A Homemaker’s Manifesto

In light of the dumpster fire election we’re all being subject to, some thoughts on authority, obedience to God in the face of tyranny, and other sundry musings.

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The point of our faith is not to argue it well, but to sincerely and genuinely believe what is unchangeable about God’s design and plan.

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RECOMMENDED READING:

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The God Who Is There by Francis Schaeffer

Mama Bear Apologetics by Hillary Morgan Ferrer, et al

The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self by Carl Truman

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This week, we are discussing classical Christ-centered femininity, the focus of my little “manifesto” here, and why it all centers around homemaking.

This is the podcast version of the post, Classical Christian femininity in a post-truth world where you can read more at length about my seven points of classical Christian femininity.

Also, I shared a bit about scripture meditation and how this can help with our first point: surrender.

Check out The James Method for the scripture memorization journal I mentioned that would be a wonderful way to start a regular habit of scripture meditation. Save 10% with my code: “Isa10.”  

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit isaryan.substack.com/subscribe

A quick chat this morning about a woman’s feminine value as it is defined by God, not the world or our own misconceptions.

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This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit isaryan.substack.com/subscribe

Hello friends! Welcome to my new weekly newsletter and podcast. Each week, we’ll be chatting about all things femininity, marriage, motherhood, and/or homemaking as well as answering anonymous reader questions and chatting about one of my very favorite topics — books!

A few notes before we get started:

ICYMI, premium subscribers can access our book club discussion on Live Not By Lies and Ephesians here (or you can upgrade to join, we’d love to have you).

Also, I want to mention that my intimate mentorship community for women, Liberated Surrender, is now just $10 a month. The group is designed to give support, guidance, and feedback to devout Christian women exploring and growing in their femininity as God designed it. (Tap here to learn more.)

Finally, my very favorite company for Bible study resources, The James Method, has just restocked their bestselling verse-mapping journal, which I’ve shared with you all several times! Use my code “ISA10” to save 10% and help support two Christian-mama-owned companies in one!

OK, enough housekeeping, let’s dive in:

The women at the well: femininity in redemption

This morning, I was so blessed by a reading from a Bible study on femininity I just started from my friend Brittany of A Catholic Convert. No, I’m not Catholic, and yes, this study is absolutely worth doing regardless of your denomination (also there is a third Christian-mama owned business you can support if you purchase her study through her Etsy shop — I have no formal affiliation, just a happy customer).

The reading was from Genesis 24, when Abraham’s servant is sent to find a wife for Isaac and ultimately encounters Rebekah, after praying for the right woman for his master’s son to give him water and then offer to water his camels, as well.

It struck me that the incident really beautifully parallels Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4, when He tells her He is well aware of her less-than-chaste past and nonetheless reveals Him to her as the Messiah of God.

In Rebekah’s encounter with the servant, she runs home to her family to tell her his news.

The Samaritan woman, after her conversation with the Lord Jesus, runs back to her village to tell the men she thinks he might be the Christ.

While Rebekah was a virgin who had known no man, the Samaritan woman has had several husbands and is living with a man she’s not married to.

The parallels to the children of Israel and the redeemed Bride of Christ are so deep and so powerful; it never ceases to amaze me how these themes are woven throughout scripture so intricately and all trace back to the beauty and drama of the creation account and the establishment of humanity — and its ultimate fall from grace — upon the finishing touch of Eve’s creation from Adam and for Adam.

Writer though I am, it’s almost difficult to put into words, but I know this much: sisters, we are redeemed.

No matter our past, when we come to Christ fully bared, He covers us with His love and Salvation. It was this message on the Samaritan woman that saved me 13 years ago, and it is the perfect picture of feminine grace and chastity in Rebekah that I know Christ’s Lordship in my life produces.

You are a daughter of God and a sister, bride, lover to Christ your Lord. Never forget this.

Dear Helpmeet

Each week, I’ll be answering anonymous reader questions for my new “column,” Dear Helpmeet. Upgrade to ask your questions or, if you’re already a premium subscriber, visit this page to access the private submission form.  

Q: I’ve been praying for more discipline and consistency with my routines. No matter what I do, I always seem to drop something. If I have a win in one area, I fail at something else.

I could not possibly relate to this more. This was where I was at for years, and it was really exhausting and discouraging. The absolute first thing I would recommend is to prioritize God and your relationships. Not necessarily the perfect Bible study and prayer routine, but a rich spiritual life in whatever way makes sense for you. You also can’t see prioritizing your relationships as doing certain things for or with your family members, because when these routines get disrupted, you can easily feel frustrated. Prioritize the people and cultivate a warm, patient heart towards them, through all the disrupted routines and plan changes.

Next, cull everything in your life you possibly can. It’s far worse to try the same tasks over and over and always fail than to simply give up. This can take a lot of humility; we often want to hold on to the dream that we can stick to our perfect routine or finally complete all those projects, but we are causing so much detriment to our mental peace by clinging on to these dreams.

Let go, aim far, far, lower, and you’ll start to get an accurate gauge of what you can get done each day. Then, one step at a time, it’s much easier to work in the tasks you’d like to get to and refine your routine to an effective, productive, rewarding one.

The Book Stack

As per usual this week, I am listening to yet another Agatha Christie novel, The Pale Horse. I find all her novels so incredibly deep and profound, so much more than the cozy whodunnit she’s generally associated with. The dialogue between the characters and the displays of human nature just make me think so much, especially with the backdrop of the quickly changing post-WWII world that her novels are often set before.

Meanwhile, the latest installment of my apparent obsession with books on masculine and feminine polarity is the book His Brain, Her Brain by Barb Larimore and Walt Larimore M.D. This books combine brain science and scriptural wisdom to explain not only how different we are, but how God designed us perfectly to be different!

Finally, I stumbled across a cozy vintage English countryside romance author recently, D.E. Stevenson. It centers around four sisters living in a village during WWII, and it’s very sweet and light without being too frivolous or cheesy.

What are you reading, friend? I’d love to hear in the comments!

Thanks so much for joining me today. If you are enjoying A Homemaker’s Manifesto, tell a friend, I’d be so grateful! Have a beautiful week.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit isaryan.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to my new weekly podcast where we will be discussing faith, virtue, and womanhood, answering anonymous reader/listener questions for my Dear Helpmeet advice “column,” and chatting books, current events, culture, and more.

Please subscribe to A Homemaker’s Manifesto on Substack for more, and make sure to upgrade to a premium subscription for access to the Dear Helpmeet submission form, book club discussions, and more exclusive content.

Doing so helps support my page and keeps it free from Big Tech influence or censorship!

For great Bible study tools and resources including the verse mapping journal I mentioned on this podcast, check out The James Method and save 10% by using my link.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit isaryan.substack.com/subscribe

It was such a joy to chat with my dear friend Alison about her personal testimony out of the new age and how the Christian faith is where she has found, by far, the most fulfilling expression of femininity.

(Apologies for the poor sound quality in the first few minutes! It improves as the podcast goes on, I promise!)

Alison and I recently joined forces to create a unique mentorship group for Christian women who are seeking to grow in their femininity through faith.

Request more information on how to join: Liberated Surrender

Follow Alison on Instagram or visit her website here.

Also, please subscribe to A Homemaker’s Manifesto blog and podcast to support my work and receive free updates in your inbox and the Substack app.

Are you interested in marriage but you’re sick of hookup culture on mainstream dating apps? Join The Courtship Network to find like-minded singles who share your values and convictions.

Other resources I love:

Araza Beauty creates nourishing, good-for-you makeup that looks amazing and supports a good cause: part of every purchase is donated to support survivors of sex trafficking and abuse.

The James Method is one of my favorite Bible study tools for digging deep into the Scripture and branding God’s Word on your heart through verse mapping, memorization, and meditation.

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Today we are chatting about holistic health from a biblical perspective. I share a bit about my childhood with a crunchy mom, how this paradigm has influenced me throughout my life, my current interest in herbalism, and what’s in my modern apothecary.

Resources:

The Practice of Traditional Western H…

This week we discuss what God’s supremacy means for earthly governance, how we can love our country while being truthful about its imperfections, and how re-learning U.S. and world history from a Christian perspective helped me grow in my faith and understanding of God.

Right now, I’m offering annual subscriptions to my premium community including book club and exclusive podcasts for just $20 a year.

Upgrade today and you’ll automatically be entered to win a pair of Bluetooth headphones, three audiobooks of your choice, and more.

Meanwhile, my good friend Alison and I have launched a mentorship group for Christian women who are looking to grow in their journey of biblical womanhood and submission to God’s design.

It is an intimate community to provide support and understanding as we holistically pursue Christ-centered femininity and would love to have you join us if it sounds like a good fit.

Also, if you are single and looking for a like-minded spouse: I’ve been so pleased to partner with The Courtship Network, a new platform that is seeking to defeat hookup culture and help marriage-minded men and women get married.

Sign up today and help support this page!

Recommended resources:

Pagan Christianity, Frank Viola

Worth reading if you don’t agree with him, it actually really softened my heart to institutional church history into the revival movements of the U.S. and is a great snapshot of church history if it’s new to you.

Live Not By Lies, Rod Dreher

A look at what it was like to be a member of the Christian resistance behind the Iron Curtain; it is mandatory reading for any believer living in today’s current cultural climate in my very humble opinion.

The Right Side of History, Ben Shapiro

Whether you are a fan of Shapiro or not, he nonetheless delivers an excellent overview of Western civilization and thought that is a great antidote to modern revisionist history.

The Patriot’s History of the United States, Larry Schweikart, Michael Allen

I was always looking for the anti-The People’s History of the United States, which was written by Howard Zinn and inspired much of the population’s general distortion of U.S. history

America, Dinesh D’Souza

D’Souza is a Christian who immigrated to the United States from India as a young man. His refutation of left-wing revisionist history is not free of his own perspective, but it is both passionate and excellent.

101 Bible Verses That Shaped America, Robert J. Morgan

This is a wonderful work of both history and devotion and gives a great look at just how much faith indeed did define the paradigm of many of our nation’s great leaders.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit isaryan.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit isaryan.substack.com

Eve’s creation, the virtue of homemaking, why we need to be careful discussing this issue in an earthly or legalistic mindset, and my raw, honest take on the Transformed Wife.