A Gentle and Quiet Spirit

"Is is weak to have a gentle and quiet spirit?  No.  It is a woman of strength who keeps a gentle spirit in the face of harshness and rebuke.  It is a strong woman who keeps an even temper when she feels overwhelmed and angry."  Nancy Campbell

These words are convicting.  I never would have matched gentle and quiet with strength and strong.  But whenever we can master our emotions and feelings, we become stronger. 

Ken and I walk everyday.  I use to dread it, because I knew he would tell me something I did or said wrong.  I tend to blurt things out without thinking.  I hated being corrected in any way. 

Learning to accept criticism and correction is something we need to learn to do.  It does not come naturally, but we learn a lot if we can accept it willingly.

Keeping an even temper when you feel overwhelmed and angry doesn't come naturally either.  It takes determination and effort but remember, we do our part and God will do his part. 

So being quiet and gentle doesn't mean you rarely talk and don't get excited and animated.  It just means you learn to be content in all situations...Accepting whatever comes your way graciously.

Let not yours be the outward adorning with braiding of hair, decoration of gold, and wearing of fine clothing,  but let it be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable jewel of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.  (I Peter 2:3,4)

P.S.  My kitten has nothing whatsoever to do with this post.   I just thought you would like to see how adorable he was yesterday sitting in a basket he will outgrow soon!  Actually, he does have a gentle and quiet spirit  :).

Metamorphosis Monday 
Monday Blog Link Up 
A Return To Loveliness

Liquid Hand Soap

This is super easy to make, cheap, and works great.  I love making my own stuff....It's cheaper and I know what is in it. 

The economy isn't very good, so people are very interested in saving a dime.  A whole gallon of this soap only costs what it costs to buy a bar of soap.  I used Ivory, but if you want to get real pure, you can buy one from the health food store.  Also, the fewer chemicals you use, the better.  This is how I did it ~

Grate 1 cup {I used Ivory} of soap.  You can use a Cuisinart or hand grater.  My grater is the one you see in the picture.  It is awesome!  It is by Salad Master and grates soap, carrots, whatever, really quickly with hardly any mess.

Add 1 Tablespoon of glycerin.

Heat up 10 cups of water with soap and glycerin until it's boiling.

Cool until completely cooled off.

Stir well.

I put it in old soap dispensers like you see above.  It is kind of slimy putting it into the dispenser, but it works great.  I had to use a funnel.  A small liquid soap at Trader Joe's costs at least several dollars, so there is definitely a cost saving and it is very little work.

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 

Ezekiel 36:25

God's soap is going to be A LOT better than anything man can make!!

Frugal Friday

Feminine Ways

 When you think of a very feminine woman, who comes to your mind?  My daughter-in-law comes to mine.  Right after we met her, my husband commented on how feminine she is in her behavior and dress ~

She loves wearing dresses and twirling around in them.

She laughs and smiles a lot.


She loves flowers, lace, and pretty things.

She loves having a sweet baby girl.

She doesn't try to dominate and control conversation, other people, and especially her husband.

She speaks softly and has feminine facial expressions.

She even walks and runs softly.

She doesn't argue and demand her way.

She is very affectionate and warm.  (One time my mom was here and she came into the house.  When she saw my mom, she clapped her hands and jumped up and down because she was so happy to see her.  It made my mom's day!)

Most men like feminine women.  They like women to be different than them.  I have had to work on a lot of things...Ken would love it if I would continue working on these qualities.  I am but it isn't easy!  It isn't my personality, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't try and develop them because they are good qualities.

A gracious woman retains honour: and strong men retain riches.
Proverbs 11:16

 A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that makes ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.   

Proverbs 12:4

Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.

Proverbs 31:10

Wake Up Happy!

This can be very difficult for me (but not for Emma!).  Two years ago, I had my neck fused.  A disk was pushing into my spinal cord causing pain throughout my whole body.  The disk is off of the spinal cord now but the nerve pain that it caused, persists.  Especially if I do too much, which isn't hard to do.

When I wake up and feel the pain, I am tempted to go, "Dang!  It still hurts.  I am so frustrated with this pain..."  Ooppss!  Then I remember I can control my thoughts and I started thinking,  "This is the day that the Lord hath made.  I will rejoice and be glad in it!"  I can actually start thinking happy thoughts and reminding myself of all of God's promises.  It isn't always easy, but it is always good.

It is easy to forget how much control we have over our thoughts.  God gave us self-control through the Holy Spirit and freedom of choice.  We can choose life or we can choose death.  Start choosing life producing thoughts.  It makes life a lot easier to get through.  Dwell on the good things in life.  Turn off the bad things.

Happy are the people with such [blessings]. Happy are the people whose God is the Lord. Psalm 144:15

Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God:  Psalm 146:5

If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.  John 13:17

I LOVE how the King James Version uses "happy" in a lot of verses!  I have heard that God doesn't want us to be happy, but joyful.  I have a hard time distinguishing the two.  People around us see "happy", so let us choose to be happy!

Follow Me Back Tuesday

Cat Problems

Yes,  I did it.  We are now the proud owners of three cats.  Just six months ago, I told everyone I was never going to get another cat.  I am 52 years old and I want less responsibility.

Six years ago, Alyssa adopted an abandoned kitten in Jackson, Mississippi.  He, Gilroy, got mean because he was left alone all day, so she asked if she could bring him to live with us.  Ken said, "Yes" and he was an okay cat.  He comforted me a lot through the pain I had with my neck.  I would wake up and he would be asleep on my lap.

Several months ago,  I decided we should get another cat.  Gilroy seemed lonely and he bites you if you pet him for very long.  I thought he needed a friend and it would make him happier. 

So Cassi found Rascal and we adopted him...The BEST cat I have ever owned.  Soft, beautiful, gentle, and cuddly.  You can do anything to him and he won't bite.  One problem...Gilroy can't stand him.  He hisses at him all the time and wants nothing to do with him.

Rascal was lonely.  He needed a friend, so I asked Ken if I could get a friend for him.  I am fairly impulsive, so once I decide to do something, I do it.  I found this little black kitten yesterday.  Rascal was elated.  (My family thinks she's ugly and I should have waited to find a cuter one, but she seems very sweet.)  

Rascal and the new kitten have been playing non stop and cuddling with each other ever since.  Gilroy now hates them both...He won't even go in the little garage to eat because the two little kittens are in there.  This is a good thing since he could lose some weight.  I have never been able to put him on a diet, because he bites your feet if he wants food (NOT a good habit). 

So now I have three cats...I have no idea what I was thinking.  Hopefully, Gilroy will start liking the other two.  I am writing this post for my family.  They think I am crazy, but I do have my reasoning...I love Rascal.  It was all for him!  Is that bad?  Can you make a mean cat nice?

P.S. Does anyone know a good Bible verse about cats?

Other interesting posts ~
Is Drinking Alcohol A Sin?
What If He Died?

Kelly's Korner

Pornography Affects You!!!

A friend's husband had an addiction to pornography.  They were not Christians, but she was very unhappy about it.  They went to a psychologist who told them that pornography was fine and dandy.  It's not!  You are fooling yourself if you believe that.  What you put into your mind affects your life!

My sister was telling me that you should be asking any potential suitors for your daughter, "When was the last time you dabbled in pornography?", not "If you have?" since the majority of men do.  She says that question usually catches them by surprise, but women have the right to know if their future husband dabbles in it.

I think it is a good thing to ask and keep the men in our lives accountable.  Pornography is so easy to get now...One click of a mouse.  But it is harmful, very harmful.  It changes the chemistry in the brain, so much so that some men who are very addicted can't enjoy sex with a normal woman.  That is very sad.

The Bible tells us to "Flee sexual immorality" for a good reason.  So flee it!  Don't have anything to do with it.

Charles Spurgeon wrote this ~ 

Sin is a conquered foe to every soul in union with Jesus. There is no sin which a Christian cannot overcome if he will only rely upon his God to do it. They who wear the white robe in heaven overcame through the blood of the Lamb, and we may do the same. No lust is too mighty, no besetting sin too strongly entrenched; we can overcome through the power of Christ. Do believe it, Christian, that thy sin is a condemned thing. It may kick and struggle, but it is doomed to die. God has written condemnation across its brow. Christ has crucified it, "nailing it to His cross." Go now and mortify it, and the Lord help you to live to His praise, for sin with all its guilt, shame, and fear, is gone.

Believe this to be true and never give up!

Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.  I Corinthians 6:18

Media Mondays 

Liquid Laundry Soap

This is an amazing laundry soap.  I have been using it for many years and it only costs several pennies per load.  You need washing soda for it.  It is difficult to find sometimes.  Check your local grocery store.  My grocery store ordered some for me or you can order it on line.  I think more grocery stores are carrying it now.

Ingredients ~

1 cup of grated soap  {You can use Ivory, Dr. Bonners, or any kind you like.}

1/2 cup washing soda *

1/2 cup borax powder

A large bucket to store it in.

*{I just read on another blog that you can make washing soda by spreading baking soda on a cookie sheet and baking it at 350 degrees for a half hour. I will try it next time I run out of washing soda.}

Instructions ~

Grate the soap and put it in a pan.

Add 6 cups of water and heat until soap melts.

Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved.

Remove from heat.

Pour 8 quarts of water in a bucket.

Pour the hot soap mixture into the bucket.

Stir well and let cool off, stirring every once in awhile.

It will become gel like when it is completely cool.

Pour into old milk jugs or any bottles with a lid.

Shake before each use and use 1/2 cup per load.

There you have it!  Cheap and easy!

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 

Psalm 51:7

Hand and Body Lotion Recipe

This is an incredible hand and body lotion recipe.  Friends have asked me to give it to them for gifts! It makes your skin incredibly soft and smooth; better than any other lotion I have ever tried!  I order my supplies at  Brambleberry or you can find them on ebay, maybe even Amazon. There is an initial investment but one order has lasted me many years.

Ingredients ~ 

1/4 teaspoon or 1.2 grams citric acid

1 Tablespoon or 15 grams liquid glycerin

1 Tablespoon or 15 grams stearic acid

5 teaspoons or 25 grams ewax

6 Tablespoons or 90 grams sunflower oil or avocado oil

1 cup or 237 grams water

2 teaspoons or 10 grams shea butter

1 teaspoon or 5 grams germaben II

1 teaspoon or 5 grams liquid silk (optional)

Essential oil to scent (Brambleberry has incredible ones or leave it out if you don't want it to smell.)

Makes 16 ounces of lotion.

Directions ~

In a small sauce pan combine citric acid, liquid glycerin, stearic acid, e-wax, sunflower oil, shea butter, and water. Heat all this until the e-wax has melted. Remove from the heat and stir. Keep stirring until it looks milky which doesn't take too long.

Let the lotion mixture cool down until it reaches 110 degrees, stirring occasionally.

At that point, add the germaben II, liquid silk and fragrance oil.  Stir well.

Pour lotion into clean bottles or containers and let it cool completely. Give the bottles a good shake every few hours afterwards. Sometimes you will notice the water separating from the lotion but a few shakes will take care of that problem. The next day, the lotion should be nice and thick. If it turns out to be watery, it is still very usable and moisturizing.

If you want a face and body lotion that is completely chemical free, inexpensive, and made with coconut oil, aloe vera, and herbs go HERE. I made it once for my sister and now this is the only thing she wants for her birthday. It has no preservatives in it at all and lasts a long, long time. It has never gone bad on me! (However, I like this one a lot more since it is not greasy feeling at all.)

Yes, this does take some work but it is well worth it and it's expensive initially but the supplies last for years!

Winning Others

While I was in Wisconsin, I read A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanuker.  I will be writing several posts from this book because some things are worth repeating. 

He and his wife lived near universities like Oxford, since he was a professor.  When they moved to the United States, they found that the college students had very negative opinions about Christians.  The students thought of Christians as never having any fun and a lot of restrictive rules.  This is how the professor and his wife responded to this problem ~

The Christianity we represented was sunny and joyous with all the room in the world for humour and gaiety and yet at the same time rigorous and glorious.  So we laughed and joked and poured out the wine but challenged their minds and souls.  The students smiled and abandoned the solemn voices they had been taught to use in speaking about such things, gaily drinking the wine and discovering a Christ who was a blazing reality.

They won many of the students to Christ by being joyful and having fun.  They were warm and loving with them, inviting them often into their home and feeding them.  They loved spending time with them and caring about them.  This, I believe, is the best way to win others to Him.  Love them, serve them and be happy around them.  Let them see how wonderful living for Jesus truly is.

It is the Christian duty, as you know, for everyone to be as happy as he can.  C.S. Lewis

My Son-In-Law

We met Jon four or five years ago.  Tyler, Sandy's son, brought him to our home one Christmas to stay with us a few days.  Ken and I were very impressed with him from the start.  He was strong in his faith...unwavering, which is rare to see in young men these days.  He came and lived with us for awhile when Alyssa was living in Jackson, Mississippi.  He was easy to have around.  He worked hard, was faithful going to church and being involved in some type of ministry.  He fell in love with our Alyssa.  We were so happy!  She loves being married to him. 

He loves spoiling her ~ 

She just wanted a little diamond ring...He bought her almost a karat. 

She likes her little car.  He wants her in a big safe car. 

She can make $30 an hour teaching ballet, but he likes having her home taking care of their home and him.  He doesn't care if she works at all.  I love that!  Most men want their women to work. 

He likes providing for her. 

He doesn't mind her spending the afternoon with us eating lunch out, shopping, and lounging around the pool.  He wants her happy even if he has to slave the day away. 

He loves reading the Bible to her and praying with her at least once a day.  He wants to make sure their relationship is centered on Christ. 

He loves listening to Mark Driscoll...a man's man.  He thinks he's the greatest preacher alive today.  Driscoll teaches men to be men.  He wants them to be masculine and live up to their calling. 

We are so happy Jon married our daughter.  I still get teary-eyed when I think how good God is in bringing them together.  His ways are so good.

Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.  Ephesians 5:33

I'm Grateful For..
Simple Things
Simple Pleasures 

Spanking Children ~ Part Two

There were some pretty heated comments in my post entitled Spanking Children.  I lost some followers and I gained some followers.  Some thought I abused my children and others thought I raised them correctly.

When I was in elementary school in the '60's, almost all of the principals spanked children for misbehavior.  There was hardly any bad behavior when I was in elementary school.  Children respected authority and obeyed their teachers.  It was a pleasure being a teacher back then.  You could actually teach, instead of always having to think of ways to keep the class under control like you do now.

Pain is a great motivator.  You don't touch a hot stove, because you don't want to get burned.  You are careful with knives, because you don't want to cut yourself.  Children who are disciplined properly respect authority and obey their parents, because they don't want to get spanked.

Parents who scream at their children, call them bad names, let them watch television all day, feed them a lot of junk food,  feed them too much food...I think they are abusing their children.  Not parents who spank their children on their bottom for disobedience.  Children who are disciplined, grow up to be disciplined adults.

Everyone enjoys children who are obedient.  Society was a much better place when children respected authority.  Young parents today who spank their children aren't even allowed to tell others for fear of having their children removed.  Something is really messed up in our society.  Right is wrong and wrong is right.

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.  People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,  without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,  treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God--  having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. 

II Timothy 3:1-5

My Fig Tree

My best friend, Sandy, told me that her favorite tree when she was growing up was the fig tree in her backyard.   She said figs were her favorite fruit.

I had never tasted a fig, but I trusted her opinion and planted a fig tree several years ago. Last year, it produced a lot of figs. I tried them. I didn't like them. Darn!!! Oh well...I just let them sit on the tree all summer into the fall.

One day I noticed they were all shriveled up and a different color. I picked one and set it on the counter. Later that evening, I tasted it. Oh my gosh!!! It was incredible....sweet and yummy!

I got out a flashlight and picked a lot more. I had everyone taste them and they all loved them! I have told this story because I read on another blog that old people are like figs....They get wrinkled and sweeter with age!  I sure know I am getting wrinkled and I hope sweeter with age!

Thanks, Sandy, for the recommendation! I am now waiting for the fall when my figs will be ready to eat!

For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved , and in them that perish.  II Corinthians 2:15

P.S.  I just went back to that blog and here is the quote ~  "We’re like prunes, as time goes by, we’re gettin’ wrinkled, but a whole lot sweeter!”  Ooppss!  Oh well...figs work also!

Also, if you want a good chuckle, go to my sister's blog and read what she says about getting older!

Fabulous Friday

Filthiness and Naughtiness

Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.  But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves...But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.  James 1:21,22,25

Gotta love the King James Version.  It doesn't mince words.   Naughtiness...a word you don't hear often anymore.  Nothing seems to be naughty in our society anymore, but we know there are many naughty things being done around us, especially through the media, that we should have no part of if we claim to be a child of God. 

We are commanded to dwell on the lovely, the pure, and the holy.  We are commanded to be doers of the Word, obey the Word, not hearers only.  

So I encourage you to get rid of any filthiness or naughtiness in every area of your life.  Ask God for help.  He wants to work powerfully through you, so you can shine like stars in a wicked generation. 

We must be different. 

We are strangers and aliens.

This isn't our home.

We are called to be light. 

Let your light shine before men!

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. 
Psalm 119:11

Cassi's Security

My youngest daughter, Cassi, loves to mentor high school girls.  She loves teaching them God's ways and telling them how good life is living for Him.  

She came home today and said she had a "light bulb" moment.   She is secure in who she is in Christ.  She was with a young girl today who looked at her at said, "You know who you are."  This young girl came from a divorced family and doesn't know what it feels like to be secure.

Cassi  exclaimed to me,  "I am so blessed!"  ~

She grew up with a daddy that adored her and a heavenly Father who died for her.  

She is secure.  

She knows who she is in Christ.  

She gets her fulfillment from Him.  

She rests in Him.  

When you are around her, you know she has peace. 

She has a gentle and quiet spirit.

If you were raised by a daddy that loved you, it is much easier to believe in a heavenly Father that loves you.  What a precious gift my husband has given her.  What an eternal gift God has given her!

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.  Galatians 2:20

A Holy Experience

Spanking Children

Spanking gets a really bad rap in our society right now.  Many parents, Christians included, don't want to spank their children.  The thought process is if you spank your children, they will grow up to be violent. 

Spanking IS being abused, just like sex is abused, but that doesn't mean you stop having sex or spanking.  You need to learn to do it in a proper way.  

I have also heard you should never spank in anger.  I spanked in anger sometimes, because I was usually pretty upset with my children when they needed a spanking, but I never came anywhere close to beating them. 

We only spanked them when there was open defiance...not wanting to obey us or when they willingly disobeyed us.  We used a special little strap and spanked hard enough so it would hurt.  Pain is a great motivator and teacher.  We spanked them mostly before the age of five, so none of them can hardly even remember getting spanked.  

As soon as they were crawling, if they were going to touch something and we said "No" but they touched it anyways, we slapped their hand.  Eventually, they learned to obey us when we said "No" and they no longer tried to stick their little fingers in lights sockets or other things they weren't suppose to touch. 

If they were wiggling around while we changed their diaper, we would spank their bottom and they learned to be still.  It was a quick and effective method to teach obedience.  They learned who was boss real early in their lives.

For a child to learn immediate obedience when told makes child raising a lot easier.  If you tell them to do something and they don't do it, then you keep telling them over and over again, you are teaching them disobedience. 

Teach them to obey you the first time...It could save their life, ie, telling them to not run into the street when a car is coming.

As our children got older, we never had to "ground" them or take away privileges, because they were obedient the majority of the time.  They respected authority and desired to please us.  We didn't suffer through the "terrible twos" or "rebellious teenage years."  They were all a pleasure to raise.

It was a lot of hard work the first five years...exhausting really and it's hard to spank your children.  It isn't fun, but it works.  My children would have much rather get spanked and have it over with quickly, than have a long lecture or be grounded.

He that spares his rod hates his son: but he that loves him chastens him. Proverbs 13:24

Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.

Proverbs 22:15

The rod and reproof give wisdom:   but a child left to himself brings his mother to shame. 

Proverbs 29:15

My Wonderful Cousin Crystal

Vacationing two weeks in Wisconsin, I was able to spend some time with several of my cousins.  One of them is Crystal.  Her parents divorced when she was two.  She had a turbulent childhood.  

Crystal moved in with Ryan at a young age.  I am not sure about Ryan's upbringing, but I don't think it was great.  Ten years ago, they found a small church called Calvary Chapel, a branch of the large one in Orange County.  It only has about 50 members.  That church has loved and nurtured them.  Both of them walk with Jesus now.  It is a beautiful thing to see the transforming power of the Lord in their lives.

She wrote this to me about her wedding day that was performed on that beautiful lake in Door County, Wisconsin that you see in the picture above ~

"On our wedding day there were 6 foot waves on the water when we woke up. By the time we boarded the Yankee Clipper for our wedding at 6pm, it was glass! I will never forget Grandpa Garbutt telling us (and there is a picture to prove it) to go back to our room that night and beg God's forgiveness for living in sin. I told him that we'd not only been forgiven, but that the Lord had truly blessed us. And he continues to do so. Our struggles let His light shine!"

They have two precious children.  The children are happy and secure.  They have a mommy and daddy that love each other.  Ryan's job has been hurt by the economy, so his pay is not much. He works hard and provides barely enough to cover their needs and God does the rest.  They decided long ago that Crystal would stay home and raise the children.  They make sacrifices, but they are being blessed with a solid marriage and well-adjusted children. 

They are not rich in money, but they are rich in relationships.  They both smile a lot and seem to have found the secret to true happiness...walking with Jesus and following Him.  Her mother, Lora, is walking with Jesus now.  She loves reading her Bible and talking about Him.  Oh, the transforming power of Jesus...

Better is little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith.  Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.  Proverbs 15:16,17

A Moderate Life
Sunny Saturday 

His First Priority

A man's first priority is to make a living.  If you are anything like I use to be you think his first priority should be you, but it is not. 

His curse was ~ "cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life.  Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field;  by the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground." (Genesis 3:17-19) 

This is a heavy burden that men must carry all the days of their lives.  A woman's first priority is to be his help meet,  "It is not good for the man to be alone;  I will made him a help meet suitable for him."  (Genesis 2:18)  Her curse had to do with childbearing...pain.

When I had four children in five and a half years, Ken was traveling a lot.  He was gone half the year.  I would be upset with him for working so hard.  I thought he should show me he loved me by being romantic with me and helping a lot more with the children.  I didn't understand that his way of showing love to us was to work hard and provide for us.  Now I understand.

If your husband works a lot and is missing a lot of activities, your children will take on your attitude.  If you grumble and complain, your children will have a bad attitude towards their dad.  However, if you tell them that he is working so hard so they can have their needs met and telling them how wonderful he is for sacrificing like that for them, they will grow up to admire and love their dad.

Ken's dad worked very hard and wasn't home much.  He never told Ken that he loved him or threw a ball with him, but Ken knew that his dad loved him.  His mother never spoke an unkind word about her husband.  They never argued.  He was the head of the family and they all knew it.  All the children had a deep respect for their dad and admired him.

If you have a husband that is working hard to provide a living for you, thank him.  Appreciate him and try making his life at home as peaceful and loving as possible.  It's a hard world out there.  They live with a lot of stress.  They need a help meet to help make their life a little bit easier.

Fixing Your Heart On Titus 2

Loving Life!

Do you want to love life and see good days?  Do you believe God keeps His promises?  I wholeheartedly believe that He keeps His promises and I LOVE this one ~

"Let him who means to love life and see good days...seek peace and pursue it..."  I Peter 3:10,11

So this is simple...in order to enjoy life and see good days, you need to be a peacemaker.  The first place to start is in your home.  Would others describe your home as peaceful?  Do you strive to be at peace with your husband and your children?

We just returned from spending two weeks in Door County, Wisconsin.  We go there every summer.  My whole family went, except for Alyssa and Jon.  He just started a new job and they recently moved.  We were all in my mom's cabin, with my mom, for two whole weeks.  There was not one cross word or argument the entire time. 

I was pondering this as we were coming home.  It was wonderful!  We laughed, talked, ate a lot of great food, and just enjoyed being together.  This is a first for Ken and me.  We are in love with each other now and treat each other with kindness and respect.    I am loving life and seeing good days....God keeps His promises...

P.S.  Writing this blog has been such a blessing to me.  The Bible says that teachers are going to be held to a higher standard.  God doesn't want hypocrites.  If you teach His Word, He wants you to obey it.  So whenever I am tempted to fall back into bad habits (sins), I remember what I have written and it keeps me accountable.  I know I can, because of Who lives inside of me and so can you!

Smile With Me Saturday
The Sundae Hop
Super Stalker Sunday

Learn To Serve!

"A wise woman never expects anyone to serve her, and is therefore never disappointed.  She is ready to help, always a giver.  By her example, her children learn to cheerfully and energetically serve."  Debi Pearl

This was a difficult one for me.  I really loved being served.  I wanted Ken to serve me and make me happy.  I was VERY selfish.   After 20 years of being ill and having others serve me, I have learned how wonderful it is to serve.  God used some pretty difficult times in my life to teach me this lesson ~ 

Now I love washing my dishes because I can stand for long periods without being in pain...I have the strength to do it.  Praise God! 

I love fixing healthy food for people even if it means spending a lot of time chopping up salads and making things from scratch, because I am able to do it myself and not wait for others to do it.  Praise God! 

I love running people to the airport over 35 minutes away because I am able to drive...I am not flat on my back in constant pain.  Praise God!

I love having people stay at my home and trying to make them feel special because I am able to...I now have the energy to do it.  Praise God!

Serving other people and being generous with them is so much more fun than lying in bed in chronic pain and having other people serve me.  It is too bad it took a hard-headed woman like me so many years and so much pain to figure that one out. 

Figure it out today.  You do reap what you sow.  Sow seeds of loving and serving others.  The fruit is very sweet.

Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men. Ephesians 6:7

Making Daddy First

The most important thing a mother will do for her children is to create an atmosphere of peace and joy by deeply loving their Daddy and being satisfied with life. 

Debi Pearl goes on to tell of a survey they took from children and asked them what they would like to see changed in their home that would make them happier.  They thought the children would answer that they wanted video games, more vacations, etc.  Less than 1% said their homes were happy and the rest wished that their Mommy and Daddy loved each other. 

So the most important way to love your children is to ~ Love their daddy.  Honor their daddy. Obey their daddy. Forgive their daddy.  This creates peace, harmony, and happiness in the home. 

Most women neglect their husbands once they have children.  Children are demanding and demand that we meet their needs.  We love them so much.  We would die for them. 

Most husbands aren't demanding.  They know children are demanding and their wives need to take care of them.  But they get lonely.  They miss their wife, but they put up with it because they think it is the way it is suppose to be.  It's not! 

We are called to be our husband's help meet and love and care for him.  Our children will love it if you love and care for their daddy.  It is good for them to see that you value their daddy, sometimes even above their needs. 

So I encourage you to start taking care of that man that God has blessed you with and see how God blesses you in return.

An excellent wife, who can find?  For her worth is far above jewels.  The heart of her husband trusts in her, And he will have no lack of gain.  She does him good and not evil all the days of her life...Her children rise up and bless her;  Her husband also, and he praises her, saying:  "Many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all."  Proverbs 31:10-12,28,29

No Ordinary Blog Hop

A Quiet and Peaceable Life

"I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty." (I Timothy 2:1,2)

Isn't it wonderful to know that God wants us to be able to live a quiet and peaceable life? That sound so good. The way we do that is by praying for our leaders. They have a tough job. Instead of every one criticizing them all the time, how about spending that time praying for them. They need God's wisdom to lead. It is a tough job.

So I challenge you to pray for our mayors, governors, senators, representatives, and our president daily. God is mighty to save and He hears the prayers of His precious children.

He also wants us to give thanks. That is the polar opposite of grumbling and complaining. He doesn't listen to that stuff. When we are being thankful, we can't complain because we realize how blessed we truly are. I want to live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty, don't you?

Television

"It astonishes me how many Christians watch the same banal, empty, silly, trivial, titillating, suggestive, immodest TV shows that most unbelievers watch – and then wonder why their spiritual lives are weak and their worship experience is shallow with no intensity. If you really want to hear the Word of God the way He means to be heard in truth and joy and power, turn off the television on Saturday night and read something true and great and beautiful and pure and honorable and excellent and worthy of praise (see Philippians 4:8). Then watch your heart unshrivel and begin to hunger for the Word of God."

John Piper

I will set before my eyes no vile thing. The deeds of faithless men I hate; they will not cling to me.  (Psalm 101:3)

This is a powerful and convicting verse!   God commands this because He knows it is for our good.

Media and Marriage

Think The Truth

"You are what you think, and God tells you how to think:  Think the truth.  This is not the power of positive thinking;  this is the power of the truth as God defines it.   You are created to be your husband's helper, not his conscience, not his vocation director, and certainly not his critic.  When you develop an adversarial relationship with your husband, you do so on the premise that you are right and he is wrong...In thinking he is wrong and you are right, you declare yourself wiser than he, more spiritual, more discerning, more sacrificial, etc...No woman will ever have peace and joy until her mind is filled with goodwill toward her husband."  Debi Pearl

I use to think I was much more spiritual and wiser than Ken, because I read my Bible and prayed every day and he did not.  I was much more committed to church and Bible Studies than he was.  I didn't watch some of the shows on TV that he did, so I was much more holy.  Little did I realize how sinful my critical thoughts towards him were.

A young newlywed was staying at our home awhile ago.  I asked her if she had devotions with her husband.  She said, "No."  I told her we just started having devotions together several month ago. She asked if it has helped our marriage.  I told her that the devotions aren't what helped our marriage.  It was when I stopped nagging and trying to change him that our marriage became good.  I forgot to remove the log out of my own eye before I tried taking the splinter out of Ken's eye. 

Thankfully the log is out now and I can see much more clearly!  He is a godly man.  He works hard, is faithful to me, and loves his children.  He just shows it differently than I do.  Hopefully, you will start thinking on truth a lot sooner that I did!

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.  Philippians 4:8

Critical Attitude

"My critical attitude is a far graver sin than his bad habits."  Debi Pearl

How many women truly believe this?  Yet they spend most of their married lives thinking critical thoughts towards their husbands, thinking that they are a much better person than them.  I know I did.  Oh how I wish an older woman would have come by my side and whispered in my ear, "Stop doing that to your husband, Lori. Stop putting him down.  Stop saying critical things about him.  Stop interrupting him and correcting him." 

For some reason we can't see how harmful our behavior is to our marriage.  That is why God tells the older women to train the younger women.

So, as an older women, if you have a critical attitude towards your husband or are trying to change him...."STOP IT!!!"  There, I said it.  I hope you are listening...I am sorry if it seems like I am beating a dead horse, but there are many women out there who need to hear it over and over again.  I am just taking the admonition seriously that says,  "Encourage one another daily..."

"Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:  And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."  (Ephesians 4:31,32)

A Woman's Sensibilities

"We ladies are more inclined to trust in our feelings and intuition than are men, which makes us more subject to deception...That a man is less sensitive than a woman does not make him inferior to her, nor does her being more subject to deception than her husband make her inferior to him - just different." (Debi Pearl)

There was a young woman I know who fell madly in love with this young man.  I thought he was perfect for her, but my husband did not.  He loved Jesus, he worked in ministry, he loved people, but there were some things that Ken greatly distrusted.  It upset me so much!  I would try to convince him over and over again about how great this guy was for this girl.  We argued about it a lot because I knew I was right and he was wrong.  Well guess what, he was totally right!!!  Boy, did I have to put my tail between my legs...It sure wasn't fun. 

I am not saying that men are always right, but a lot of times they are.  They tend to look at the larger picture than women.  God created us differently and we both have our strengths and weaknesses, but just because we are more sensitive and emotional, doesn't mean we know better.

Let your husband lead.  If he makes mistakes, he will learn from them, but at least your relationship will be intact and strong.  That is much more important than being right!

For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. (Ephesians 5:23)

The Hook-Up Culture

"Will we continue to applaud the hook-up culture?...Where did it get us? From rare instances of teen infections to 9 million new cases a year. From two bugs to two dozen. It got us to babies having babies, sixth-graders on the pill, teens with cervical cancer, and to HIV and AIDS."  Suzanne Venker

How come our society is getting it so wrong? Even "Christians"....Ken and I mentor couples who are getting married. The man who heads up the whole program at our church told us that the couples have to commit to being sexually pure until marriage to go through the program. He said we would be amazed at how many "Christian" couples are either sleeping together or living together.

Sex is suppose to be sacred...Kept for a husband and his wife. We aren't animals, we don't have to give into our impulses...We do have self-control and we can teach our children this truth. It will spare them from much physical and emotional pain.

Thankfully, we serve a God of second chances. He is a loving and forgiving God. He makes all things new. So if you have blown it, repent and start living life the way God intended for you. It is a very good way...No fear of diseases, unplanned pregnancy, or emotional trauma.

Charles Spurgeon wrote, "They who love God with all their hearts, find that His ways are ways of pleasantness, and His paths are peace...true religion overflows with happiness and joy."  His ways are so good!

But you are a chosen generation, a holy nation, God's own people; that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.   I Peter 2:9

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.  Titus 2:12

Marriage is honorable in every respect; and, in particular, sex within marriage is pure. But God will indeed punish fornicators and adulterers.  Hebrews 13:4

The Hand of God

I believe that the coming together of a man and woman, like everything else (e.g. the fall of [a] sparrow) is in the hand of God.  C.S. Lewis

I love this!  I love knowing that God had a BIG hand in choosing my spouse.  I prayed a lot when deciding if I should marry Ken or not.  I wanted it to be His will.  I asked him to close the door if I wasn't suppose to marry him, but Ken kept telling me we were "molded" for each other.  I love knowing that God chose Jon for Alyssa and Erin for Ryan.  They are perfect for each other.  They compliment each other. 

If you seek God's will, He is going to give you His will.  He wants us to want His will, because He knows a lot better than we do.  I always felt that if He could save our souls, He could find us a spouse that is perfect for us...not perfect, but perfect for you, if you ask.  All He wants is for us to ask.  That's it.  Seek His will and He will lead you~ 

You will have a peace about the person you will want to marry. 

You will know you don't want to live without them. 

You will know you want to spend the rest of your life with them. 

You will know they are a gift from God's loving hand.

Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you.  Matthew 6:33

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5