tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925412444274057427.post1984794214171341748..comments2024-03-19T01:05:08.633-05:00Comments on Duggar Family Blog: Duggar Updates | Duggar Pictures | Jim Bob and Michelle | Counting On | 19 Kids: Pressure to Wed?Lily and Elliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00941253435533935093noreply@blogger.comBlogger90125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925412444274057427.post-61071096149830541002019-10-28T12:31:48.160-05:002019-10-28T12:31:48.160-05:00I think Jana is enjoying this time in her life. Sh...I think Jana is enjoying this time in her life. She doesn't have so many family responsibilities and she has the time to pursue her interests in life. <br />She's problem relishing the free she's never had until now. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925412444274057427.post-68397357864208911942019-10-26T18:48:36.164-05:002019-10-26T18:48:36.164-05:00Not "everyone" wears pants. My husband i...Not "everyone" wears pants. My husband is only 35 years old and grew up in a fundamental family and I'm amazed when I visit the family and friends events that they ALL are in long black drab dresses. No dancing. No reading fiction books (even classics) because they are lies. No TV. Way more extreme than anything the Duggars show publicly. So if they are like my in-laws in private, then these are huge issues for them to work out. At least they are moving into a more moderate direction.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925412444274057427.post-66355719995299804412019-10-26T15:47:58.388-05:002019-10-26T15:47:58.388-05:00@October 25, 8:12PM - Please read the original int...@October 25, 8:12PM - Please read the original intent of my statement as a look into what the Bible says about the relationship between a man and woman at the time of Creation, before the fall.<br /><br />What happened as a result of the fall and what was necessary to redeem man is a separate subject.Texashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13049933726524892489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925412444274057427.post-7896036280867235772019-10-26T15:45:16.454-05:002019-10-26T15:45:16.454-05:00@October 25, 8:53 I never at any point stated that...@October 25, 8:53 I never at any point stated that a single or married individual was incapable of doing great things regardless of their situation. As stated in my original post I said that my goal was to look at the Bibles perfect situation, IE the garden before the fall. <br /><br />On your note on the literal interpretation of the Bible, you are of course quite right. Anyone who does not believe in the God of the Bible is perfectly free to do so. However, for those who do call Him Lord, He is either all powerful and all knowing or He isn't. Therefore, when He says that the Bible is divinely inspired and good for gaining wisdom it is either a true statement, or it isn't. You can't straddle the fence here.Texashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13049933726524892489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925412444274057427.post-54768987846824354902019-10-26T15:32:03.768-05:002019-10-26T15:32:03.768-05:00My great-aunt, who I deeply respected, never marri...My great-aunt, who I deeply respected, never married. She always repeated this when asked why not: "I was looking for the perfect man and when I thought he'd come along, it turned out he was looking for the perfect woman." The point being that no one is perfect.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925412444274057427.post-9852729560214392892019-10-26T15:19:08.101-05:002019-10-26T15:19:08.101-05:00@October 26, 6:07PM I believe you've missed th...@October 26, 6:07PM I believe you've missed the point of my post and I'll take the fault on that, I'm by no means a writer. My perspective comes from my belief in the God of the Bible and my comment is taking a look at the world based on those beliefs and teaching held within its pages. If that isn't for you, no harm no foul, just a difference in opinion. I can't honestly argue against your statement when our foundations for our statements are completely different. If you would like to have a conversation on how the Bible tells us we ought to live and prioritize our lives then I welcome that. However for this topic an agree to disagree on the grounds of different moral foundations is in order.Texashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13049933726524892489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925412444274057427.post-85253263824267824032019-10-26T06:13:48.852-05:002019-10-26T06:13:48.852-05:00@Texas Instead of being so concerned with what...@Texas Instead of being so concerned with what others choose to wear, I think people should concentrate on being responsbile for their own thoughts and actions and stop looking for someone else to blame for their own failures. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925412444274057427.post-43569931011726997752019-10-26T06:07:46.575-05:002019-10-26T06:07:46.575-05:00@Texas, This response is in regard to your last ...@Texas, This response is in regard to your last paragraph. While humans may have the plumbing required to reproduce, this does not automatically mean that an individual brain is wired accordingly. This has nothing to do with the infection of sin or anything abnormal, rather simply the complexities and uniqueness of the human brain. The problem I see with your comment is that I feel you are not so subtly implying that people who never marry and have children are defying God. You're also projecting your own feelings about singleness being a sad thing. I know from experience that this type of religious dogmatism and intimidation is what can sabatoge relationships and alienate people. I'm an older woman who has enjoyed being married and raising a family, but have also enjoyed having a long and satisfying professional career. I recognize that what has worked for me does not work for everyone. I also know there are those who have no desire to be married and are very content with their lives. It's not up to me or you to decide who is sad and unfulfilled and who isn't because of our prejudices. Neither is it up to you to determine who follows you idea of God's word and who doesn't. The Bible has been the source of conflict and controversy for generations and I think everyone is pretty much flying by the seat of their pants. BTW, wasn't Jesus himself single?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925412444274057427.post-59596991080805112732019-10-25T22:19:29.564-05:002019-10-25T22:19:29.564-05:00Not only that, but one of Michelle's house rul...Not only that, but one of Michelle's house rules for her children posted on the wall is to never give a bad report about someone. She considers it a sin for both the person to speak it and the person hearing it. (It's an IBLP teaching principle) Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925412444274057427.post-75829474523522490392019-10-25T22:09:07.020-05:002019-10-25T22:09:07.020-05:00Anonymous @ 8:06 and Anonymous @ 10:29-While that ...Anonymous @ 8:06 and Anonymous @ 10:29-While that may be true, I'd guess neither of you had/has a father: personally interviewing those guys and their families about their belief system, filling out a questionnaire (literally) to determine his financial status and future earning potential and ability to support you and any children, requiring a chaperone (or several) to accompany you on every date (with your mom and dad being the chaperones at least once), and a TV crew tagging along to record it for the world to watch after your date has signed the required secrecy contracts and network disclosures. It's not quite the same thing. LOL Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925412444274057427.post-54291621161074719932019-10-25T22:01:52.917-05:002019-10-25T22:01:52.917-05:00I remember feeling that pressure...in my case it c...I remember feeling that pressure...in my case it came on the heels of a broken engagement. I decided to take that time to work on my relationship with the Lord and never regretted it. Mr. Right came along, completely out of the blue. I wasn't looking for him and went to God to make sure because it was so unexpected. I'm glad I had that time because only God deserves first place in my heart and in my life. When you're in right relationship with God and living to honor Him, He changes who you are and that changes the way you view every other person in your life and those you come in contact with. You start seeing the people in your life the way He does, with His love, His compassion and you start practicing having His patience and His concern for them. You begin wanting what's best for them more than what's best for you. Jana should be using this time to know God better. She'll be better for it and so will every relationship she has with any other person.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925412444274057427.post-87730759152164999872019-10-25T22:00:13.358-05:002019-10-25T22:00:13.358-05:00Thank you for your story, it ain't just you la...Thank you for your story, it ain't just you ladies that feel the weight of a spouse not coming along on our timeline. I know His timing is perfect, sometimes I do wish "perfect" would gitty on up already.Texashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13049933726524892489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925412444274057427.post-42323874571508462592019-10-25T21:52:41.453-05:002019-10-25T21:52:41.453-05:00Anonymous @ 10:31- I really liked your comment bec...Anonymous @ 10:31- I really liked your comment because it's so true. I recently read an article that was so true. All sin begins with a lie, whether it's a lie from the devil (like when he lied to Eve in the Garden of Eden about God's character and motivation) or whether it's us lying to ourselves first and then to others trying to justify what we want to do. We'll try to "reason" it out, using our spouse/friends/significant other/family members as a sounding board trying to convince ourselves and them that what we want to do is right or good...when really we know it's not. We're hoping by someone else approving/supporting it, that somehow "proves" it's o.k. to do it. The problem is that God didn't approve it and we usually don't go to Him and ask because we already know it's not o.k. with Him. We tell ourselves little lies like it's o.k. because the culture/everyone is doing it, it's o.k. because it's not as bad as what some people are doing, or at least we're not doing [fill in some much bigger, obvious sin]. The truth is that we're pretty good at deceiving ourselves, if it's something we really want to do. My husband once explained this to our young daughter by drawing an angle on a piece of paper. The very narrow < point was where we were walking closely with God and obeying Him. The more we compromise and lie to ourselves and others, the farther we get from God...until pretty soon, we're very far from God wondering what happened to us.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925412444274057427.post-37369998058996508512019-10-25T21:40:53.732-05:002019-10-25T21:40:53.732-05:00Texas, thank you for laying that out so clearly, c...Texas, thank you for laying that out so clearly, concisely, honestly, and lovingly. You captured exactly what I've been thinking all along on not just the pants issue, but a lot of things in my own walk with God. The reality is that if I say I love God, then I have to be willing to obey God...even when I might have a different idea about how I want to do something. It all comes down to He is God and I am a human being. He allowed His own Son to be sacrificed for the things I've done. He has a right to expect certain things of me. He is holy; I am not. He's been around forever and will continue to be; not so with me. He deserves my love- I deserved punishment; He sent His Son who traded places with me. He deserves my respect and honor. He is trustworthy, so I can obey Him and do things His way, knowing He's got my best interest at heart. If He says something is a "no"-I need to honor that because He is everything I am not in and of myself-all wise, all knowing, holy, without sin, and loves me (He proved that on the Cross).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925412444274057427.post-35899255211884153382019-10-25T20:55:38.439-05:002019-10-25T20:55:38.439-05:00Texas, It's possible that Jana simply stated ...Texas, It's possible that Jana simply stated what she thought was expected of her. I doubt she'd be comfortable coming right out and saying she has no interest in getting married, if that were the case (and I'm not saying that it is.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925412444274057427.post-23295361357917509172019-10-25T20:53:15.271-05:002019-10-25T20:53:15.271-05:00Texas- There have been many people, male and fema...Texas- There have been many people, male and female, throughout history who have never been married, yet they managed to contribute a great deal to the human race. Just to name a few... Beethoven, the Wright Brothers, Helen Keller, Henry David Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott, Clara Barton, Isaac Newton, Nannie Helen Burroughs, and Susan B. Anthony. I think it presumptuous to imply that any of them somehow missed their true purpose by never getting married and having <br />children. Furthermore, not everyone takes everything in the Bible literally. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925412444274057427.post-86975371887602081312019-10-25T20:12:03.570-05:002019-10-25T20:12:03.570-05:00@ Texas You seriously think that abortion is deny...@ Texas You seriously think that abortion is denying some people a spouse later? Wow. <br /><br />Guess you don't know that there are naturally more men in the world than women, and that the numbers are never going to pair up evenly. The lovely picture you paint of everyone getting a spouse because Adam had one falls apart when you factor in the natural biology of gender.<br /><br />I can't even get into your statement about single people not being fulfilled. The Internet isn't big enough for that rebuttal.<br /><br />And too bad that Jesus, a male, never fulfilled what you call "man's purpose." At least not what your Bible tells. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925412444274057427.post-62443142814821807712019-10-25T19:59:01.182-05:002019-10-25T19:59:01.182-05:00That's a wish I think a lot of people have, to...That's a wish I think a lot of people have, to let these kids get married privately without 1001 guests and 101 TV cameras. What you remember about your wedding shouldn't be how big of a production it was or what a boost for a TV show it was.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925412444274057427.post-51184658641066493342019-10-25T17:28:48.112-05:002019-10-25T17:28:48.112-05:00I don’t blame her! Especially if her answers are ...I don’t blame her! Especially if her answers are scripted for her!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925412444274057427.post-54149634949949785562019-10-25T10:04:55.506-05:002019-10-25T10:04:55.506-05:00I think Jana should show everyone and run off to e...I think Jana should show everyone and run off to elope someday. Do away with the big televised wedding spectacle and all the pressures that comes with it. She doesn't seem like the type that would enjoy that anyway. Hope her family doesn't push her to do that for ratings or $$$$$$$. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925412444274057427.post-77204689334496160012019-10-24T22:31:48.151-05:002019-10-24T22:31:48.151-05:001:45: same thoughts here...she’s reasoning it out ...1:45: same thoughts here...she’s reasoning it out saying God leads her when clearly she and Jeremy was wanting it. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925412444274057427.post-30207827482711412252019-10-24T19:55:38.114-05:002019-10-24T19:55:38.114-05:00I think it is because it was expected of them. The...I think it is because it was expected of them. These young, married adults grew up in the spotlight and that is hard because people will watch and critique every little thing. They were expected to have higher standards due to their Christian faith so maybe for Jinger, asking about wearing pants was a big deal because of what wearing dresses represented when she and the others were little girls.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925412444274057427.post-28213711008435339262019-10-24T19:50:55.248-05:002019-10-24T19:50:55.248-05:00That's true but remember that he has to be app...That's true but remember that he has to be approved by her father tooAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925412444274057427.post-59528000497725621292019-10-24T19:46:14.611-05:002019-10-24T19:46:14.611-05:00Satan does create confusion even in Christian fami...Satan does create confusion even in Christian families<br />..especially in Christian families!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925412444274057427.post-58014735639417460622019-10-24T18:27:16.872-05:002019-10-24T18:27:16.872-05:00I love that she has high standards! I met my Mr Ri...I love that she has high standards! I met my Mr Right when I was 32 and I am glad life had me wait till I was mature enough to start a serious relationship and be ready for a lifelong commitment. Seven years later, we are happily married with a kid and another due in December. I wish Jana the same kind of happiness ! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com