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Remember the dream! I hope everybody has a blessed Martin Luther King Jr. Day! Remember the words from this amazing man!
~Cecelia Dowdy~
Remember The Dream!
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Sunday Brunch – Should Women Cover Their Heads?
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
What’s your opinion about a woman’s head covering? Should a woman cover her head during worship?
When I was involved with the Jehovah’s Witnesses, decades ago, if a woman was leading a Bible study, and a man was present, she always covered her head in deference to him. The three of us (my Bible study leader, her husband, and myself) were at the Kingdom Hall, and when we took out our study books, she glanced at her husband and said, “Oh, I guess, I need to wear this since you’re here.”
She opened her purse and pulled out a scarf and she tied it on her head. I laughed (I was young, only 18) because I didn’t understand what she was doing. I thought she was kidding. She then pulled out her Bible and we read 1 Corinthians 11:1-16 (quoted at the end of this blog post) – this was their basis for their head-covering convention.
She then further explained that when the sisters of the congregation would go out in service, or pray together, they would cover their heads since there was no man present.
Wait a second…do you enjoy wholesome Christian novels? Try Raspberry Kisses – an Amazon bestselling novel – nearly 300 reviews! Download now and tell your friends, family and church buddies by sharing this link. Now back to women covering their heads….
So, should a woman cover her head while praying? Should she cover her head in church, or while praying with a man? Verse 15 states that a woman’s long hair is her covering – does this mean that a woman should not cut her hair? Does this verse mean that a woman’s hair has already been provided as a covering for her head?
Or, is this scripture cultural – something that was only applied to the church during the Apostle Paul’s time? Do you recall being taught about women’s head covering when you were growing up in the church?
Please leave a comment about this thought-provoking subject!
1 Corinthians 11:1-16
New International Version (NIV)
11 1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.
2 I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the traditions just as I passed them on to you. 3 But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. 5 But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved. 6 For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head.
7 A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. 8 For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; 9 neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. 10 It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own head, because of the angels. 11 Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. 12 For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.
13 Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, 15 but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. 16 If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of God.
Just Judy’s Jumbles Facebook Party – Book Giveaways!
Photo courtesy of Free Digital Photos. Image courtesy of Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
My friend, Judy Devries, is hosting a Facebook party because she’s reached 100,000 views on her blog! Come and join in the fun! I’ll be giving away a copy of Chesapeake Weddings during the celebration! 🙂
My romance collection is on sale for 99 cents each.
– See more at: http://ceceliadowdy.com/blog/#sthash.UOQJqOUt.dpuf
A Miracle Of Hope – Book Giveaway!
***This giveaway is over! Winner was announced here.
I’m giving away a copy of A Miracle Of Hope but, to enter, you must do two things:
1. You must answer the following question: Have you ever raised a step-child, or, have you ever been a part of a blended family?
2. You must leave your email address so that I can contact you if you win!
***Open to continental U.S. residents only!
Alone, pregnant, and practically shunned from her community, Lindie Wyse must make a fresh start in a new Amish community. Her brother, Eli, has arranged for his widowed friend, Josiah Plank, to marry Lindie. Josiah promises to care for Lindie and her unborn child, however, he says that he can never love Lindie as he loved his deceased wife.
Lindie has trouble settling into Josiah’s home. His deceased wife, Caroline,’s, presence still hovers in the air. Caroline’s belongings and her way of running the household still take precedence over Lindie’s wishes. Lindie also has trouble bonding with Simon, Josiah’s father-in-law (Caroline’s father).
Josiah has an eight-year-old deaf daughter, Hannah, who is deaf. She has little supervision and is still grieving over the death of her mother and her grandmother. Lindie has trouble bonding with Hannah since she does not know sign language and Hannah does not easily bond with strangers.
This book was a nice, sweet, well-written read. I could also imagine this being a good holiday book since part of the story takes place during the Christmas season. I felt that the struggle between Lindie and Hannah was very realistic.
So, have you ever raised a step-child, or, have you ever been a part of a blended family? Feel free to tell me about it. Leave a comment with the answer, and your email address, to enter the drawing!
~Cecelia Dowdy~
My romance collection is on sale for 99 cents each.
– See more at: http://ceceliadowdy.com/blog/#sthash.fJ3JvNsH.dpuf
Stealing The Preacher by Karen Witemeyer
Have you ever dated a preacher?
Crockett Archer’s life is about to change forever. When some bandits kidnap him from a passenger train as a birthday gift for a daughter, he wonders why God has placed him in such a circumstance.
When Joanna Robbins meets her “gift” she’s flabbergasted. She needs a preacher for their abandoned church, and Crockett Archer seems a perfect candidate. However, Crockett has other plans, he’s already set to take a pastoral position elsewhere.
Joanna finds herself smitten with handsome Crockett. Is he really an answer to her prayers? Can Crockett soften her father (Silas) heart, opening him up so that he can accept Jesus into his life?
I really enjoyed this book. It started off with a bang and just kept moving along at a good, steady pace. I really loved the inspirational message in the book. Joanna really feels that Crockett may be the right preacher to lead their church and to soften her father’s heart. Also, Joanna is still grieving over the death of her mother. She finds solace in her art studio painting pictures – a talent she’s inherited from her mother.
Crockett is different than most preachers. He’s a former hardworking rancher, who lived on a secluded ranch with his brothers for several years. Unlike most preachers, he’ll physically fight when he needs to. He has a deep heart for God and feels called to preach.
The characters and the scenery in this book were so amazing and well done. I loved this book and look forward to reading the rest of the books in this series.
Have you ever dated a clergyman? If so, what happened? How long did you date? Did you ever marry?
My romance collection is on sale for 99 cents each.
– See more at: http://ceceliadowdy.com/blog/#sthash.CCaqUWmO.dpuf
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year to all of my blog readers!
My romance collection is on sale for 99 cents each.
– See more at: http://ceceliadowdy.com/blog/#sthash.5BEVhrIq.dpuf
Sunday Brunch – Giants On The Earth – Who Were The Nephilim?
From the blog archives:
Did you know the Bible tells of Giants on the earth? Giants – like in the fable Jack And The Beanstalk…
Genesis 6:1-4
1 Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, 2 that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.
3 And the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” 4 There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.
Numbers 13:31-33 – 31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” 32 And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”
Some translations use the word Nephilim instead of giant. Who were these gigantic people? Some teach that they were the offspring of fallen angels – these angels lusted after human women and they had intercourse with them and the women bore these huge, wicked children. Who knows? From the little bit of research that I was able to do, it appears that the term Sons of God is interpreted a couple of ways and that makes it debatable about the paternity of these huge creatures.
I’ve always thought the Nephilim were the offspring from fallen angels. Why? I guess because they were so huge, much larger than regular humans, coupled with the fact that it appears they were wicked, too. I also read that the Nephilim pop up again in the book of Numbers, so I’ve provided that scripture, too. So, it’s possible that the Sons of God appeared again and did the same thing again with human women? The Nephilim mentioned in Genesis were killed during the flood, so the scriptures can’t be talking about the same group of giants?
I just try to imagine how large these people were…were they twice the size of regular humans, maybe three times larger than the average human? The ones in Numbers state that the regular people were like grasshoppers compared to these giant people! Grasshoppers?? Reminds me of Gulliver’s Travels or Jack And The Beanstalk!
I’m just sitting here, trying to imagine what they would have looked like, giants stomping upon the earth, doing all sorts of wicked things to people. Frightening thoughts I’m having, but, just makes me stop and wonder, makes me wish I had a vivid snapshot of the way the world was back then…
Did you know about the giants in the Bible? Do you think the Nephilim/Giants were the offspring of fallen angels? Please comment!
– See more at: http://ceceliadowdy.com/blog/2010/10/giants-on-earth-who-were-nephilim.html#sthash.fBgaBok3.dpuf
Merry Christmas! What Was The Best Christmas Gift You Ever Received?
Merry Christmas! This is the season of giving!
What was your favorite Christmas gift?
I’ve been busy, purchasing Christmas gifts for my son. Made me wonder about favorite Christmas gifts! Take a moment to answer the following question: What was the best Christmas gift you’ve ever received?
I’m wishing everyone a safe and blessed Christmas! During Christmas, remember Christ’s amazing birth!
~Cecelia Dowdy~
My romance collection is on sale for 99 cents each.
– See more at: http://ceceliadowdy.com/blog/#sthash.4C8dx28X.dpuf
Yes, There Really Is A Santa Claus! :-)
I’m talking about Saint Nicholas! For some reason, I’ve always been fascinated with why we celebrate Christmas. I’m not sure if it’s because I never celebrated as a child – or, some other reason!
Since it’s Christmas, I thought it’d be fun to share some Saint Nicholas facts.
1. Very little is known about the real Saint Nicholas.
2. He was born in Asia-Minor – which is now modern-day Turkey – in the third century.
3. He was the Bishop of Myra in the fourth century.
4. He attended the First Council of Nicaea.
5. Most stories about Saint Nicholas are legends – his being a secret gift-giver stemmed from the legend of his secretly leaving dowries for a poor widower’s daughters.
6. The beginning of Saint Nicholas becoming our modern-day Santa Claus happened in New York around 1804. Saint Nicolas became our modern-day Santa Claus via a series of New York events:
7. A man named John Pintard met with New York leaders to establish the New York Historical Society. The Historical Society members celebrated the early Dutch-roots heritage of New York by having an annual dinner on December 6th: Saint Nicholas Day.
8. Washington Irving, Pintard’s brother-in-law and a member of the Historical Society, wrote A History Of New York under the pseudonym Diedrich Knickerboker. A History of New York mentioned Saint Nicholas several times, further popularizing him.
9. Clement Moore, another member of the Historical Society, had his poem, The Night Before Christmas, published anonymously in the New York Sentinel in 1823, further popularized Saint Nicholas’s character. ***An ongoing debate is the authorship of this poem – either Clement Moore or Henry Livingston was the author.
10. The popularity of this poem gave Saint Nicholas great influence on how we know him today. It was the first widely accepted reference to Saint Nicholas having reindeer and driving a sleigh.
***Prior to this most of Santa’s characteristics were believed to be derived from Odin, a Germanic God. Odin traveled through the air on a six-legged horse as part of the ghostly Wild Hunt. Odin also had a long white beard, and he visited people, bearing gifts.
Also, The Night Before Christmas gave names to Saint Nicholas’s reindeer. This poem proved significant in developing the modern image of Nicholas’s physical appearance, too – he no longer appeared as a bishop, wearing bishop’s clothing. He now was a red-cheeked jolly man. In this poem, Saint Nicholas made his visit on Christmas Eve – moving his “day” from December 6th (Saint Nicholas Day) to December 24th.
11. Thomas Nast – A New Yorker who was a cartoonist and illustrator at Harper’s Weekly. His drawings had a vast influence on the popularity of Santa Claus. His drawings established the following Santa Claus traits:
Nast’s drawings established Santa as a toymaker living in the North Pole with his elves as assistants. He also established Santa receiving letters from kids as well as kids leaving snacks out for Santa to enjoy. He also showed Santa with his giant book with the names of children.
12. Francis Church, a journalist, answered an editorial letter from a little girl named Virginia O’Hanlon. She wanted to know if there was a Santa Claus and his response was printed in the New York Sun. It was reprinted and embraced by the public each year until The Sun went out of business.
13. Haddon Sundblom – an artist, drew drawings every year for Coca-Cola, further popularizing Santa Claus.
So, there you have it! Those are the main reasons why third-century-born Saint Nicholas became our modern-day Santa Claus!
Can you recommend any books about Christmas or Santa Claus traditions?
I’ve read a few over the years and the two that I enjoyed the most were:
~Cecelia Dowdy~
My romance collection is on sale for 99 cents each.
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An Amish Miracle – Book Giveaway Winner! :-)
The Winner of An Amish Miracle is:
Joy Hannabass – Moneta, VA
Congrats, Joy! Merry Christmas! Enjoy the book!
~Cecelia Dowdy~
– See more at: http://ceceliadowdy.com/blog/#sthash.YO9ivxYj.dpuf