(Note: This is not a post about “sex” or purity. This is a post about how my journey into puberty occurred. I’ll get to the purity stuff later.) Discretion vs. Simplemindedness – The ability to avoid words, actions, and attitudes which could result in undesirable consequences (Proverbs 22:3) – Bill Gothard by RazingRuth My body started developing secondary sex traits very early. By the time I was ten, I had breast buds and needed a training bra. What might surprise some is the fact that my mother and father saw this and immediately set about Full post …
Tag: Enmeshment
The 49 Character Qualities of Ruth #15: Hypocrisy
April 14, 2010
Sincerity vs. Hypocrisy – Eagerness to do what is right with transparent motives (I Peter 1:22) – Bill Gothard by RazingRuth Sincerity? – My dad was very careful about our public image. Most ATI patriarchs are. Though we didn’t go out in public very often, and certainly we never went out alone, when we did go out, we were dressed and pressed. My sisters and I were required to have long hair. This hair was not allowed to be braided, however, because that was un-Biblical. Usually, our hair was curled on rag rollers or sponge Full post …
The 49 Character Qualities of Ruth #14
April 14, 2010
Sensitivity vs. Callousness – Exercising my senses so I can perceive the true spirit and emotions of those around me (Romans 12:15) – Bill Gothard’s Character Traits by RazingRuth Before I talk about my own experience, I want to talk about birthdays, in this movement, as a whole. Birthdays in a Gothard family can vary wide and deep. The level of celebration depends on several things. First, how deep into Gothardism the family is and when they came in. Second, how many children the family currently has. Third, the level of legalism they adhear to. Full post …
The Destiny of a Virtuous Daughter ~ Part I: Beginnings of the Mask
April 5, 2010
by Starfury Who is that girl I see staring straight back at me? -Mulan For as long as I can remember, I was somebody else. My driving factors were love, approval, and being wanted, for who I was. That never came, in part due to the fact that in my work to achieve my goals I molded who I was to others’ specifications. As a result, I am trying to figure out who I am, even though I’m now an adult. Even now, it is easy to slip into the role that I deem Full post …
The 49 Character Qualities of Ruth #13
April 1, 2010
Punctuality vs Tardiness – Showing high esteem for other people and their time (Ecclesiastes 3:1) – Bill Gothard by RazingRuth This is Ruth-lite because, as I was glancing through the character qualities and trying to figure out what to write about this time, I realized that this topic would contain some humor. Our family was religiously devoted to punctuality. Chalk it up to my father’s obsessive-compulsive behavior or to it being one of our operational definitions but we were rarely tardy for anything. Unless, of course, it was a social function after a long road trip. Full post …
The 49 Character Qualities of Ruth #12
March 19, 2010
Hospitality vs. Loneliness – Cheerfully sharing food, shelter, and spiritual refreshment with those whom God brings into my life (Hebrews 13:2)-Bill Gothard by RazingRuth The older I got, the more responsibilities I was given. When I last left my mother’s list of progeny, she’d just had me (I think). In 1986, she had “Caleb”. In 1988, she had twin boys, “Matthew” and “Luke”. We called them the Dynamic Duo because they were never still and would go on to win the “most likely to end up in the emergency room” award. After the twins were Full post …
The 49 Character Qualities of Ruth #11
March 13, 2010
Self Control vs. Self-indulgence – Instant obedience to the initial promptings of God’s Spirit (Galatians 5:24–25) – Bill Gothard by RazingRuth The training started when I was just a toddler. I don’t remember who introduced it or how it was introduced. I just remember that, at certain points in the day, one of my parents would have us line up in the family room and begin barking commands. “Ruth, go to the table and sit in the chair. Stand up. Sit down. Sit on the floor. Move the chair. Come stand by me.” It was common Full post …
I Am So Much More Than a Maiden of Virtue! Part 1 ~ I learned to keep my fear of hell to myself
March 9, 2010
by WanderingOne I grew up hearing about my grandparents’ and great-grandparents’ deep faith. Religiosity was, for my family, an important family heritage that was carefully handed down to us children. Christianity was the most important thing my parents and grandparents thought that they could pass down to us. On my dad’s side, my great grandfather was a minister. On my mom’s side, my grandparents served on the mission field in Latin America for a few years after they got married. There was no escaping religion—it was instilled in us from before we could grasp it. Full post …
Michelle says, Never enough babies!
