How Ladies (by Being More Feminine) Can Help Men Be More Masculine

Have you noticed that men are not as manly or masculine as they used to be? Are you feeling frustrated by it and also feeling the urge to tell the men in your life how to be more manly?

BE CAREFUL! Stop and think carefully before you act or say a word or make a facial expression.

If you say ANYTHING to them regarding them being more masculine, it will hurt them, they will resent you, treat you badly, and refuse to do a single thing you suggest. It is part of their masculine nature to resist being led and told what to do by a woman.

Instead there is something VERY FUN for you to do, that will DELIGHT them and ENCOURAGE them in their God-given masculinity.

This is it:

Be feminine yourself.*

Concentrate on a feminine appearance and manner and spirit for yourself (1 Peter 3:1-6). Smile and sing happy songs and hymns to yourself while going about your feminine domestic duties in a dress or skirt. If he begins talking to you, let him talk and ask him questions to encourage him to talk openly (without judgments).  Never say to him, "That's not nice!" Of course he isn't "nice;" he's a man, not a woman. Don't try to make him be a woman. Just listen and pay attention to him. Don't interrupt him, not to talk to the children, or for any reason (unless the house is on fire, of course). Or if he doesn't want to talk, then let him be silent and watch TV or read a newspaper without interruping him to talk to him about anything. Sometimes a man just like to be in the same room (or car) with a woman in silence with no conversation.

As opportunity arises, oooh and ahhh over his muscles and his know-how on masculine subjects, such as money management, his work, opening doors for you, carrying heavy things for you, fixing a car or some mechanical/electrical object, his driving, etc. If there's anything that needs doing that requires heavy lifting, grease, paint, electricty, a screwdriver, a ladder, or wearing denim, refer it to him. And then praise him profusely, and make him a favorite snack or meal.

Never wear dungarees (jeans) or Dockers; that's menswear that women have adopted as part of feminism. God says men and women are different with division of labor, yet compatible (Gen. Ch. 1 through 3); but feminism says men and women are the same and in competition and conflict. Feminism is a wicked, Marxist form of rebellion, which causes rifts among families along gender lines. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry (1 Sam. 15:23).

Let go of a need to control the outcome of every single thing. Let him make the decisions and solve the problems for a change. Don't worry about it; let him deal with it. He'll do a fine job. Wear "jewels" in your hair, take a luxurious bath, and wear perfume and silk. You will both love it!!

It goes (almost) without saying, that a lady would never, ever contradict her husband in public or tell any man what to do. Ever. It's the opposite of feminine, and the woman who does it is a "harpy" or an ugly gargoyle (at least temporarily) in the eyes of any man, and worse, in the eyes of God, who observes her doing such (2 Samuel 6:15-25). After all, It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman (Prov. 21:19). If you have done this, apologize for it sweetly, for a gracious woman retains honor (Prov. 11:16) Let him do things his way, and then praise him for his initiative, leadership, and good judgment. He will blossom in his masculinity, and you will thrill to him. In this way, you will work to serve and strengthen him; and he will work to serve and take care of you (Prov. 27:18)


For more reading on this topic, here's a lovely blog post from Heart for home-making called "Learning to be ladylike - gentlemen."

* If there are any men reading this, it also works the other way around. If the women in your life are too masculine/not feminine enough, then concentrating on your own masculinity will cause the women around you to blossom in their femininity.

Recipe: Carrot Cake

This recipe is delicious, nutritious, and has been modified to use less sugar, fat, cholesterol, and salt. It has already been doubled to fit a 9x13 inch pan. This recipe can be halved to fit an 8x8 pan. I have tried this recipe twice, and both times the menfolks were coming back for seconds, so I consider this recipe a success!

Carrot Cake
3 cups flour (I use a mixture of 1 cup whole wheat and 2 cups unbleached white.)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
3 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups grated carrot
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs and 3 egg whites (or 3 to 4 eggs)
1 tsp. vanilla
20 oz. can crushed pineapple
1/2 cup coconut - optional (I used sweetened coconut; if you use unsweetened, you may want to increase the amount of sugar a wee bit.)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts - optional

Mix dry ingredients together, then add the remaining ingredients. Mix well until dry ingredients are incorporated (don't overmix). Bake in a 9x13 inch baking pan at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. It is ready to cool on a baking rack when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Frost when completely cooled.

Frosting
1 (8 oz.) package of Neufchatel cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup* powdered sugar (adjust to your taste)

Mix well and spread on cooled cake.

Yummy!!!

* UPDATE April 12, 2011: Someone tried this and found the frosting much too sweet. I think I had this amount wrong, so I changed it from 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar to 1 cup. Then, you can add sugar to taste, if necessary.

Christian Women, Fashion, and Flesh

[Note: This is a revised version of a post I wrote on a “Christian” dating web site many moons ago, in response to man’s thread regarding all the cleavage and other immodesty in women’s pictures on the site.]


Many Christians have a false and wrong division in their minds: God speaks to spiritual and eternal things, but God does not speak to earthly and temporal things. The truth is that God speaks to all aspects of life. (2 Tim. 3:16)

Therefore, many Christians do not even think to look to the Bible as a source of a standard on how to dress. So, the default standard for Christians is exactly the same as non-Christians: Hollywood, their friends, magazines, TV commercials. The Bible is the Best standard, and for Christians should be the only standard because God speaks to every area of His creation. We should be set apart (Lev. 11:44; Eph. 1:4); Christians supposedly know something the world does not know. Let's show the truth of that, so there is no "supposing" about it!

I also find it troubling that Christian ladies are often blasé about being a stumbling block for their brothers, which is sin on the woman's part (Lev. 19:14; Rom. 14:13; 1 Cor. 8:9; 1 Jn 2:9-10).

To dress "sexy" in public (church or anywhere) is to dress like a harlot (Prov. 7:10) because you are seen sexually by every man who even accidentally lays his eyes on you (Ezek. 16:14-16). We are sexy for our husbands in private (Gen. 2:25) because sex belongs in marriage only (Prov.5:15-20), according to God (Ex. 20:14, 17; Mal. 2:13-17). We are not married to every man we pass by on the street; we are not married to every man in church. We shouldn't cause a Christian brother to lust (2 Sam. 11:2-4); we need to do what we can to protect his heart, his purity (1 Tim. 5:2), and his "eye-gate." (Job 31:1) First of all, modesty is a heart-issue (1 Pet. 3:1-4).

Many Christian ladies have bought into the world's view that her sexuality is for public consumption and there is no other way to "make" a man want to marry her; nothing could be further from the truth (Prov. 31:10). God says marriage first, then sex with our own spouse after marriage (Matt. 1:18-20). When a woman's heart is modest, her outsides are modest as well (Prov. 4:23).

Christian men could help the situation by pursuing modest women to marriage, instead of pursuing immodest women to…what, exactly? Or do I not want to know?

A good book (really more of a long booklet) addressing Biblical modesty and the history of our current culture in America is Christian Modesty and the Public Undressing of America by Jeff Pollard.

Infertility, Androgyny, and the Righteous Judgment of God

Since the 1960's, and especially within the last 15 years, there has been an exponential increase in birth control hormones in our water supply. This is because there has been an unprecendented increase in fornication, in which children are not wanted, and, increasingly, even married couples do not want children. So women have been taking "The Pill," for longer and longer periods during their fertile years. (And then at menopause many women take estrogen-replacements.) These hormones are excreted in the urine and enter the wastewater systems of municipalities.

The wastewater is then treated for bacteria and other pathogens, but not for birth control hormones. Our municipal wastewater is also not treated for the many other chemicals and drugs people are taking in the aging, hedonistic, and drug-obsessed culture of the West (cocaine, nicotine, heroin, anti-depressants, pain-killers, caffeine, antibiotics, chemotherapy drugs, sunscreens, detergents, etc.).

Women who take birth control hormones have increased risk of breast cancer, abortion (or miscarriage), and infertility. Men who take birth control hormones become effeminate and have an increased risk of infertility (low sperm count). The humanists are oh, so, concerned about the androgyny increasingly found in male fish because of this problem---but, honey, it ain't just the fish (and frogs and river otters).

Human males are taking on feminine characteristics, too. It is a spiritual, moral problem, but it has a physical manifestation.

Oh, the poetic justice of God's judgment. Sometimes, God really doesn't have to do anything to us; just leave us alone. We'll dig our own pit.

(Although it shouldn't amaze me, it always amazes me that, to the environmentalist humanists, it's just fine for men to be inadvertently feminized and sterilized, but if fish are inadvertently feminized and sterilized, now we have a real problem. How topsy-turvy.)

The problem is NOT a lack of "consciousness" and education about the environment. The problem is a MORAL problem. For "There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man."

We do not love children as God says we should, we do not love our husbands as God says we should, we are not meek as God says we should be. We aren't helping our husbands take a stewardship dominion over the earth (including fish) as God says we should be doing. Rather, we want to play God with the womb, with our health, and with future generations.

At the root, this wish to play God is a really a wish to replace God and put ourselves on the throne, in sinful rebellion. "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."

But God is sovereign; there is no way anyone, not one person, is going to get away with that. Either one will believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and have his heart changed; or he will continue in sin and rebellion and be consigned to hell for eternity. I urge you to believe in, repent of your sin and put your trust in, the Lord Jesus Christ, for "whosoever believeth in Him [shall] not perish, but have eternal life."


If this is the first time you've heard of this problem, you may be interested in reading one or more of the following articles (and you can find many more online; this is a small sampling):

"Birth control pills spark an environmental debate" (Columbia Univ, Feb. 2008)

"Thousands of chemical traces found in drinking water" (New York Times, Apr. 2007)

"Pharamceuticals in our water supplies" (Univ. of Arizona, Jul. 2000)

"Is birth control aborting our health?" (The Daily Green, Jun. 2009)

"Health impacts of estrogens on the environment, considering complex mixture effects" (Environmental Health News, 2007, a more scholarly synopsis of a study done on minnows)

"Birth control hormones threaten fish fecundity" (ScienceAGoGo, Apr. 2010) - Here's an interesting quote:

"Writing in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, researchers from Sweden say that traces of many medicines can be found in fish that have been swimming in treated waste water. One such medicine, the hormone levonorgestrel, was found in higher concentrations in fish than in women who take the contraceptive pill. Elevated levels of levonorgestrel can lead to infertility in fish. Levonorgestrel is a synthetic hormone that is used in many contraceptive pills, hormone implants and morning-after pills. It is thought that around 80-90 million women use contraceptive pills worldwide."

"Birth-control pills poison everyone?" (World Net Daily, Jul. 2007)



What can we do? I highly recommend at least filtering the tap water that you use for cooking and drinking.

To quote from "Is birth control aborting our health? " above:

"With such contaminants proving elusive to municipal filtration systems, the burden of protection often lies with the end user. But getting traces of birth control and other drugs out of your tap water isn’t so easy. Of the many different kinds of in-home water filtration systems available today, only those employing reverse osmosis have been shown to filter out some drugs. Some makers of activated carbon water filters claim their products catch pharmaceuticals, but independent research has not verified such claims.


“The best choice,” says Cathy Sherman of the natural health website Natural News, “would probably be a combination of a reverse osmosis filter augmented by pre- and post-activated carbon filters.” Installing such a system just for drinking water is sufficient, she says, given that water used for cleaning and plumbing doesn’t typically get ingested. As to prevention, the non-profit public health and safety agency, NSF International, urges individuals to not use their toilets or sinks to dispose of unused medications and to opt for the garbage instead; most modern landfills are lined to keep such contaminants inside."

And only drink rBST-free milk. Don't get me started.

The Pill

The Holy Bible

Helps for the Problem of Children Who Won't Drink Milk

from Good Housekeeping's Book of Menus, Recipes, and Household Discoveries (1922, 15th Edition printed December 1926), under the chapter entitled "Discoveries Concerning Children," comes the following pieces of advice from two readers:

Winifred was one of the little girls who would not drink milk, regardless of her mother's efforts. Her aversion seemed so great that mother finally stopped insisting. Then Winifred started to school. She immediately began asking for two pennies each day for recess lunch, which consisted of crackers and a glass of milk. Her mother was astounded, also elated, and asked why she wanted milk at school but refused it at home. Winifred's answer solved the question, "Well, mother, at school we drink it through a straw, and I can't smell it." --Mrs. A. R., Ind.

Perhaps your child will not drink his milk. Perhaps you are to blame for placing a large glass of milk before him and bidding him "drink it all"! There is a better way. A small pitcher and a little, flat-bottomed wine glass will do the trick. Pour a little milk at a time from the pitcher into the tiny glass and watch your child delight in taking every drop. If the child is old enough, let him pour it himself. This is a healthful method, for the milk will never be taken in large gulps. --Mrs. G. H. S., N. J.

Restoring Damaged Hair

Hair is one of my favorite topics!

Most women today have damaged hair, but they don't know how to fix it inexpensively. Even if you have severely damaged your hair, you can make it soft, strong, glossy, manageable, and healthy by being ridiculously gentle and protective of your hair.

First, how do we damage our hair? Dyeing hair will damage it, even if a "gentle" (this is one of the deceptions of the "hair care industry") formula is used. Every time it's dyed, it gets a little more damaged. Also hair drying and using a curling iron (and perming and straightening and thinning) can damage hair, even if you only do it one time. Even excessive heat in the water you use to wash and rinse your hair can damage hair. (Warm is okay, but very hot water is bad for your hair.)

If you "thin" your hair to manage the damage, keep in mind that if a hair dresser uses a razor or some other technique/tool that "wisps" the ends of the hair to thin it, then, although it helped in cutting away damaged hair, it also damaged it and made it more likely to fray and split. Blunt cutting (perpendicular to the strand, at least 1/4" above the damage) is the best cut to keep hair integral.

Unfortunately, damaged hairs will wind themselves around healthy hairs, causing tangles that will damage the healthy hair when you try to comb or shampoo your hair, or move your head ;-) Also, when it's damaged, the scalp sebum (natural waxy oil) that protects hair will not move easily down the hair shaft, and the problem compounds.

I know that women do these things to make their hair more beautiful, but truly beautiful hair is healthy, glossy, well-maintained hair. Dyeing, perming, straightening, drying, curling, moussing, back-combing, streaking, highlighting, hair-spraying, razoring, misting, thinning are just terms synonymous with "damaging." Do we say, "I need to get to the beauty salon to get my hair damaged"? We might as well! Better to stop throwing money at all the damaging "treatments" and start taking care of our hair by giving it what it needs to be beautiful and healthy. The great thing is that it is inexpensive, easy, and fun to take care of your own hair! Women have been doing it for centuries, and you can, too!

But what to do? There's no way to "heal" damaged hairs, but we don't want to cut off our hair that is so feminine. The healthy hairs need to remain and be protected, and the damaged hairs need to be cut, managed, and allowed to grow out so that they do not cause more damage. The key is a combination of "dusting" and oiling and protection. Every time you "dust" and oil your hair, you improve (lower) the ratio of damaged hair to healthy hair.

To bring your hair back to full gloriousness, you need to get radical (because damaged hair will actually damage other hair, if allowed to).

My background: Right now my hair is waist-length and very integral and healthy, and my bangs (which I cut in October 2009 and started growing out in January 2010) are getting long enough to tuck behind my ears (but they don't always stay). Last summer (August 2009), I put hydrogen peroxide in my hair (mixed with water and leave-in conditioner), then I used my hair dryer on it. Then I washed it out and conditioned it. I had read some things on the internet that led me to believe this would lighten my hair safely and inexpensively. I forgot that I should not believe everything I read on the internet! My hair did not lighten at all, and it turned to straw and started breaking off. I could barely get a comb through it. I had a halo of frizzy fly-aways that was very obvious with the rest of my hair being so long and straight. But my hair is restored now (May 2010), less than a year later.

Here is my hair care routine, which repairs/prevents hair damage:

1) Shampoo: I shampoo every morning, but if every other day works for you--that's even better for your hair! My hair is fine and my scalp is super-greasy, so I need to shampoo every morning. I comb my hair out before I take my shower/wash my hair. Since I wear a braid to bed, I usually only have to finger comb it out of the braid and any night-tangles.

When I shampoo in the shower, I let my wetted hair hang down my back, then I take a little shampoo (nickel-sized) and rub it between my palms and then over my scalp/hairline hair. Then I take another nickel-sized bit of shampoo and rub it between my palms and apply it to the scalp hair underneath. Then, using the balls of my fingers, I gently rub the shampoo into my scalp, using small circular movements all over my scalp. I just concentrate on the scalp and don't try to rub shampoo down the length. Then I coil it into a "bun" on my head and kind of balance it there while I wash the rest of me.

Then I rinse the hair very thoroughly and wash cascades of rinse water through the hair, tipping my head to the side and using my hands to gently move the hair to get water to the hair that's underneath. The rinse is actually the most important part. If your hair is very thick, you might need to rinse longer than I do to get the rinse water to the scalp to wash away every trace of shampoo. (Shampoo left in the hair will damage the hair.) Your final rinse should be cold water, if you can stand it. The cold water closes the scales on the hair, which makes it more manageable and shiny.

Clarifying shampoos strip the hair and should only be used once a month or less (if you have product build up). I only use gentle shampoo, oil, and the occasional conditioner application, so I don't really get product build up. A cheap, gentle shampoo might be Suave, generic baby-shampoo, or Nature's Gate (if you can find it at a discount store for less money).

2) Condition: I don't use conditioner very often anymore. I try to use oil as my "conditioner" because I think oil penetrates and strengthens and protects the hair, while conditioner just coats it with a lot of chemicals and can even damage it in the long run. If you think you absolutely need conditioner for manageability at this point, then go ahead and use it. But to my current point of view, dusting and oiling are more important than conditioner. When your hair is restored, you probably won't need to condition very often.

3) Dry: I gently squeeze water out of my hair with a soft towel and air dry (or combination air-dry and hair dryer on warm/cool heat setting). No hot air at all. If your hair dryer has only a hot setting, then I would recommend air-dry only.

4) Comb: I comb only dry hair because wet hair is very weak and prone to damage. My hair is straight. If you must comb wet hair (maybe you have to with wavy/curly hair? I'm not sure), then I recommend adding a little oil to the length and ends of the damp hair, and then combing gently with a wide tooth comb (or a pick if you have very curly hair), starting from the hair tips, working your way up to remove tangles. Use only a wide-tooth comb (or a pick). Start about 1" from the ends, section by section, and work your way up the section length, detangling as you go. This will probably take a long time, until your hair loses its damage. Healthy hair is very manageable.

5) "Dusting": When you dust your hair, you cut the damaged hairs and leave the healthy hairs uncut. This will improve your hair incredibly. Use a pair of ($8 or so) hair cutting scissors that is used for cutting hair only and nothing else. It should last a lifetime, if well-cared for. "Dust" dry, gently combed-out hair to which no oil or conditioner has been applied (this makes the damaged hair more obvious and therefore easier to cut). Then after you dust, apply oil, comb through, and put your hair in a braid or updo.

If you are facing seriously damaged hair, then I recommend you dust every day for a week and then weekly thereafter. The first time will take a long time, and you will have a lot of hair "dust" (the damaged hair bits that have been trimmed off) to clean up.

Don't be afraid! This works! Instructions on how to dust your hair can be found here:

http://www.longhair.org/HCP/trimming.htm

(The site above, http://www.longhair.org, has lots of great, free advice on hair care.)

6) Oil: Oil will protect and condition your hair beautifully. I use jojoba oil, which is plant-based, but light and similar to natural sebum. I bought a 16 oz. bottle for cheap from a company I don't remember through Amazon.com. I put a little in a plastic toiletries bottle that I washed out and rinsed with water and then sterilize with rubbing alcohol. (Let the rubbing alcohol residual droplets evaporate before pouring in the oil.) I keep this bottle by my bathroom sink for daily use. To prevent contamination/spoilage, I keep the big bottle of jojoba oil in the refrigerator and refill the little bottle as needed.

I pour a tiny amount (1/4 tsp.) in my palm, rub my palms together (to distribute and warm the oil) and gently apply to the length and especially ends of my hair. Then I gently comb through to distribute the oil through my hair. If you don't have jojoba, then canola oil is good, and olive oil is even better (closer to natural sebum) if you can use that. Leave in the oil. Be careful to lightly apply it, unless you don't mind a heavier look for day. You can always add a little more, if you need to.

7) Keep it confined: Keep hair confined in braids and updos. Braid or put up washed, dried, dusted, oiled hair in a smooth style. (Some styles are deliberately messy, knotted, back-combed, etc., but these styles are extremely damaging to hair.) Braids and updo protect the hair from wind, moving the head, rubbing against fabric, hairs rubbing against other hairs, getting caught in things, getting snarled, etc. Use only gentle, coated elastics or terry cloth bands, mini scrunchies, or hair pins. Any wooden hair sticks should be sanded perfectly smooth and oiled. Never use bobby pins, metal barrettes, uncoated elastics, or elastics with metal parts. (You can use bobby pins or metal barrettes occasionally after your hair is completely restored.)

I also recommend, at night, taking your hair out of the confined style, oiling the hair again before bed (it can be heavier at night, if you plan to shampoo your hair the next morning), combing it through gently, and then braiding it to sleep in. You will be amazed at how much oil your dry, damaged hair will soak up.

A lot of damage can happen while sleeping, tossing and turning on the pillow. You can also wear a bed cap (a la Little House on the Prairie) or some scarf or bandana--it protects the hair and protects the pillow from oil, but you might feel that's excessive. I don't wear one; but I would, if I could find one ;-)

If your husband doesn't like your hair up or in a braid, then you can take it down right before he comes home, but keep it confined when he can't see you, while you're working around the house or running errands.

8) No hair salons: I don't go to any beauty salons or hair cut places at all, even for trims. I haven't for years, and it has saved me a lot of money. I hate to say it, but it is in hair-cutters' financial best interests to damage your hair, and even to deceive women that what they are doing is not damaging, to get the ladies to shell out bucks on a frequent and regular basis.

My experience is that if you go to them, they will rip a comb through wet hair, use high-heat styling techniques, will try to convince you to dye or perm your hair or buy expensive hair products, will use razors on your hair, will cut off way more than you told them to, and otherwise discourage you and demoralize you and destroy all that you tried to build and restore during the previous three months.

They hate long hair and will wheedle and needle you to cut your hair short; then when you tell them "only an inch," they'll just cut off however much they want anyway, and there will be nothing you can do about it. I was once publicly chastised in a hair salon for having long hair, and I refuse to put up with that nonsense anymore. It was best for me to remove myself from the hair-salon vicious circle, to be more self-reliant/DIY, and to stop giving these harpies my hard-earned money.

I now trim my own hair--not only "dusting," but the actual trimming and evening of the ends. I trim however much I want every three months, or as needed. You might want to trim an inch every two months or so until any damage is cut out/grown out. (Most people's hair grows an average of about an 1/2" per month.)

It really works! Here are some online instructions:

http://community.livejournal.com/feyeselftrim

May God bless your hair restoration efforts!

Whiter Teeth the Frugal Way

My favorite tip to keep your teeth white inexpensively is to brush your teeth with a little hydrogen peroxide (HP) along with your toothpaste a few times a week. No need to pay for a dentist or buy those $20 hydrogen peroxide strip kits. After brushing a bit to get some foam started with the toothpaste, sip (don't swallow!) only about 1/2 a teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide from a glass you've poured a bit of HP into and swish your teeth with it. Then brush as usual. I don't actually measure the HP; I just "eyeball" it. After brushing and spitting out the toothpaste/HP, I rinse my tongue with water, but not my teeth, so the HP has time to work to whiten the teeth. Then after 10 or 15 minutes, I rinse my whole mouth with water.

This will only work on natural teeth, not caps, crowns, etc. If your mouth gets sore or you develop canker sores, then use less often. Your teeth might be a little "sensitive" after--that's normal. At first, when my teeth were quite yellow, I did this three days in a row. However, for maintenance, I usually only brush with HP once or twice a week.

Good dental care is so important, not only to your smile, but to overall health. A healthy person is the most attractive. So take care of those choppers!

For more information about health issues caused or exacerbated by poor dental health:

From Wrong Diagnosis, symptoms of tooth decay, including comorbid symptoms

Tooth decay and gum disease linked to heart attacks


I highly recommend using a Sonicare, if you can afford it--I found mine on sale for $20, and I usually use rechargeable batteries to power it. Be gentle and thoroughly rinse and air dry the brush head after each use, and you can easily extend the life of the brush head to 9 months, or maybe more. You will save much money in dentist bills because it improves the health of your teeth and gums when used properly.

But you can have healthy gums and white teeth with a regular manual toothbrush. Always floss, no matter what type of toothbrush you use. When you floss, it should be gentle, and feel like a tickle, as you gently work the floss around between your teeth. Then use a soft brush head, to very gently scrub with small, slow gentle circular strokes along the gum line and the surface of the teeth. You only need a small pea-sized bead of toothpaste; using any more than that is just a waste of toothpaste (money).

A friend of mine would only brush once per day (until she basically lost most of her teeth to decay; now in her 60's, she has thousands of dollars worth of fake teeth). If you have to pick a time of day to brush your teeth, then pick the evening before you go to bed. However, you can safely brush two or three times a day as long as you are GENTLE and swish and rinse thoroughly with water.

The Importance of Vitamin D

For several weeks, maybe even months, I've been feeling quite rundown. I wasn't sick enough to go to the doctor with anything...just extremely tired, infections coming and slowly going, mild nausea, down mood, not sleeping well, and fatigued. I've even been late/stayed home from work a few days, and morning worship on the Lord's Day one day.

I was praying to God about this strange malaise, and I remembered my mom telling me about how common vitamin D deficiency is, especially during the winter in overcast Western Washington State, where we live. Vitamin D is the vitamin our bodies produce when the skin of our face and hands/arms is exposed to strong sunlight for 10-15 minutes per day. It is also available in certain foods. I didn't think much of it at the time because I love the rain and the hazy grays of winter here, but I realized that for months, I've been going to/coming home from work when it's dark and avoiding egg yolks (to save fat and cholesterol) and other vitamin D-rich foods.

Vitamin D aids the body's absorption of calcium and strengthens the body's digestion process, immune system, and sleep cycles (I think). I bought some OTC vitamin D pills and have been taking 2,000 IUs per day for the past few days.

I can't believe the difference! All my energy and vivacity has come back and my eye and ear infections have cleared up. My digestion is very good and my nausea has disappeared.

Please consider if you might have vitamin D deficiency and take pills/get more sunlight/eat more vitamin D-rich foods. Doctors can check this as well, and even prescribe a high-dose vitamin D if you have very low levels. Such a simple thing to fix, and I feel so much better! :-)

A prolonged vitamin D deficiency can cause even more serious health problems. Here's a link for more information.

Recipe: Ambrosia Salad

Here is an easy fruit salad, also good for potlucks. I modified the recipe from the original so that it would be more healthful and delicious!

2 cans (8 to 10 oz. each) crushed pineapple in juice (or fresh)
2 cans (8 to 10 oz. each) mandarin oranges in juice (or fresh)
1 cup mini marshmallows
1/2 cup real sour cream
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/4 tsp coconut flavoring (opt.)

Mix together in a big bowl and chill. Enjoy!

Does anyone have more dishes that are good for potlucks?

Growing Your Hair Long

Here are some thoughts I've had on the controversial question: Should a woman grow her hair long? I've also included some tips for growing your hair long, if you'd like to do so!

The Bible teaches us that men and women are distinct from each other. Men are to be masculine, and women are to be feminine (Deuteronomy 22:5). Part of a woman's distinctive femininity is her long hair.*

"Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering." (1 Corinthians 11:14-15)

As we read more of the Bible, we find that a woman's hair and head "covering" is a symbol of the greater reality of the covering of Jesus Christ provides for His beloved Church (Genesis 3, Psalm 140:7, Isaiah 3:20-30, 1 Corinthians 11:3-8, Ephesians 5:23).

Sadly, many a Christian woman has lost sight of the fact that her hair is a glorious symbol of her protected, cherished, forgiven position in the hierarchy of God's creation. Some women who want to grow their hair long feel afraid or conflicted about it, or may just not know how. Watching Oprah, reading the women's magazines, or talking with friends, many women are receiving the worldly, pressuring message--contrary to God's Word--that long hair is a burden, a shame, and the glorious thing to do is to cut it all off!

Feminists often cut their hair short because they see it as a glorious "freedom" from the "covering" and protection of God and man. That is why, after hundreds of years of keeping their hair at full-length, women cut off their hair during the rebellious feminist and Marxist times of the 20th century, especially since the 1920's. That is why a woman will feel angry and want to cut off her hair (Jeremiah 7:28-30) when she has been cut off from masculine protection (sometimes at her own instigation) and has been abused by a man. That is why, ironically, extreme feminists will often cut their hair very, very short to make it look like the hairstyles of men (Deuteronomy 22:5).

In this post, I would like to encourage ladies to grow their hair! How long? The Bible doesn't spell out an exact length--and I don't think it is important how long. I encourage you to read Scripture to get a better idea of God's perspective of a woman's hair, and the more important understanding of Christ's relationship with His Church.

Here are some questions you might want to ask yourself: Do I feel very feminine and distinctive (unlike a man) with my hair this way? Do I feel feminine when I care for my hair, dress it, braid it, comb it? Do masculine men, especially men who protect and cherish me, seem to appreciate my hair this length? Am I able to keep it healthy and well-cared-for at this length?

In my experience, I had never been able to grow my hair past my shoulders. I had always wanted to grow my hair longer, but felt somehow that I "couldn't" grow my hair. I never felt like my hair looked "right" and tried all sorts of expensive, damaging treatments, such as dyeing and perming, to try to make it look "right." Then, I researched various ways to grow my fine, straight hair and put them into practice as an experiment. Six years later, my hair is healthy and waist-length, and I am very happy with it!

As you read the list below, notice how the very acts of caring for long hair train a woman to be more feminine and gentle.

Here are some tips to grow your hair healthy and longer, whatever length that is for you!

1) Stop going to hair salons. Don't listen to hair stylist fashionistas and TV commercials which have money-worshiping, worldly, feministic reasons to undermine you in this area.

2) Trim your hair yourself at home. Here are instructions on how to self-trim long hair. Also, trim only damaged individual hairs if you can. Here are instructions on how to "dust" your hair.

3) Stop coloring, bleaching, frosting, perming, straightening, and heat styling. Be very gentle. If your hair is very damaged, you may have to cut off the damaged hair and start over. Trust that God made your hair the "right" color and texture, and He'll grow it the "right" length, too.

4) Comb gently and slowly through damp hair with a wide-tooth comb. Never use a brush on damp hair or very curly hair.

5) Use jojoba oil, cocoa butter, or even cooking oil on the ends of hair if the ends seem dry.

6) Stop using hair accessories that pull, rip, and damage hair. Be very gentle.

7) Learn hair styles that keep your hair femininely confined in braids and updos.

8) Wear flowers and ribbons in your hair. Wear hats and scarves over your hair, especially in worship service, to remind yourself of the unearned covering and loving protection the Lord provides you.

9) Comb your hair gently before you shampoo, and shampoo very gently with the minimum amount of shampoo. Never pile your hair on top of your head and scrub. Use the pads of your fingers when you shampoo. Rinse very throughly and gently.

and

10) Wear your hair long no matter what age you are. The world is totally wrong when it tells us that women become more masculine as we age because of hormone changes. You are fully a feminine woman all your life, no matter what stage or season of life you are in. (Remember Sarah, who though old and past childbearing age was so beautiful in her godly grace that a king desired her and took her from Abraham. God protected her from the king's advances.) The younger women need to be able to look up to the older women who have the godly courage to remain beautiful and distinctively feminine as they age.

"In that day shall the LORD of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people, And for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate." (Isaiah 28:5-6)

* If you are sick, and don't have any hair or must keep your hair very short, you can still be feminine and "covered." First, and more important, you can be covered by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ. Secondly, and less important, you can wear pretty scarves, hats, and wigs. I am speaking against a rebellious, feminist spirit in this post, not against ladies who have a physical illness.


If you have any long hair tips or stories, I hope you'll share by commenting!