I own ONE physical bible. It's a paperback NKJV. The back cover has fallen off, and slowly the last pages are ripping off as well. :p I won't be able to bring myself to replace it until actual passages are falling out. I'd love to get a leather bound NKJV so it'd last longer, but dh disagrees. He thinks we should just get more paperback copies, because they're so cheap. I also have esword on my computer, as well as an app on my phone, that allow me access to lots of different translations, including being able to study the original Greek and Hebrew. Esword also includes commentaries by several people. I use it a lot; it replaces tons of physical books we could have in its place.

My opinion? That's a ridiculous reason for a teacher to lose his job.

One of my girlfriends recently had a baby boy, which was her second child. I went to our local Salvation Army thrift store, and was able to get her TEN pieces of clothing for five bucks. Now, this is a good friend; the sort who wouldn't want me to overspend on a gift for her, you know? The kind of friend who was ENCOURAGED by the fact that she got ten pieces of baby clothes for $5. She would want to know how I got such cute stuff for so cheap! That sort of friend. Could we do this for you? I mean, Here at the Hive, there's lots of frugal mamas, right? Is there some way I can organize a "Frugal Kristin Online Babyshower"?

I've never ordered from there, but goodness their stuff is cute! A bit spendy for me, and lots of stuff wouldn't fit into my personal 'modest' guidelines, but adorable stuff nonetheless.

Of course not. I get that some things are done purely out of tradition or cultural norms. However, there ARE those who would say that the Bible instructs us to dress up for fellowship, and I was curious as to what particular scriptures they would quote. I find this an interesting topic is all.

His oxygen saturtation keeps dipping to the low 80's, so obviously they have him on oxygen. We don't know why his ox is low. A low blood ox is scary for dad. This stinks. I'm sick of posting about how sick my dad is. I wanna wake up from this nighmare now, please.

I don't dress down. I dress the same. I wear the same kinds of clothes for fellowship as I do for my everyday life sort of things. Honestly, the only times I 'dress up' are for funerals and weddings. And I do that because of cultural expectaitions; it has nothing to do with religion. I totally get that dressing up for church can be a tradition/cultural expectation thing. I grew up going to church three times a week in a dress. I get it. I just don't believe that one could say 'The Bible directs us to dress nicely when meeting with other believers'. That's all.

Ouch.

First of all, let me apologize if my post seemed gruff. I really wanted to know any scriptures people used to support the idea of dressing up for fellowship. I do have strong feelings about this, but I would sincerely like to discuss/debate any scriptural basis for gettin' all snazzy to go to church. Those are some interesting scriptures. The verse in Isaiah is, of course, speaking to the old covenant, which we are no longer under There were many rules regarding all sorts of things, including dress, under the old covenant that we are not required to practice now. Secondly, there is no 1 Cor. 16:29, and I can't figure out what verse you meant to put. The verse in Samuel is from when David had been lying in the dirt for seven days, fasting and weeping for his dying son, and then he gets up and cleans himself up, worships, and eats once the child dies. I see nothing in this scripture about dressing up to go to church. It's all about how David reacted to the death of his son. I get that he cleaned himself up before going to worship. I don't think we'd disagree that one should likely take a bath and change their clothes if they've been fasting and praying in the dirt for seven days. :) It doesn't say he put on any sort of different clothes to go worship than he would've put on to, say, go see Bathsheba, go visit a brother, etc. Chucki, I hope you understand, I'm not trying to tell you you shouldn't dress up. I'm just challenging those who do to give me a scriptural basis for NEEDING to. It's a topic I enjoy debating. Hope you understand I'm not trying to pick on you.

Honestly, I'd give cash. I know you said you're strapped. But whatever amount you were thinking of spending on a gift, I'd give it to her in a card as cash. You know why? Because funerals are expensive. Even if 'everything's covered', you always end up spending a lot of money. And I never had a clue about this until my dh lost both his mother and father within 2 1/2 years of each other. Lots of unexpected expenses come up. I don't just mean for the actual burial/casket/whathaveyou. I mean, dh needed a specific color dress shirt (because it was his mother's favorite color, and all the men decided to wear it). He needed new dress shoes. We ate out with family a few times, and we NEVER eat out. Flowers/pictures/plants for the viewing. Veggie/fruit/snack tray at the funeral home for all of us that were there for hours and hours. Stuff like that. It all adds up. So I'd give her a nice card and write whatever sentiment you want in it, letting her know that the money was for whatever she wanted. Sometimes, that's the best way to bless someone. And if she wants to go get a massage or get her nails done with it, well then good for her! She could use some pampering it sounds like. Just my $0.02.

Nope, not the only one. My 18 year old stepdaughter, who is a freshman at college, HATES to drive. Seriously, she will avoid it as much as possible. She has her license, but does not care to use it, LOL.

Does anyone who "dresses up" for church have any biblical basis for it? I'm curious.

Here it is.

I know they have a convention in Farminton Hills (suburb of Detroit). I've never been, even though we live in the same burbs. I'd love to check it out sometime. Let me see if I can find any info...

First off, you're gonna get a lot of different viewpoints on this I imagine. My two cents? I don't dress differently when we meet for fellowship (we home church) than I do any other time I leave the house. I always dress modestly, which is all that's important to me. On sunday, I wore a jean skirt and a sweater that I'd wear any other day of the week. DH and the boys wore jeans and hoodies. Another brother wore slacks and a polo. Another brother wore jeans and a tshirt. You get the idea. The other ladies wear the same things they'd wear any other day as well. I see no scriptural reason for dressing 'nicer' for fellowship than for other things. I do NOT judge anyone based on how 'nice' their clothes are for fellowship. Who cares?! Jesus certainly doesn't love you more in a three piece suit than jeans and a tee.

:blink: Wow. What an awful thing to say to ANYONE, let ALONE a pregnant woman.

HollyDay, I'm so sorry. :grouphug:

Wow. I honestly, truly thought it was interesting how different our viewpoints are. Clearly I struck a nerve, which wasn't my intention. My apologies.

Hunh. I see it the completely opposite way. I tend to think the fact that dh and I set a grocery budget and stick to it IS responsible. Interesting how totally different our viewpoints are.

We use Sudafed for nasal congestion. The kind you have to get from behind the pharmacy counter, NOT the kind out on the shelves; they have completely different active ingredients. The active ingredient in the Sudafed we use is pseudoephedrine. You can get a children's liquid form, but it can be hard to find; not all pharmacies stock it. I've always been able to get it at CVS though. For pill form, most pharmacies carry their own generic brand, which is cheaper. But the name brand Sudafed is the only children's liquid pseudoephedrine I've ever found. Can you tell we suffer with sinus issues a lot in my family? :p It does work well, but it can also make you tired. It makes my boys pretty sleepy at least. ETA: I really prefer medicines that treat one thing/have one main use. By which I mean, I prefer to take my sinus medication, cough medication, headache medication, etc as seperate pills. I don't much care for combo meds. I mean, sometimes my boys need JUST a cough med, somtimes they need JUST a sinus med. And if they need both, I can give them both. I find this cuts down on taking unnecessary meds.

Woot! Our dryer has broken twice since moving in here 17 months ago (we rent). The last time I think it was out of commission for 2 1/2 days, and I was losing my patience at that point. Eight days is WAY longer than that, lol. My family does not run well if I let the laundry back up. It's the odd day that I don't run at least one load. Eight days without a dryer would find me at a laundromat for sure.

Aw. Well, I was a waitress back when I was all of 21 years old. I frequently called customers 'hon'. Mainly elderly people, and sometimes (though I'm ashamed to admit it now), men. You know, men who were there by themselves or only with other men. Like flirting. (I *said* I'm not proud of it, LOL.) No, it doesn't bother me if people call me hon, honey, dear, sweetheart, etc. Well, that's not exactly true. If it was a man and he wasn't at least 20 years older than me, it would make me uncomfortable, because I'm not at all comfortable with feeling flirted with. Other than that, doesn't bother me at all. I could be WAY off, so just ignore me if so. But I really don't think it has anything to do with your height. I'm 5'4", so not particularly tall myself, and I've never even considered my height in those situations. Are you perhaps just a bit sensitive about your height in general, so it's being filtered through that lens, so to speak? Just a thought. FWIW, I'm more irritated when someone calls me 'ma'am' instead of 'miss' now. I'm 35 now, and apparently crossing over from always looking like a 'miss' to sometimes looking like a 'ma'am'. I'm not at all happy about that, lol.

I know he hates the hospital. I hate his hospital to, FWIW. :p Dad spent 107 days in the hospital (well, the last bit of time was at the rehab facility/nursing home) after the heart attack. Three of those weeks he was in a drug induced coma on life support. After coming off life support, there was the long awful ordeal with having a trach. I don't blame dad for not wanting to spend time in the hospital. But I don't want my dad to die. So we all have things we don't want, you know? Sometimes you have to pick the lesser of two evils, so to speak. I don't think right now I can handle the idea that perhaps dad would prefer to die than to have another extended hospital stay. I mean, in theory, I support his right to make that decision. However if that theory became my reality, I don't know how I could handle it. In theory, I don't ever want to see my dad go through the torture he went through those 107 days. Intubation, tracheotomy, dialysis for his kidney failure, acute respritory distress, all sorts of heart rhythm abnormalities, endless medications/tests/pokes/blood draws, his horrendous bedsore, and so much more. However in reality, I'm selfish, and I'd have dad go through all that again if it meant one more day with him.

You're right that views on 'good health' do vary. For example, I have migraines, which might be described as a "chronic health issue". However, I consider my health to be good. Yes, migraines are very painful, and I will likely always get them. However, I have a prescription med that helps me manage them. If I treat my migraines well and in a timely way, I significantly reduce how much I suffer from them. They're not life threatening in that I could die from them. However, they certainly do impact my life. However, I still consider my health 'good'. Just my perspective. Isn't that the truth, justamouse. In my case, it has been this ordeal with my dad that has changed my life perception, as you say. The mortality of my father was never so real to me as it is now. This has forever changed me. I will never again take one moment with my father for granted. Dad was always a 'constant' to me. It's like I "knew" that we are not promised tomorrow, but now I KNOW it. I'm not sure that makes sense, but hopefully you understand. It is a real, ever present truth for me that I might wake up tomorrow to the news that dad is dead. One good thing I'm hoping to get out of this situation is translating that to other areas/relationships in my life. It's really opened my eyes to all the things that I take for granted everyday. I try to see even the 'given', simple things as a blessing from the hand of God. Just getting a glass of water can be quite an ordeal for my father. When was the last time I felt truly grateful for a glass of water? For the strength to pour the water, for the access to clean water in the first place, for the health to be able to drink the water. My father had a tracheotomy for weeks in the hospital. I'll never forget just how badly dad wanted a drink of water.

I thought the same thing. I was surprised when he wasn't septic this weekend. He didn't stay because they gave him one round of IV antibiotics in the ER, then sent him to dialysis, then dad felt a little better. So he insisted on going home. Dad hates being in the hospital THAT much. Which I understand, but I don't think he quite grasped the seriousness of the situation. I think he does now. Unfortunately, the three day delay in treatment could prove to be quite significant.