Did Jesus Have Long Hair? What Your Clothes Say About You! Kitten. Cargo Trailer.

 Did Jesus Have Long Hair?

"Most people assume that Jesus had long hair. After all, that's the way they've always seen Him portrayed in every painting, drawing or movie. That's the only Jesus they've ever seen. But are those depictions accurate?

The fact is, we don't know what Jesus looked like, because the first depictions of Him weren't done until hundreds of years later. Thus every image we've ever seen of Him is based solely on artists' imaginations.
While we don't know what Jesus looked like, we do know that He didn't look like the common depictions of Him with long hair. After all, this same Jesus inspired the apostle Paul to write in 1 Corinthians 11:14: "Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him?"

In addition to this instruction regarding long hair on men, the Bible also contains circumstantial evidence that Jesus didn't have long hair.
Perhaps the most telling is that when Judas betrayed Jesus, he had to identify Jesus by a kiss. That was the prearranged signal Judas had given so that the guards could identify Jesus. Why did Judas have to do that? Because Jesus looked just like any average man of His day, and they wouldn't have been able to identify Him if Judas hadn't betrayed Him with a kiss.

This incident shows us that Jesus looked like any ordinary, average Jew of His day; there was nothing distinguishing about Him. The messianic prophecy of Isaiah 53:2 (NIV) says of Him: "He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him."

The Gospels tell us that on at least two occasions Jesus slipped away into the crowds when people were trying to kill Him (Luke 4:30; John 8:59). He was able to escape harm because He was simply an average-looking man of His day and blended in with the other people around Him.

A Feb. 24, 2004, Associated Press article reports: "'Jesus didn't have long hair,' said physical anthropologist Joe Zias, who has studied hundreds of skeletons found in archaeological digs in Jerusalem. 'Jewish men back in antiquity did not have long hair.'
'The Jewish texts ridiculed long hair as something Roman or Greek,' said New York University's Lawrence Schiffman" ("Jesus Scholars Find Fault in Gibson's 'Passion'"). However, it wasn't at all typical among even the Greeks and Romans, as plenty of statues and coins from the time attest.

"Along with extensive writings from the period, experts also point to a frieze on Rome's Arch of Titus, erected after Jerusalem was captured in AD 70 to celebrate the victory, which shows Jewish men with short hair taken into captivity" (ibid.).

Jesus wasn't the tender, effeminate man with a somewhat angelic appearance as commonly depicted in paintings. He was a carpenter, a builder, a man who knew the construction trade. He knew how to cut down trees and make wooden beams, to haul rocks to build walls, to construct buildings from stone and timber.
The Gospels make it clear that He spent a lot of time outdoors. He hung out with fishermen, the kind of characters who would never respect and look up to a weakling. Yet Jesus had 12 disciples who followed Him everywhere He went and who in time died for Him. They knew Him as a real man, not the fabrication we see in so many paintings." http://www.ucg.org/booklets/JC/jesus-long-hair.asp
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A Modest Example: What Your Clothes Say About You!

What are some practical steps you can take to achieve an attractive but modest personal style?

"Your dresses should be tight enough to show you're a woman and loose enough to show you're a lady."

"This great quote is attributed to Edith Head, top costume designer for both Paramount and Universal movie studios during the 20th century. Hundreds of films benefited from her creativity. Her statement here describes a way of dressing that can be summarized as "classy" or "tasteful." And it illustrates the fact that modesty is not a uniform or a one-size-fits-all proposition.

Modesty, in terms of decent attire, involves following guidelines. These allow us to wear clothes that express our personal style and taste but that still properly cover us, are gender appropriate and are respectful of those who see us on a daily basis.
Let me pare this down into some effective exercises you and I can regularly use to achieve our own personal, modest style.

1. Ponder modesty

What are some of the elements of modesty? Modesty is a way of practicing outgoing love toward others. A woman who covers her body appropriately is showing regard for her male acquaintances by not tempting them to lust. Likewise, a man who wears clothes that fit well but are not too tight helps his female acquaintances avoid impurity of thought.
What is modest on one person may not be modest on another. A dress that falls below the knee for a short woman can for a taller woman be too short, and therefore immodest. Thus, modesty is also an ability to discern appropriateness of personal style.

Modesty can also depend on the situation. Stretchy exercise shorts and a sleeveless top, while appropriate for freedom of movement and temperature comfort in a fitness class, are inappropriate for church services. In the Bible the priests at the temple of God in Jerusalem had special clothes to wear as part of worship services. This and other factors have led to the conclusion that we should maintain a high standard of dress in worship services today. That typically means wearing the best semiformal clothes we have available.
If we dress immodestly but talk about purity, we are guilty of a double standard!

2. Dress like . . . a work of art?

The ultimate master artist of all time is the Eternal Creator God. Under the direction of God the Father, Jesus Christ, long before He became human, made the entire physical universe and the spirit realm.
God shared some of His creative ability with us. Regarding the artisan Bezalel, who would construct the tabernacle of God in the wilderness, God stated, "I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to design artistic works" (Exodus:31:3-4[3]And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,[4]To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,, emphasis added). While this was a special case, all of us have been given certain talents.

So how do we employ whatever measure of artistic gifts we have to the way we dress ourselves and to modesty?
If you sew, apply those skills to adapt clothes that need a bit more coverage here or there. If you don't, ask someone who does to help you. And try to learn more about how things are made. Buying well-made clothes that are not overly trendy is a wise investment.

3. A matter of inches, not feet: the mirror test

Finally, take a few minutes once you are dressed for the day to stand in front of the mirror. Don't get me wrong, I'm not encouraging vanity! The mirror is your best tool to see what others will see when they look at you. Are you modest? Will you be disrespecting others and yourself if you go outside this way?  Do you represent yourself, and your God, well?

Ladies, a few things to check:
• Is your chest area covered? Be cautious about cleavage. If needed, adapt a garment with a small swatch of fabric to make it modest.
• Are you showing midriff? Are your shorts too short? Is your skirt lingering far above the knee? If so, choose something longer.
Likewise, if you have a nice skirt that is long enough while standing but rides up too high when you sit down, then carry a scarf or some other draping item with you to place over your legs while you are seated.
• Cover your shoulders or wear sleeveless tops with a wider strap as a means of showing respect at church services. Carry that scarf or a sweater with you for this purpose—besides, even on hot days overly air-conditioned buildings can be freezing!
• Check the fit of your sweaters, shirts, skirts, dresses and trousers—are they close fitting or skintight? Skintight clothes can be much too revealing. Stay in the middle range of fitted, semi-fitted and loose-fitted clothes.
• Do your clothes fit in general? If you have a bit of extra weight, don't try to squeeze into too small a size (see the point above). If you've lost weight, take the seams in so that you present yourself well.

For gentlemen:
• Men need to watch the fit of clothes also. Pants and shirts that are far too tight are not appropriate!
• Check for shorts that gape or are too short. And be sure to wear clothes appropriate to the setting.
• On the other end of the spectrum, are trousers too baggy and underwear visible? Does this present a proper image for a follower of Christ? Hitch them up!
For everyone:
• Do your clothes match? Are they clean? Torn? If so, take a few seconds to address the problem.
• Sit, stand, bend over, squat, turn, dance, walk and jump in front of the mirror. The coverage of clothes changes as you move. You may discover an angle that will gather the wrong kind of attention and needs to be fixed. Also, analyze how you walk and carry yourself. Are you smiling, standing up tall, and do you seem like someone who stands for God's way of life?

These may seem tedious and nitpicky, but we say a lot by the way we dress. It is possible to remain stylish and yet modest, and it's usually just a matter of a few inches of fabric rather than yards of coverage. Modest attire is one of the easiest ways of showing love for fellow human beings by helping them to obey God's commandments and keep their thoughts pure.
Take a stand for good taste, style and God's way of life—set a modest example!"
Article by Amanda Stiver At: http://www.ucg.org/christian-living/modest-example-what-your-clothes-say-about-you/    
Sorry, pictures added by me!
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In the News: Is Modesty the Latest Fashion Trend?

The young American fashion scene is changing: Less skin is in, while low-rise jeans and tiny tight tops are out.

So says—of all the surprising publications!—Teen Vogue magazine. Its parent publication, Vogue, has long been a showcase for the slinkier, sexier look. But now, Teen Vogue's fashion market director Gloria Baume says the hot styles for American teens will be more "ladylike and almost old-fashioned," inspired by styles from the 1950s.

And Tara McBratney, fashion editor at CosmoGIRL! magazine, agrees. But she says the trend toward modesty in fashion has little to do with pressure from conservative elements in society.
"Fashion is a cycle," McBratney says. "We got to the point where the jeans were as low as they could go, shirts were as cropped as they could go, baby tees were as tight as they could go, so the natural progression is for fashion to go the other way."

Not everyone agrees. Some see a trend toward more conservative values, including modesty. Michelle Ross, 15, said modest clothing is becoming "less unpopular. You can still be cool even if you're not wearing the same type of clothing as everyone else. Personality is what matters" (Source: Reuters, June 8, 2005).
Thanks, Michelle, for nicely paraphrasing what God says in 1 Timothy:2:9-10 [9]In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;[10]But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.."    Article by James Capo
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Yesterday.


Friday, Jay had said that he was going to set the trap again as he wanted to catch the possum that is under their house. We take possums and other wildlife over to the other part of the subdivision and set them free over in that area near the lake, so they can't find their way back.  I asked him not to set the trap, as he might catch a cat, and it would have to stay in the trap until Monday.  You know it!  He set it and caught a kitten!
 
So we brought it up here, and were going to put it in the RVport in one of my big airy kennel cages .   But the kitten is so small that it would have got out between the wires, so we transferred it to an extra large dog carrier that I have for sale. We turned the carrier upside down so that the ventilation would be at the bottom.  I can't let any strange animals near my ready-for-adoption foster furkids, or I would bring the carrier into the cool house.

Poor little thing is lonely, so Jay is now trying to catch it's mom and/or litter mates.  But it ate dry food, canned food, and used the litter box.  Kittens instinctively know to do that, not like puppies.  It isn't so scared of me now.
 
So why didn't we just let it go?  That was not an option, because one un-neutered cat, feral or otherwise, makes 400,000 cats in 10 years.  A female cat will keep on coming into heat until she get bred, not like a dog.  Also, as it's mom probably never was vaccinated, the feral kittens will spread deadly diseases like rabies, FIV, Feline Leukemia or panleukopenia (cat distemper).  The feral black cat that Jay trapped on Thursday had mange on it's head. We know that Animal Control put that one to sleep.
 
So why don't I, as an SPCA foster mom take it in?  Because our little branch of SPCA can't accept any more animals.  I wasn't supposed to have taken the three orphan kittens that I have now. 
Adoptable animals are like hot checks, we have plenty left over from last year! http://www.spcaofmc.org/animals/browse 
I have had Paco for just over a year, and Prime for over two years.

I can't afford to do all the testing, worming, vaccinating, spaying/neutering that Animal Control will do, if they wish to put this kitten up for adoption.  EVERY LITTER BIT HURTS.

Ray was priming and painting, while Jay and I were building the left side of the cargo trailer bed. We had to install that last paneling on the wall beside the back door first.  Once the framework of the bed was done, we got most of the paneling on the front of it. The rest of the bed will have a removable part in the middle, so that a motorcycle or ? can be hauled in there.  

No pictures until it gets finished another day.