily for how He has blessed you and your family!

For years I have written about bringing traditional values and practices back to our US Thanksgiving holidays. This year, I want to write to you out of my own experiences with preparing for Thanksgiving and other holidays through the years. Hopefully I can encourage you to take a new look at how you go about getting your home and mind ready for Thanksgiving.

Americans seem to have lost so much through the years and people yearn for those simple, peaceful occasions. Many of us go looking for what we call old fashioned ways of celebrating Thanksgiving so that we can recapture something we hope will fulfill us and our family. We often go to great lengths to find this fulfillment and very often our efforts end up in arguments or stressful confrontations in the family, overspending and profound sadness.

Holidays aren’t peaceful or simple if you find yourself strung out, worn out and tensed up over making a the occasion into something that meets unrealistic expectations. I want to encourage you to let go of your expectations for a perfect Thanksgiving get-together this year and to redefine your ideas of Old Fashioned.

What does an Old Fashioned Thanksgiving look like anyway? To most of us it means food, family…. and beyond that, what? Perfectly decorated tables? An immaculate house? New furniture? Lots of going and doing? Shopping with family and friends? A quiet evening or two before the fireplace with family? I think it can, in part, mean any of those things but conspicuously missing from those descriptions is the Lord Jesus Christ and the particular peace and fullness He brings to our lives. It seems so easy for most of us to get busy and involved with making the perfect Thanksgiving celebration that we forget about the reason for all our blessings.

When we set up a picture in our minds and make plans for a perfect Thanksgiving we set up expectations. Expectations can be dangerous things to family harmony and peace.

Unmet expectations = Discouragement

Thanksgiving and other holidays often leave us discouraged and frustrated with the people and preparations of the seasons. We somehow believe that because we spend money, time, thought and energy on preparations for these holidays that they must turn out a certain way. And then they don’t and we are discouraged and frustrated and we show that by the way we treat our family members.

Food for thought ~ We have no rights to expect anything in this life except the promises of God. Yet our sinful nature tells us that we have rights to our expectations. We have the Gospel and we have forgiveness in Jesus. Is that Good News enough for you? Or do you insist on having your holiday expectations met?

Everyone has their own ideas of what constitutes an Old Fashioned Thanksgiving, but I think the main things that people think of when they think of a holiday being old fashioned are peace and simplicity. I believe we can have those beautiful attributes in our present day celebration of Thanksgiving, if we focus our minds on what we are grateful for and on enjoying the people God sends into our lives.

Certainly, go shopping, lay around the fireplace with family, play games, go for a walk…. do all those things but do them with an attitude of thankfulness and with an eye on the fact that these luxuries are gifts from God; we don’t have a right to any of them. When I think in those terms I become even more thankful for what I have.

This next week as you prepare for the Thanksgiving meal, open your heart to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to prepare it for giving thanks. Focus your mind on Jesus and serving others as He has done. Focus on people and being thankful for what God has given you. Then your Thanksgiving will be simple, sweet and truly old fashioned. No matter what happens, no matter if things don’t go perfectly and according to plan, you will have thankfulness and peace in your heart….and I think that is the very best kind of old fashioned Thanks-giving there is!

This is my current stuffing recipe. We really like this recipe at my house! It is fragrant and beautiful on the table. I hope if you try it, you will let me know how it turned out and how you liked it. Read the ingredient list carefully, there is a cooked turkey liver in it and that is what gives it that mellow, delicious flavor. If you don’t like liver, just omit it, it will still be very good.

* 1 1/2 cups cubed whole wheat bread
* 3 3/4 cups cubed white bread
* 1 pound ground sage pork sausage OR use turkey sausage
* 1 cup small chopped onion
* 3/4 cup small chopped celery
* 2 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
* 1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary
* 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
{Please, oh please if you use this recipe use fresh herbs! You won’t believe the difference that will make in this recipe!}
* 1 Golden Delicious apple, cored and chopped, keep it small
* 3/4 cup dried cranberries
* 1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
* 1 cooked turkey liver, finely chopped
* 3/4 cup turkey stock
* 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Spread the white and whole wheat bread cubes in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes in the preheated oven, or until evenly toasted, stirring periodically. Put the toasted bread into a large bowl and set aside.

2. In a large skillet, cook the sausage and onions over medium heat, stirring and breaking up the lumps until evenly browned and no longer pink. Add the celery, sage, rosemary, and thyme; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes to blend flavors.

3. Pour sausage mixture over bread in bowl. Mix in chopped apples, dried cranberries, parsley, and liver. Drizzle with turkey stock and melted butter, and mix lightly.

At this point the stuffing is ready to put into the turkey or bake in a pan. I don’t ever stuff the bird, I just put it in a greased casserole dish and bake it for about 30 minutes, uncover it and stir it, then bake for another 30 minutes.

If you want it to hold together more, add an egg to the mixture before baking.

I don’t remember where I first found the original recipe for this stuffing, it may have been on one of the popular TV cooking shows. But I have changed it through the years and made it my own. This preparation steps for this stuffing smell just wonderful! You can use 12 cups of bread crumbs instead of using half cornbread.

This isn’t my current recipe, but one I have used in the past and everyone has enjoyed very much.

* 6 cups white bread cubes
* 6 cups yellow cornbread, cooked and crumbled
* 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
* 1/4 cup butter
* 6 cups coarsely chopped leeks or use a mild yellow onion
* 2 tart green apples - peeled, cored and chopped into small pieces
* 2 cups chopped celery, chop small
* 4 teaspoons poultry seasoning
* 2 teaspoons dried rosemary, chopped, or use 3-4 tsp fresh rosemary for the best flavor
* 1 cup dried cranberries, whole or cut in two
* 1 1/3 cups chicken broth
* salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F . Spread bread cubes in a single layer over two baking sheets. Bake until slightly dry, about 15 minutes.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook sausage, crumbling coarsely, for about 10 minutes or until evenly brown. Drain off grease, and transfer sausage to a large bowl.
3. Melt butter in the skillet; add leeks, apples, celery, and poultry seasoning. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes. Stir in the rosemary and dried cranberries.
4. Mix leek mixture and bread cubes with sausage in bowl. Spoon stuffing into turkey, packing loosely.
5. Bake remaining stuffing in a buttered baking dish, covered, at 350 degrees F for about 45 minutes. Uncover, and bake another 15 minutes to brown top.

This stuffing isn’t packed and thick or gooey, but loose and flavorful.