Thursday, September 26, 2013

Pursuing Holiness Tenaciously


Pursuing holiness tenaciously are the words Courtney uses to describe her mother.  Her mother taught her three daughters from an early age to have a daily quiet time with Jesus, reading His Word and praying.  She was often heard listening to sermons on the radio.  She wasn't known for having a college degree or career, but being a faithful, godly wife and mother.

All throughout her life, Courtney had daily quiet times with Jesus.  She wanted to shine His light wherever she went.  She attended public schools her whole life and then went to Moody Bible Institute.  She married her high school sweetheart.  She worked full-time the first three years while her husband finished school.  Then she became a full-time homemaker for three years before she had children.

Her life as a full-time homemaker before children was spent learning to please her husband, learning to be a good homemaker, including cooking, and ministering to those in need.  She then had two children and is now teaching and training them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

She has written a book titled Women Living Well which I was privileged to read and write a review for.  I thoroughly enjoyed it!  She gives wonderful suggestions about having a quiet time, praying as you do your housework, being a homemaker, loving your husband, and raising children.  She freely admits she is not perfect and even shares many of the struggles she has encountered along the way.

I highly recommend it, especially to young women who are in the stage of raising children and trying to keep everything juggling at once.  However, I was even inspired at my age to seek God more often, pray more, and spend more time in His Word.  You can order it HERE.

Many daughters have done virtuously, 
but thou excellest them all.  
Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: 
but a woman that fears the lord, she shall be praised.
Proverbs. 31:29,30

***Write a comment expressing the ways you pursue holiness and I will choose one for Courtney to send you a free signed copy of her book!

Comments (26)

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I would love to have this to share!
It would be a "treat" to have this book to read!
I would love this book as a young mom to 3 small daughters!
I have been married for 13 years. We have six little ones. Four of the six are school aged (whom we homeschool)...the other two are toddlers. How I pursue holiness? Every morning I have a "little bit of coffee and a whole lot of Jesus." I read His Word, jot notes in my journal, and pray for strength. I seek Him throughout the day. I fail over and over. I ask for forgiveness. I try again.

thanks for the opportunity to win a book....blessings~~angela
My husband and I have six children varying in age from college down to kindergarten. How do I pursue holiness? I devour His word. I read my bible every day and make the verses personal. I meditate on verses throughout the day and let God show me how the verse apply to my life. I listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit as He gently tells me ways to bless my husband, raise my children, and run my home. How do I hear His voice? I practice getting quiet before Him, plus I just have ideas pop into my mind at times.

I'm not perfect, but I try my best and that is what God asks. Thank God for the blood of Jesus. Being holy is not how we look, but how we live.

Thanks for the chance to win.
Sounds like a great book! The pursuit of holiness is in my life is daily and on going. Spending time with the word, in prayer and with women who encourage me in my walk. It's not a perfectly timed schedule. I have three young kids and so I do it throughout my day.
Seeking after holiness is an every day affair of loving God and wanting to be more like Jesus. I don't really know how to be quiet before God. I can hear his voice, but it's always in the going, not in the sitting there. I pray and read his word. I add my best effort to God's grace so I can model holiness for my children. I pray to be a righteous example for them and for God to bring other godly influences into their lives. My husband and I have set standards in entertainment, language, how we spend our free time, and the general atmosphere of our home. I am so grateful to have been washed in his blood and be able to rest in the knowledge that God is the author and finisher.

Thanks!
Kimberly in NC's avatar

Kimberly in NC · 600 weeks ago

I pray for my husband and 3 sons daily. I read our church's daily devotional and scriptures every morning as well as a marriage devotional that my husband found online and signed us up to receive it in our emails everyday (from Dr. James and Shirley Dobson). I also thoroughly enjoy and reap many benefits from this blog. I check it everyday and I've become a better wife because of it. Thanks for writing!
Yes!! Would love to have a copy of this!!
I'd love to get this book!
Sheila Payne's avatar

Sheila Payne · 600 weeks ago

I pursue God by trying to have quiet time with Him daily. I so appreciate the expansion of godly women available to me through blogs like yours. Reading books by other godly women is like having a mentor with you for the length of the book. I never tire of spending time with other godly women. I always am inspired.
Neither my husband nor I were raised Christian but we want our children to have a spiritual foundation. Coming into the faith has been a daily walk of doing things that sometimes feel foreign to us (like saying grace before meals) but we hope it will all just be normal for our kids. Even at this point in my life I can't say that I really "know Jesus". I try my best to be a good wife and mother and my husband is truly wonderful and we are both teaching our kids the best way we can. There is a lot of "secular humanism" in me, which isn't a totally horrible thing, but I do wish I could relate to this "personal relationship with Jesus" thing that others seem to have tapped into. I've read Courtney's blog off and on for many years, but I still don't feel much of a connection to Jesus the way she describes it. I view Jesus in a functional sense only. As in: We need the physical body of a woman to bring us here, and we need the spiritual body of Christ to bring us home. Beyond that... I don't really get it! So basically, all that to say, maybe this book would help me, I don't know.
I am pursuing holiness by praying and reading my Bible early in the morning. During my prayer time, I name as many attributes of God that come to mind and thank Him for them. It helps remind me of how great God is and how I strive to be a good example of Him. Afterwards, I read the Bible so that I can meditate on what I read throughout the day. If a verse speaks to me, I write it down in my journal. I just started doing this last month and it has made a huge difference in my marriage and how I am with my children.
I'm learning that to pursue holiness daily, I have to actually pursue it moment to moment. I pray countless times a day, "Lord, transform me into your likeness in this situation. Transform my heart in this moment." With an 18 month old at home navigating toddlerhood, I pray this A LOT!
I pursue holiness by having an ongoing conversation with the Lord. It doesn't matter what I'm doing. For instance, I could be cooking, doing dishes, or showering. I find that those times are wonderful to continually seek His love and guidance.
I'm sure I don't pursue holiness as often as I should. As a home school mom of 4 and a wife I spend most of my time overwhelmed and feeling inadequate, but I try to pray my way through the day, read God's Word and be an example to my family.
Would love to have this book!
Hi Lori
First of all, let me say that I enjoy your blog so much....one of the first I go to each evening! I make an effort to pursue holiness by keeping my thoughts of the Lord. Even if I am alone and no one will know what I am doing, I try to act as if others are around and do what is right in God's eyes...and, most of us usually know what is right and what is wrong! For instance, I would never litter even if I knew no one would see me throw out something....I just wouldn't want to mess up His wonderful and beautiful creation. I also try to remember that even though we sin daily and always will while in this flesh, that God "still" hates sin! I want Him to be pleased with me and am so thankful for all the many ways that He has blessed me. Another way that I pursue holiness is by spending my small amount of time online by reading uplifting and positive Godly blogs like yours....it really helps me and encourages me along the way. Thanks so much for the effort you put into your posts, even amidst your sickness and busy life....you will reap blessings and may God touch your body and continue to use you!
I like to meditate on the life of Jesus, and seeing how He treated people, handled situations, etc. He is my Great Example of holiness, so I pursue Him.
I've been reading Courtney's blog for a long time and would love to win! To pursue holiness I read the Bible, pray and try to glean wisdom from as many wiser Christian people as possible!
I am trying to learn how to pursue holiness by starting a quiet time in the morning before anything else. I have tried in the past and failed, but know it would be of great benefit for me and my family. I would love the encouragement found in Courtney's new book!
This is a good question, perhaps more of a challenge for me than anything. I think I pursue holiness in raising my three young sons and by being greatly involved in the Bible class program at our church. I want my sons to know there are others who are pursuing holiness and want them to have strong, Christian friends.
Pursuing holiness...it's something I can't do on my own. It's by God's grace that I even came to Him. But maybe it starts with surrender...surrender on a very basic level. "Lord, I'm a wife and mother again today. Please help. Live through me."
I agree with Rachel. We must simply *submit* ourselves; soaking in HIS word, communicating with HIM and then HE can shine through us.
I do find the more one is in relationship with The Almighty the more one becomes less and less impressed with the things of this world, consequently making them holy.
I am blessed with 7 children. My oldest is 11 but then I had 1 each year for the last 6 years. Some might think that this has left me with no time for The Creator but ironically it has only brought me closer, blessing me and showing me how much love, mercy and grace God bestows upon each and every one of us- no matter if we are acknowledging it or not. Everywhere we go people look and wonder how do they do that? The world can't do it. I CAN'T DO IT. It is only by YHWH, giver of all things that our family exists.
Pursuing holiness by trying to live like Jesus.

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