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It’s important to seek God first in all we do. I enjoy the fact that God gives us best friends, because there is nothing better than a girls day out luncheon. Time alone with my best friend, lunch and hot tea. They are far and few between, so I cherish each of those moments. It’s a time to talk, laugh and encourage one another.
During my daily bible reading and prayer time this morning, I was brought to Psalm 19:14.
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:14
Now, I’ve read this passage numerous times over, but this time God let in hang heavy on my heart.
Venting To Well Meaning Friends
I was enjoying my rare girl’s day out luncheon and the conversation we were having. But the lightheartedness turned into more of a heartache and consoling talk. My friend was hurt and frustrated with a family member and was seeking validation and advice on her feelings.
There is a fine line between gossip and seeking counsel, that we all must be aware of as Christians. God does want us to control our thoughts. In Philippians 4:8, the bible tells us what God expects us to think on. When we let negative thoughts run loose like wild horses in our mind, then we are not following God’s command.
On top of controlling our thoughts, we are not to be controlled by our feelings. God wants to be first in our lives. We need to bring to Him all that lays heavy on our hearts before we share with others. God comes before our husband, children, family and best friends.
I whole heartily believe that God will perfectly orchestrate women to come into our lives to be there for us and encourage us in our walk with God. We can turn to each other, to pray for each other and be there in hard times and good times. But first – unquestionable- God must come first.
Seek God first When You Are Frustrated
When I’m frustrated, hurt, confused, mad or about to throw my hands in the air and give up; I need to turn to God first. I have noticed, more times than I’d like to admit, that I’ve sought out christian friends, music and podcasts for help and encouragement, when walking through a dark time in life. How on earth did I get to a point where I am seeking out everything else before I seek God? He created everything!
And here I am, with Psalm 19:14 laying heavy on my heart. It should be our prayer everyday. That the words of our mouth and the meditations of our heart be acceptable to Him. We need to be so grounded in our relationship with God, confident in who He is and who we are in Him.
So I’m sharing my heavy heart with you today to encourage you. God cares for you and your pain, however, He also cares for the person that frustrates you. Pray first. Pray God will help you through this. Pray for the person that has hurt you. Then if you still needing prayers from your husband or friend, go talk to them. Just make sure your thoughts and words are pleasing to God and that your friend will always point you back to Christ and what the bible says.
Much Love,
Starla J.
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Written by Christine @ So Domestically Challenged, Contributing Writer
Tis the season! Thanksgiving is just four days away and the season of caring has begun. this is the time of year that we not only think about giving gifts to people we appreciate, but also the time when performing acts of kindness come back into our consciousness.
Hebrews 13:16 says “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”
In the spirit of this scripture, here are my 10 new ways of sharing and being a blessing to those around us.
10 Ways to Bless Others
Neighbors
1. I used to bring a plate of fresh baked cookies to every new neighbor that moved in, but since our new house is in a new construction area, the stream of new neighbors seems endless. Instead, this year, I’ll be picking a December day to do tons of baking so that I can bring everyone on our street a plate of fresh baked goodies with a card.
2. Bonus Blessing: I like to bake some fresh, homemade peanut butter dog treats as well. This recipe is healthy, easy and dogs love it.
Schools
3. I’ve spent a lot of time in schools, both public and charter, and the things I’ve noticed are universal: kids and classrooms are always in need of supplies. If you want to bless a school in your area, consider dropping off a goody box with pencils, erasers, glue sticks and Kleenex. It seems every class that either of my children has been in, has been out of these essentials by Thanksgiving break.
4. Bonus Blessing: If your school has crossing guards or staff that have to stay outside in the cold to help kids, bring them some hand warmers. You can pick them up cheap from any store that has camping supplies, or you can make them yourself using fabric and rice.
Police or Fire Department
5. These are the men and women who put themselves at risk every day and might even save your life at some point. Nothing we can do for them can ever feel like enough. Consider stopping by with a couple of boxes of bagels or donuts along with a ‘thank you’ card. Bonus points for bringing items by in the evening to the often forgotten night shift.
Senior Homes, Nursing Homes, & Hospice
6. Stop by with some holiday decorations and literally deck the halls! Spending the holidays in one of these places can be incredibly depressing and frequently the budgets are razor thin. Bring a little joy to the building by giving it a lively, festive, happy look.
7. Bonus Blessing: A lot of people in nursing homes never or almost never have visitors. We owe our seniors more than that. Grab some inexpensive gifts: thick, warm socks & simple slide-on slippers are great, practical gifts. For something a little more fun, grab some large-print crossword puzzle books from Dollar Tree or some magazines (you can get used copies of National Geographic and other timeless mags for next to nothing at used book stores). Most importantly, give the gifts in person, visit with the elderly, hold their hands and let them feel loved and not alone.
8. Extra Bonus Blessing: Bring some hot chocolate mix or a large container of warm apple cider for the nurses’ station. These nurses (especially hospice) have an incredibly tough job and we’re blessed that there are people like them willing to do it with compassion.
ICUs
9. When I was a kid, my grandmother had a couple of strokes and ended up in the ICU, once for a very long period of time. One of my most vivid memories is of a nice Japanese woman (another patient) who showed me how to make origami swans. I remember her because she broke my boredom. Patients end up in the ICU quickly and without warning. That means that family members have to drop everything to be at their loved ones’ side. Because of the delicate health conditions of these patients, childrn are not allowed to visit. When the woman taught me about origami, I had been sitting in that waiting room alone with nothing to do for hours.
I’d like to say that a lot has changed, but in the last few years, as I’ve lost my grandparents and father-in-law, I’ve found that all the ICU waiting rooms my children have waited in have given them the same experience I always had. You can bless these children (and help take a burden from their worried parents) by donating a small bin with coloring books, crayons and puzzles to your local hospital’s ICE ward.
Donate Your Time or Talent
10. As a Girl Scout leader, I cannot tell you how many badges have requirements that I’m just not really qualified to teach. There are crafty things like painting, drawing and jewelry-making and there are outdoorsy ones like horseback riding. Going to businesses that can teach these requirements can cost the girls a ton of money (keep in mind they only earn about 40 cents per box of cookies). If you have a horse or know how to teach a craft, consider donating your time to Scouts, school groups, seniors or even special needs adults. The memories you can give the people you teach will last a lifetime.
This Thursday, my family is kicking off our season of giving by serving Thanksgiving dinner to homeless and people who wouldn’t otherwise have a Thanksgiving. How will you be kicking off the giving season with your family?
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Written by Kari @ Living Strong, Health & Wellness , Contributing Writer
We’re in a battle right now. Many of you might not understand what I mean, but each day we wake up, we are faced with decisions that will ultimately affect our health – now and for years to come. A battle we face everyday is our food and nutrition.
Eating healthy isn’t as simple as it used to be; going to our garden, picking apples off a tree or collecting eggs from our backyard chickens. With all the changes that have taken place in just the last 100 years, how can we be sure that what we are feeding our family is safe, truly healthy and real?
What can we do to ensure we are providing our family nutrition that is going to benefit them and not harm them? How can we avoid falling prey to the habit of convenience and poor food choices? We need to rise up as health warriors and fight for our health. There is an onslaught of information regarding health and nutrition right now and honestly, it’s overwhelming and confusing.
Here are some easy tips for winning this battle:
- if your food has a label, read it closely
- eat living foods; avoid dead and fake food products
- drink clean water; filtered water, reverse osmosis
- prepare meals at home more often
- eat organic produce to lessen toxic chemical exposure
- choose organic, grass-fed and pasture-raised meats and dairy products
- choose natural sweeteners in lieu of artificial ones
- if it came from the ground, grew on a bush or tree or has a mom, it’s typically safe to eat
- if it was made in a plant, don’t eat it or at least eat much less of these
- stay away from GMO foods (genetically modified organisms)
- don’t eat conventional meats (beef, chicken, pork) from CAFO’s (concentrated animal feeding operations)
- cut out/eliminate prepackaged and processed foods
- cut out ‘white’ foods that have been refined and overly processed such as white sugar, white flour, white rice
- stay away from foods containing MSG
- eliminate soda, energy drinks, pasteurized fruit juice
- eliminate soy from your diet, soy and soy byproducts are in everything
- don’t participate in diet trends; they are never long lasting and usually cause internal damage and leave you unhealthy
- plan your meals in advance and keep a shopping list on hand
- do grocery shopping each week to avoid buying bulk and unnecessary items
- plan meals so they work with your daily schedule and make enough for leftovers
- make your child’s lunch for school
These are small yet powerful and beneficial steps for us to be proactive in our physical health. Yes, there may be a war going on, but we can stand up strong and be on the offensive when it comes to the choices we make.
Our lives literally depend on how we fight this battle and I choose to be victorious!
What can you do to be a health warrior in your home and to inspire those you have influence over?
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Written by Christy @ Fresh Fix Momma, Contributing Writer
Hello November!
It’s a beautiful time of year! A time of wonderful holidays, great food, family, friends and a time to reflect on everything that has happened over the past year.
This time of year can bring so much joy to people but it can also bring up a lot of stress on people.
Money issues, loss of family member or friends, maybe a hard time at work; there can be a lot that stresses people out and can be very difficult to be thankful in hard times.
Being thankful in hard times is a very difficult thing, but it’s so very important that we do this.
You see, hard times are normally blessings in disguise. It’s very hard to see that at the time, but when you look back on those hard times you will see that those are the moments that have made you stronger, wiser, It has made you the person you are today.
We were not promised an easy pass through life, in fact we were told that we will have struggles and hard times.
“More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5:3-5
Yes, life is hard. There are struggles we go through that we do not understand. However, there is always something to be thankful for.
We have it better off than most; for example: you are reading this post right now. This means: you have/have access to a computer and internet. We have clothing, food, shelter, love of our family and friends but more importantly, we have the love of our Lord. If that’s not something to be thankful for then I don’t know what is.
“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Prov. 3:5&6
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
Is it difficult for you to be thankful when everything seems to be going wrong? How can you encourage another who is having a hard time?
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Written by Contributing Writer, Kelly @ Eyes On The Source
In a recent series at church, our pastor taught on the greatest gift we can bestow upon our children…”The Blessing.” He spoke on ways to work through things we may or may have not received from our parents and how to bless our own children. Simple really, but sometimes the words may not come as easily as they should. What our children really need to hear is that we LOVE them and that we are PROUD of them. No. matter. what. And even more importantly, they need to know the love of the one true God. They need to know about the relationship our God longs to have with each and every one of us. God’s Word can be misunderstood as a book of rules, but it’s real message is RELATIONSHIP.
“You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”Dueteronomy 6:7
Teaching our children should be part of our everyday life, not just during church or family devotions. While family devotion time is an excellent idea, if we are not living what we are teaching, we will just push our children away from God instead of drawing them nearer. Teaching them as we walk in the way will keep it fresh and natural instead of forced and uncomfortable.
I love what our pastor said about this, “You know what’s so special about sitting, walking and lying down? NOTHING!!” Just being a godly example to our children can have the biggest impact on them!
Incorporate it into your daily life, make it fun, be the example of love and relationship.
This knowledge has caused us to relax more in our family devotion time. We have mixed it up more, by reading from the Bible one day, a picture book another day or watching JellyTelly Videos, etc. Just making it fun!!
These are some of our favorite books and resources that we have been using as we “walk by the way.”
(I’ll include links so you can easily find them, not affiliate links.)
1. “Leading Little Ones To God”
Teaches the basics of the Christian Faith in a very simple way, short daily devotions.
2. Max Lucado Children’s books and “The Tale of Three Trees.”
Beautiful stories that teach a godly lesson. Perfect for snuggling up on the couch with the kiddos!
3. “Wee Sing Bible Songs” and “Sing the Word” music.
I love to hear my boys singing sunday school songs and memorized scripture. The Sing the Word Cd’s make memorization fun and easy!
4. Children’s Story Bible. We use “Ergermiers” and the “Illustrated Family Bible.”
I like that the Illustrated Bible has realistic people in the pictures, instead of typical cartoonish pictures. I want my children to know that these are events that really happened, not just some warm fuzzy stories!
5. “What God Has Always Wanted” and “What Happens When I Talk to God”
Both of these answer our little ones questions of the heart.
6. “Inspired Evidence” and “Dinner Table Devotions”
For families with older children, I love these two books. “Inspired Evidence” provides daily devotions including scientific evidence for the Christian faith. And “Dinner Table Devotions” has conversation starters to discuss as your family gathers for a meal.
7. “My Creation Bible”
So many great resources from Answers in Genesis! This is one that my boys read over and over. It comes with a CD that sets the whole book to music. A simplified overview of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.
8. “The Answers Books For Kids”
Also from Answers in Genesis! Four short volumes full of questions and answers on Christian faith/life. Easy to understand truths.
There are endless amounts of amazing resources to encourage our children towards a love of God’s Word and truths, what are some of your favorites??
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You really are enough!
Written by Jenny, Contributing Writer
There’s a recurring theme in my life, and I suspect that I’m not the only parent, or adult for that matter, who struggles with it. Feelings of inadequacy. Never being able to do enough, to be enough, to give enough, to help enough. Never being able to be everything to everyone in my life. Sound familiar? I think it’s a common thread that weaves most of us parents together.
We find out that this sweet little life is going to be entrusted to us, and we have high hopes and big plans. We want to give our children everything that we didn’t have, provide every opportunity, raise our children better than most others and never fail that sweet little life. We spend 9 months preparing to be everything that our sweet baby will need, and then reality sets in.
Sometimes we simply can’t do everything or be everything. We’re only human, we have limited resources and there are only so many hours in the day. So we don’t measure up to our own ideals, and we begin to feel as though we’re not enough for our family. Then the guilt and feelings of inadequacy begin to creep in, and we let them take over our entire lives. We can’t give our children enough stuff, we can’t give them enough time, we don’t raise them the way that we want to, and the list goes on and on.
We have to stop the cycle. You ARE enough. Your love and your commitment to your family are enough. You’re only harming yourself and your family with the constantly insecurity and feelings of inadequacy. It’s time to believe that you ARE enough. You are fearfully and wonderfully made by Christ, knit together in your mother’s womb. He made you just as He intended, and the Master doesn’t make mistakes. He uniquely equipped you to be the wife and mother that you need to be for your family. You can’t ask for anything more than that.
Scripture is divinely-inspired truth, and we can find the truth about who we truly are in the Bible.
So what does scripture say about whether or not we’re enough?
“I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength”. (Philippians 4:13) He has equipped us to do everything that He has called us to do.
“It is God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect.” (Psalm 18:32)
“Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)
Scripture clearly shows that through God, we are enough. There’s nothing that He cannot strengthen us to do, and He will never fail to equip us to fulfill His calling on our lives. He has called us to be wives and mothers, and He has given us everything that we need to be enough in our roles.
Give yourself love and grace. Rely on God to enable you to walk down His path for your life. Accept that God hasn’t called you to be the perfect wife or mother; He has only called you to be a Godly, loving wife and mother. Look to Him for help, and allow Him to be what you are not. Pray this scripture daily, and see God’s plan for who you are in Him unfold daily in your life and the life of your family.
Pray for us. We have no doubts about what we’re doing or why, but it’s hard going and we need your prayers.All we care about is living well before God. Pray that we may be together soon.
May God, who puts all things together,
makes all things whole,
Who made a lasting mark through the sacrifice of Jesus,
the sacrifice of blood that sealed the eternal covenant,
Who led Jesus, our Great Shepherd,
up and alive from the dead,
Now put you together, provide you
with everything you need to please him,
Make us into what gives him most pleasure,
by means of the sacrifice of Jesus, the Messiah.
All glory to Jesus forever and always!
Oh, yes, yes, yes. Hebrews 13:18-21 (The Message)
How can we encourage other mothers that they are enough?
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]]>One of the things I remember most from my childhood are the Bible verses and songs I learned in Sunday School, VBS and at home. In Bible college, I committed many Scripture verses to memory and they still come back to me, especially in the difficult times, when the Spirit brings them to my mind.
At the same time, I wish I’d had the opportunity for more intensive Scripture study as a child, not only memorizing verses but understanding them in context and learning how they apply to my life. There are plenty of Scripture songs I missed out on too, as many of the music available now wasn’t made yet when I was a a little one.
Now that my husband and I are raising our own kids, we have a deep desire to instill these Words of Life in our children’s heads and hearts.
And this begins at home!
No Sunday School curriculum can replace what a parent can teach their children about the Lord and His Word! I spent some time looking at some Scripture memory verse programs or systems but couldn’t find exactly what I wanted.
I was hoping for a way to teach the same verses to both my older and younger children at a level where they could learn alongside each other, using verses that could be memorized in the shorter and longer version. There were specific truths we wanted to impart to our children, most importantly God’s plan of salvation.
Also important to me was finding some very simple and straightforward ideas for learning and memorizing the verses. I’m not super crafty, and it seemed like many of the activities I saw online required craft supplies I didn’t have or activities I didn’t have time for or didn’t mix with a 7 year old, 4 year old and busy 1 year old.
I also knew from experience that Scripture is easily learned when paired with songs! So I decided to combine all these elements and create my own system, which is working very well for our children. Thanks to some encouragement from a blogging friend, I decided to turn these ideas into an eBook, which is now available for you as God’s Word in My Heart: A Scripture Learning Guide with Memory Verses!
This eBook includes:
- Ideas for teaching Scripture to your children, from the baby on up
- List of Songs and other Go-Alongs for learning Scripture
- List of specific songs that go with the memory verses
- Printable Scripture memory verses {presented in short and long form for all ages} for use at home, school or church
- ABC Memory Verses
- Verses on Sin and Salvation
- ESV (English Standard Version)
- KJV (King James Version)
- NASB (New American Standard)
- Variety (ESV, NIV 1984, NASB, NKJV)
God’s Word in My Heart is regularly priced at $3.99 but you can get 25% off using code DAY2DAY at checkout!
PLUS, I am giving away a copy of my eBook (in your choice of version) to one of Rachel’s readers! And feel free to buy a copy for yourself and enter the giveaway–if you’re the winner, I’ll refund your purchase price!
Jenn is a pastor’s wife and a mother of 3 beautiful children.Join Jenn at The Purposeful Mom where she shares how she is learning to live with purpose in the spiritual, financial and practical areas of life.
Her desire is that we would all :encourage one another and build each other up” 1 Thess. 5:11
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David, who was a great king and man after God’s own heart, felt hopeless. In Psalm 22: 1-2, he cries out, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.” Men were seeking to kill David and he was afraid that the Lord’s help was not coming.
A life free of trouble and worldly happiness are never promised, but the Lord promises to take care of those who belong to Him!
Join Jenn at The Purposeful Mom where she shares how she is learning to live with purpose in the spiritual, financial and practical areas of life. Her desire is that we would all :encourage one another and build each other up” 1 Thess. 5:11
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It’s not intentional, but I’m guilty of listening to the subtle messages the world sends me about my offspring:
–they’re messy
–they’re whiny
–there are too many of them
–they keep me from getting sleep
–they’re always pulling at me or asking me a question
–they keep me from doing something for myself
–it will be so nice when they’re gone at school all day and I have some peace and quiet
–their purpose is to make my life miserable
It’s time to take back the belief that children are a blessing rather than a burden. To submit our daily thoughts to God and ask Him to change those thoughts toward our children. To fight back against the message that “being a mom” isn’t worth pursuing with our whole hearts.
How can we wage war against our burdensome thoughts? The best way is by looking at what God’s Word says about how we are blessed by our children!
Deut. 6:6-8 “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.” We are given the privilege of teaching our children.
Psalm 8: 1-2 “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth…from the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise.” Our children were created to praise and love the Lord!
Psalm 127:3 “Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from Him.” Children are given to us by God’s grace.
Mark 9:36-38 “He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.'” Jesus desired fellowship with children and encourages us to desire them as well!
Be encouraged that God will bless your efforts as a mother and that your children will one day “praise (you) at the gates” (Prov. 31)!
Join Jenn at The Purposeful Mom where she shares how she is learning to live with purpose in the spiritual, financial and practical areas of life.
Her desire is that we would all :encourage one another and build each other up” 1 Thess. 5:11
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For months I’ve had just the title of this post in my drafts but a blank canvas so to speak. I wanted what I write to be God breathed because in fact we have been waiting on God.
We are all waiting on God at different times in our lives. For you, it could be that baby you have been longing to hold in your arms, an illness to be healed, a family member or friend to come to the Lord, a break-through in your marriage or finances, to start a business, a door to be opened, what ever it is we are left waiting.
In the waiting, the Lord is with you and I, He is faithful!
For all of us though, we are in the instant gratification era, in this stage if life we are used to conveniences and do not like waiting for things. However, the bible is chock full of stories of waiting. Sarah and Abraham, Noah, Moses, Joseph, and dozens of stories that talk about the visions the people had and their having to wait on the Lord, but in all of the stories the Lord is faithful in what He promised them.
Continue reading here!
What are you waiting on God for?
Please check back next week for the Ask Dr. Jake Q&A!
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