For the Rest of You

I realize that my previous post on "Online Style" may not be of interest to some folks who just don't like dressing up. Well, here's a link for you too: http://www.businessbibs.com

Arr.

Online Style

One of my hobbies is reading and learning about men's clothing and style. Some have said I have a passion for fashion, and, while that has a nice ring, the word "fashion" has some unpleasant connotations that I prefer to avoid.

At any rate, I thought it'd be interesting to do a quick tour of some of the online resources I've found helpful in learning about how to dress well.

Ask Andy About Clothes is a great site with some helpful articles on dressing, but the real treasure here is in the Forums, where hundreds of men (and a few women) talk with an astonishing degree of knowledge about sartorial matters.

The London Lounge is another, similar forum, but devoted more specifically to what's known as "bespoke," or custom-made clothing.

Styleforum is yet another similar forums site, albeit one that I don't visit very often.

There are also several blogs that are fascinating in this category:

The Sartorialist, Scott Schuman, is a New York photographer who is constantly shooting photos of well-dressed people on the streets of the Big Apple.

Film Noir Buff is the pseudonym of a fellow who has written lots of interesting, if overly wordy, essays on clothing and style.

English Cut is the blog of an English tailor, Thomas Mahon, who specializes in bespoke suits. Tom is, if not the first blogging tailor, almost certainly the best-known one.

Martin Stall is another bespoke tailor with a blog, and a friend of Tom Mahon's. He works from the Netherlands.

Desmond Merrion is another British tailor with more great insights on what goes into making a well-done custom suit.

Darren Beaman posts pictures of some of his bespoke creations on his blog, though his has been idle since June.

Solomon Animashaun is a fellow sartorial fan who posts pictures of some of the clothes he likes and owns, though his blog is also idle for the time being.

And that, dear friends, along with a few books I may mention later, is how I came to know as much as I do about dressing well.

To Daniel, whoever you are

Dear "Daniel":

Just wanted to send you a friendly note, and, since I don't know who you are, I'm posting it on my blog.

Apparently sometime in the last couple of weeks you've inadvertently written down your phone number incorrectly on a form somewhere. Or maybe your business cards were misprinted, and you haven't noticed yet. In any case, you're giving people a phone number that isn't yours. It's mine.

If this were an isolated incident, Daniel, I wouldn't be worried. I've gotten wrong-number calls before when people misdialed the number they intended to call. No big deal. But when I get your phone calls on a near-daily basis, I begin to be slightly annoyed. More than anything, though, I just want to be sure you aren't missing important calls. I mean, who knows? The people who call me expecting to find you could be trying to offer you a new job. Or they could be trying to tell you your housing application has gone through. I don't think I've recognized Ed McMahon's voice (from Publishers' Clearing House) on any of the calls, but who knows what could be next? I think you can see this is a pretty big deal, and I recommend you do something to fix the situation soon. For your own good, and for my sanity's sake.

P.S. If you're my friend Daniel S., and you've given my number out intentionally as a joke, I'll get you.

Housekeeping

I've pared down my blogroll a bit, the better to indicate which blogs I actually read on a semi-regular basis. I'm toying with breaking it out and categorizing them, but this is it for now.
If you're offended I've left you off, I'm sorry--just send me an email and let me know.

I Belong

In a very helpful sermon on Ruth 3, yesterday, my pastor Mark Dever asked this probing question: "I wonder whose you would say you are. To whom do you belong? Do you have anyone in your life who directs you, who guides you? Anyone in your life who cares that much? Anyone in your life who points you to the good in the way Naomi did Ruth?"

Mark was directly addressing non-Christians, but the idea of belonging is one that Christians need to remember to think deeply about, as well. As a child, whenever I was about to go spend time with friends and my mother wanted me to be on my best behavior, she often said when I was leaving, "Remember whose you are." She knew that just telling me to behave, to do this or not to do that, would never be as effective as reminding me that what I did and said mattered more than I usually realized. What I did reflected on my family, whose name I share. Most importantly, what I did mattered to the Lord.

I'm reminded again of the wonderful first question and response of the Heidelberg Catechism:

Question 1. What is thy only comfort in life and death?

Answer: That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ; who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him.

I belong, first and foremost, to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.

I belong to an earthly family, whose name and blood and history I share; to parents, who have invested their lives in raising me in the fear and admonition of the Lord.

Very soon I will belong to a wonderful wife, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony.

I belong to the 536 saints of God known as Capitol Hill Baptist Church, with whom I have covenanted and pledged to walk together in brotherly love.

Without these belongings, life would be a cold, comfortless, disconnected and frustrating existence. But by the grace of God, I belong. Thanks be to God.

Hymn

The love of Christ is rich and free;
Fixed on His own eternally;
Nor earth, nor hell, can it remove;
Long as He lives, His own He’ll love

His loving heart engaged to be
Their everlasting Surety;
’Twas love that took their cause in hand,
And love maintains it to the end

Love cannot from its post withdraw;
Nor death, nor hell, nor sin, nor law,
Can turn the Surety’s heart away;
He’ll love His own to endless day

Love has redeemed His sheep with blood;
And love will bring them safe to God;
Love calls them all from death to life;
And love will finish all their strife

He loves through every changing scene,
Nor aught from Him can Zion wean;
Not all the wanderings of her heart
Can make His love for her depart

At death, beyond the grave, He’ll love;
In endless bliss, His own shall prove
The blazing glory of that love
Which never could from them remove

~ William Gadsby, 1773-1844. In 1793, Gads­by joined the Bap­tist Church at Co­ven­try, and in 1798 be­gan to preach. In 1800, a cha­pel was built for him at Des­ford, Lei­ces­ter­shire, and two years lat­er ano­ther in the town of Hinck­ley. In 1805, he moved to Man­ches­ter, be­com­ing min­is­ter of a cha­pel in Roch­dale Road, where he con­tin­ued un­til his death.

The Happy Couple

Here's a photo of Andrea and me immediately after she accepted my proposal.

I love the (entirely unintentional) composition of this picture with green elements--my shirt, her coat, the fallen leaves, moss on the stones.

"I have thrust myself into this maze...

...Haply to wive and thrive as best I may."
(W. Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew, 1.2.56-7)

Attention, loyal blog readers! As of last Saturday afternoon, I am engaged to be married to the lovely Andrea Ruffner. I asked her to marry me on the grounds of the National Cathedral in Washington, a beautiful place that has become rather special to us. To my delight, she said yes.

Andrea and I met last fall when she began attending Capitol Hill Baptist Church, where I was serving as a pastoral intern for the semester. I had the opportunity to sit in on her membership interview with the pastor, and was immediately interested as I heard her testimony of God's grace in her life. We found shortly thereafter that we had a number of interests in common, including literature, theology, education, and more. Our friendship developed over the next few months, and we began dating in May.

It didn't take me long to realize she is one of God's greatest kindnesses to me, and I've fallen deeply in love with her. As some of you are no doubt thinking, it's true, I'm rather overmatched. She's smarter, better-looking, better-educated, and in every other way outclasses me, but please have pity on me and don't try to talk her out of this.

We look forward to a life spent learning to love one another, serve one another, and live together as an image of Christ and His Church.