New photos from Jinger and Joseph's graduation party last weekend.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
39 comments:
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Thanks for posting the pic!
ReplyDeleteGod bless!
DON'T QUIT!
Catherine K.
Oh the photo's are fantastic. They sure had a full house! Thanks, Ellie and Lily for sharing on this wonderful blog and congrats for your 2million hits!! Well done.
ReplyDeleteSandy
Were the Bates there? Will this be an episode? Thanks for doing the blog and congrats on 2 million visits!
ReplyDeleteLove the faces Jinger makes. Gives me a chuckle.
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures! Beautiful grads.
ReplyDelete~ B
congrats jinger and joseph! and elizabeth and andrew but who are they?
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to Jinger and Joseph!! High School graduation is a special day. Do you know, is the passing of their GED the mark of them graduating High School? I know some Home School Families make their children complete their GED before they are considered graduates.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous,
Elizabeth and Andrew are friends of the Duggars and are also recent grads.
~Lily and Ellie
Con"GRAD"ulations to Ginger & Joseph! I had to smile at how they spelled it, for fun.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on hitting the millions mark, too, for this blog!
I found it very interesting & encouraging, as a Mom of 4 young homeschooled kids, to see a homeschool graduation ceremony.
It particularly inspired me to see the photos of the Duggar parents praying with such love and concern for their children. How wonderful.
Eve,
ReplyDeleteJinger is the actual spelling. All of the Duggar children's names start with a "J."
_ B
wow congrats to all four, is it just me or is jinger looking very tanned?
ReplyDeleteLove the pictures! Congratulations to all 4 grads! God Bless. PS I love the faces Jinger makes too. :)
ReplyDeletei saw the pictures that one lady doddle of the duggar kids and said she was going to send them to duggars and it looks like the duggar got them hang them on their wall.
ReplyDelete-brittani
This is so cool crograts Jinger, Elizabeth Joseph and Andrew!
ReplyDeleteFor anonymous asking if the Bates were there, is that one of the boys sitting beside John David in the background of photo 11?
ReplyDeleteBates Family Update: According to their blog Zach and Sarah ended their courtship after several months of dating. It was Sarah's decision and they kept it quiet until now so they could both heal from it.
ReplyDeleteIs that Lawson bates in the eleventh photo by John david?! Is there something going on between him and jinger?! I think they would make an adorable couple although jinger is a little more "fancy" than the bates know what I mean? And yes I think jinger is looking very tan...could this tan have been helped by a salon or lamp??? Can u pleaz answer these questions lily and Ellie????
ReplyDeleteCongrats guys!
ReplyDeleteOn other news, Zach Bates is on longer in a courtship with Sarah. Let's keep them in our prayers.
Well, in some other pics, it appears the Bates family DID join them for the celebration. Not sure who Elizabeth and Andrew are, but I'm assuming they must be family friends who also were homeschooling. Congrats to them all!
ReplyDeleteYeah; joining in the prayers for Zach and Sarah and their families. Break-ups hurt, and having their lives on display can make it more difficult.
@Godly-young-widow, Please do not take this to be critical just a honest question as I am a mother of two and am looking into courting instead of dating for my girls. You said that break ups are hard but I thought the whole idea of courting was to prevent heart break in your opinon (our anyone else's who wants to help me) how is a courtship breeaking up differ from a dating
ReplyDeletecouple breaking up?
Thanks and blessings
Oh,man. That's like way to fast! It's,like,unreal! They look way too young to be graduating.
ReplyDeleteI believe i see Mr. Maxwell in a picture.
ReplyDeleteWOW, THANKS SO MUCH for posting these! These are awesome pictures! Jinger looks so grown-up; love her outfit. Joseph also looks incredibly grown up. Will they have an episode on this??
ReplyDeleteBTW--i highly, highly doubt Jinger's tan was artificial! =D
How do you get these great, intimate and real-life photos??
ReplyDeletebtw, Jinger always looks tan like this. I met her in person when the Duggars spoke at Liberty University, and she looks even more tan up close! I don't know if it's just her natural coloring or if she uses some method of tanning. She's adorable, though. I told her I also love coffee and photography, and mused that perhaps we would be enjoying these two loves in heaven, and she agreed; so cute.
ReplyDeleteDear Readers,
ReplyDeleteI have been reading the Duggars blog off and on throughout this past year. And I must say to Lily and Ellie, WOW! What a great thing you are doing! As a norm, I am not a Blog lover as so many blogs post things that are not worth reading and can become a great time consumer. BUT, I must say that I admire what you are doing. It’s wonderful! I absolutely love getting on here when I have the time and seeing what the Duggars have been up to. :) Keep it up! :)
Due to the limited characters per comment, I will be breaking this answer into three sections. PART ONE:
In response to the question asked by “Anonymous” at “7:47 AM July 13th”. Biblical Courtship is far different from the Standard Dating that you see going on around couples. Courtship if not done right and biblically, can just be the same thing as Dating, just using a fancier word for it. “Biblical Courtship” is so much more. When you go into courtship, you aren’t thinking “Awww!!! She is SO Beautiful! Or He’s the handsomest man I’ve ever known! …I think I’d like to get to know her/him just for fun.” No, when entering into a “Courtship” you are entering into it with marriage in mind. A guy should never ask a girl’s father if he could “court” his daughter, if he himself isn’t ready for marriage.
The “Dating Game” is deceiving so many in our world today. And yes, “break-ups” do hurt. If a girl has told the guy, “I love you”,
shares with him her heart, touches, kisses, etc. and then he dumps her. Then of course, she will have her heart broken - she trusted him (and this goes for guys as well). The guy will go on happy with the new girl he is “dating”, never again thinking about the other girl. He got what he wanted, her touch, her body, etc. He’s happy! What does he have to lose? Thus, the name “The Dating Game” because it is, put plainly, a game. You date this guy/ girl, break up, date another, break up, then another, break up, date another, then BINGO! You’ve found one you want to marry! And then you get married. The sad thing is with this marriage is it isn’t so special because while you were dating those other guys, you gave a part of your heart to each of them. You don’t have a full, pure heart to offer to your husband. And here is a question so many people forget to question: “If he broke up with so ? number of girls, what makes you think he isn’t going to do the same to you after you marry him? For guys, it’s the same thing, “What makes them think that their wife isn’t going to run off with someone else?
“Biblical Courtship” is a time of getting to know the man or woman in their beliefs, visions, dreams, etc. with the mindset that marriage is a possibility. It is also a time of getting to know each other’s families. None of this touching and kissing! Save all that for your wedding day! If you touch and kiss at the Courtship point and then, like Sarah Reith and Zach Bates, you find that maybe this isn’t God’s Will and call it off, you would have already given the guy part of your heart! Because Zach and Sarah chose to save themselves for their wedding day, their heart’s were not broken in that way. When someone says that there is a healing process, there would be. You’ve gotten close to both families, to the one who you thought would be your spouse one day, and the excitement is now gone. And maybe it isn’t the right one, and sometimes as was for a friend of mine, it just isn’t God’s timing. And better to call the courtship off now then to get married and find out too late that this was not a good decision.
(to be continued)
PART TWO: Continued -
ReplyDeleteThis is also why it is always so very good to have your family involved, especially your parents. They can see things that you can’t. They have been places where you haven’t. Also you have heard of “Chaperones”, usually your siblings to “guard” you. :) This isn’t a bad thing at all. Having someone chaperone you, will help you in staying pure. When alone your emotions can get over you and you can fall to what you’d rather save till marriage.
After getting to know one another and after much prayer, when the man feels that yes, the Lord is telling him this is the one. Then he will again ask the girl’s father for permission and blessing to marry his daughter. Then comes the engagement and the ring! It’s now going to happen! Until now, you’ve been talking “IF we get married then what would you think about….” Now it’s “ONCE we are married….” And wedding plans galore! :) Some people choose this time to hold hands, or share their first kiss here. However, again you are opening yourself to feelings that would be best kept till marriage. This is very important to keep in mind. For my family, we are going to save it ALL that for our wedding days. How special that will be on that day!
Finally, marriage! When you have saved yourself your entire life for your wife/husband, and he or she has done the same thing, think what a wonderful marriage you are entering into. Both of you are giving a full pure heart to the other. Both have a wonderful life ahead of you. And God is in the center of it all. What a wonderful day!
All this to say, yes it is sad that it didn’t work out for Sarah Reith and Zach Bates. I am sure there were many who would have liked to see them get married, but if one or the other doesn’t feel like it’s God’s Will into the courtship, then by all means, the courtship SHOULD NOT continue. That is what the Courtship process is for. And even though it didn’t work out, neither Sarah or Zach lost their purity in the process. Had they been doing what so many Dating couples do today, then they wouldn’t have their purity still. That is the blessing of Biblical Courtship. And yes, they’d be sad it didn’t work out, but their hearts aren’t broken.
(to be continued)
PART THREE - Continued -
ReplyDeleteAbout myself, I am 21 years old and the oldest of ten children. My family, also, are homeschoolers. When I was 13 years old, I made a commitment to remain pure till marriage and it was then that I gave my parents my heart. When I was 15 years old, my parents gave me a locket with their pictures in it to remind me of that commitment. Then on my 18th birthday, my dad gave me a “Purity” ring, again reminding me of my commitment. Being the oldest of ten children comes with a lot of responsibilities. One main one is the example I am setting for each of my siblings. What I do, they will most likely want to follow. God has given this role to older siblings to be the example and to instruct their younger siblings in the ways of the Lord. Choosing God’s Way of getting to the marriage altar and staying pure till that day, has freed me from any guilty feelings I could have had. I don’t look at guys as, “Oh, I wonder if he likes me, etc.” and flirt with them. Instead I treat them as I would my brothers in a comradely friendship. It’s really nice and frees them as well. One of these days, I pray that God will bring the one He has for me. But until then it is my responsibility to learn all I can the skills I will need to be a godly wife to my husband and mother to my children. And the best way to do this is at home. You know, the way you treat you parents is the way you will one day treat your future spouse. And the way you treat your siblings is the way you will one day treat your children. :) Learn all you can at home. You can never get this time back! Start right now!
My friend’s fiancé said, “As an encouragement to [any] single friends, I’d really like to stress the importance of seeking the Lord on who He wants you to become, and encourage you to not get caught up in trying to find the “right one” [or the “right” one for others] God will so richly bless you if you will do that. Psalm 37:4 says that if you delight yourself in the Lord, He will give you the desires of your heart. [My fiancé] and I take no credit for us coming together, it was truly the Lord’s work.”
Thanks for reading. Have A Blessed Day! :)
Anonymous, I'm not sure why you asked me, but I'm sure you meant it in a good way. Check out Gil and Kelly Bates' website; google their names and it should come up. Go under Updates, and in the "comments" section is some good dialogue about it. With my husband, we did very much a combination of dating and courting. Although we didn't save the first kiss for our wedding day, we were each other's first, and that's very special; I feel blessed. But we saved the sexual stuff for after the wedding; that was SO worth it! I went through a break-up before; it only lasted 6 weeks, and ending it DID hurt. Basically, in such a relationship, you need to realize that one of two things happen; either you get married or you break up. You need to be ready for either. A rule of thumb is not to do anything that you would regret if you break up. A lot of accountability is helpful. I hope that helps you in raising your girls.
ReplyDeleteOh wow, how many people gathered in the house this day?? WOW for the logistics!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the great intimate insightful pictures! It is sooo inspiring to see all these people together!
Hi godly young widow, I asked you about courtship because you commented about courting and break ups and I thought you would have some information to answer my questions. Thanks so much for taking the time to share with me, as well as the anonymous poster I really appreciate it my daughters are 2 and 5 and we live in Australia.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog and photos, and congrats on 2 million visitors to your site! I would like to respond specifically to the "Anonymous" commenter on July 13 who left a 3-part post explaining her beliefs and approach to courtship. I want to caution against claims such as the following (and here I quote the Anonymous commenter):
ReplyDelete"The sad thing is with this marriage is it isn’t so special because while you were dating those other guys, you gave a part of your heart to each of them. You don’t have a full, pure heart to offer to your husband."
While the courtship method may work for some couples, and while I respect the intentions of parents who want their children to engage in such courtship, I urge all adherents of the courtship method to avoid making inaccurate, sweeping generalizations about the hearts of other women.
To say that women who do not court in this way do not "have a full, pure heart" to offer their husbands is a statement sadly lacking in wisdom and mature perspective. Women who have had different life experiences and upbringings, and who have "dated" men independently, outside the shelter of their parents' control, should not be judged as less of a wife, less pure of a wife, without a "full, pure heart." The statement made by this blogger implies such a judgment, a judgment perhaps unintentional, but one that risks insulting other women.
Thus, I'd like to emphasize the necessity of choosing words cautiously and not making erroneous claims when presenting one's own particular perspective on womanhood and relationships.
Anonymous whom have left 3 parts of her "story" should be removed since it is offensive to Christians whom were sinners but now save by the GRACE! It seems to me she is being judging through her comment "
ReplyDelete"The sad thing is with this marriage is it isn’t so special because while you were dating those other guys, you gave a part of your heart to each of them. You don’t have a full, pure heart to offer to your husband."I 100 percent do not agree with this, Jesus died on the Cross for EVERYONE. While, I may have lost my virginity to one guy before I was saved, it doesn't mean that I don't have a special marriage!I do not appreciate her comment and this may cause other people to feel that they dont have a fighting chance because of Christians like herself who think they are better than others. I got myself together after getting saved and recently married my husband now i know better for my children. Check out the Maxwell family blog, these parents raised 8 children in a godly manners but the parents weren't always saved. My husband have a special marriage and my heart is all his only because Jesus died on the cross for us.
Dear Anonymous: Further to “If he broke up with so ? number of girls, what makes you think he isn’t going to do the same to you after you marry him? For guys, it’s the same thing, “What makes them think that their wife isn’t going to run off with someone else?"
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, you feel this way. I am a Christian who has also dated different gentlemen before deciding on my husband. Dating other people did not make me undesirable to him nor the fact that he dated others make him undesirable to me. We stood in front of our church, GOD, our family and our friends committing ourselves to each other for life. Are you saying because we kissed and cuddled before we were married our marriage is any less in the eyes of God? How very callous and closed mind of you to think that people that date before marriage are somehow less committed to their marriage. You mention that you are 21 years old and continue to live at home with you parents and care for your siblings and parents. It is very clear from your post, you have a lot of growing up to do. 21 year olds are old enough to live on their own, balanced a check book and attend college or a job. Are you doing any of these things in order to prepare yourself to be an equal partner to your husband? That’s right, an equal partner. It’s 2012, when you find your husband you should be aiming for an equal partnership not sub-servitude. Good luck and God Bless.
Why are Jinger and Joseph graduating at the same time? They are not twins.
ReplyDelete@Andrea
ReplyDeleteAnonymous is giving a detailed response to a question. She is not pushing her beliefs on anyone. This method of courting is not for everyone; she is simply sharing how she plans on doing things.
God. Blessing on those kids
ReplyDeleteMan You guys are so Christ Like! The Girls are so praiseworthy, Lovely, and Virtuous! and you guys are all studs! Parents Are doing something Right I guess! Must Be the Gospel!! Hoo Rah!
ReplyDeleteJinger looks very skinny to me, does she the weight watchers thing too??
ReplyDeleteWell, congratulations for your graduating!!!