Thinking Before We Speak

It is difficult for me to not just blurt out what I am thinking or write a response to a comment without thinking. The only problem with this is that it is so easy to say or write things that I wish I could take back. However, words, once out, can cut like a knife so I must continually learn how to ponder my words carefully before speaking or writing them.

God wants all of our words to be acceptable to him. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. {Psalm 19:14} He also commands ~ Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. {James 1:19} This is a very difficult task for talkers like me!

What has helped me most is before I even get out of bed to quote Psalm 19:14 to myself and I also ask the Lord to give me wisdom in the words that I write. When someone asks me for advice, I try to ponder the question for awhile and even ask the Lord for wisdom in responding, trying to be sensitive to the feelings of those asking. 

It is a difficult line to walk sometimes when you want to speak the Truth boldly but also be sensitive to other's feelings. Sometimes the Truth is harsh and needs to be said. I never want to water down God's Word, for my desire is to please the Lord rather than men. In this day and age, when so many pastors are preaching that Jesus wants all of us to live in a large house and have nice things, we must know the Word and teach it without fear.

Many people are broken and stumbling and so in need of the Truth, so we must continue to speak and write it but we always need to do it in love. All of our words need to be carefully thought about before we speak, especially when we are angry. The more you practice this, the better you will get, especially with the God of the universe living inside of you giving you wisdom and strength.

***Seek those things which are above, for you are dead to sin and 
your life is hid in Christ with God. Now believe it!

Non-Toxic Sanitizing All-Purpose Cleaner

Since we are going to be learning through Laine's Letter 50 ways to get out of debt, I thought I would share a wonderful, cheap cleaner you can use on anything in the kitchen and bathroom. It takes a few minutes to put together and pour into a spray bottle.

Studies have proven that indoor air is more polluted than outdoor air. Open your windows as much as possible and use as many non-toxic cleaners, make up, shampoos, etc. as you can. They are finding that all these toxic chemicals are causing disruption of hormones, cancer, autoimmune diseases, autism, etc. Do all that is in your power to keep your precious family healthy in this toxic environment.

Ingredients ~

1 teaspoon Borax

1/2 teaspoon washing soda

2 teaspoon vinegar

1/2 teaspoon liquid soap

2 cups hot water

20 drops tea tree oil

Boil the water, add the ingredients and stir.

I have started using newspaper to clean windows and mirrors with and it works beautifully, just like Grandma told us it would. It leaves no streaks or lint, so start saving up newspapers {if you still get them}. I use one sheet of newspaper per bathroom for the mirrors and when I am done, I just throw the crumbled up ball underneath a sink and it is dry by the time I need to use it again. You can also use the Borax and Washing Soda for a super easy, inexpensive and effective Laundry Soap.

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

Psalm 51:7

My Brand New Couches

Well, they really aren't brand new, just recovered. They look like brand new, however, and they only cost me $1500! I also got new carpet. You can see how it used to look HERE. The pictures look a bit different since I took the other picture in the early morning and this picture in the late afternoon. We have a western exposure so we get the afternoon sun until it sets. I love having the sun streaming through my windows!

Before we moved into this home 17 years ago, we lived in a home in a valley. We got the morning sun, but lost the sun completely around 2:00 p.m. every day since a huge mountain was behind us. It also was very cold in the valley. Cold air sinks so when I would take a walk in the early morning, I was freezing when I started walking and when I got to the top of the hill, it was at least ten degrees warmer.

When we decided to move, I told Ken I wanted a home on a hill with a southern or western exposure. I wanted a sunny home! The sun sanitizes things and makes everything seem happier. Florence Nightengale noticed that when she worked in a hospital, all the patients on the northern side {which never gets sun} didn't recover nearly as quickly or not at all compared to those on the southern side.

My cat, Rascal, is on the couch sunning himself. He goes there every afternoon. He is a long haired cat and throws up every day. He licks himself and our other cat all the time. I finally had enough of it {and I didn't want him throwing up on my new couches and carpet} so I researched it a bit. I brush both of my cats really well every morning now and I give him a little bit of this stuff from the pet store that is suppose to help. He hasn't thrown up in three days so I am crossing my fingers!

I love my new carpet! I use to have to vacuum my dark green carpet almost every day because it always showed everything. This carpet never needs to be vacuumed! It shows nothing. {I do vacuum it once a week, however.}

So, I am very happy with my new family room. So it you ever want any furniture covered for so much cheaper than most places, send me an email and I will give you her number!

By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.

Proverbs 24:3,4

***We are no longer called sinners, but saints. God has clothed us with His righteousness and taken us out of the kingdom of darkness so that we might be a light to others.

God's Grace Raised Our Children

When I compliment friends on what a great job they did raising their children, many times they will respond, "But for the grace of God!" I fully agree that all that we as Christians have in life that turns out great comes from His grace in leading, guiding, directing and outright miracles in our lives. But where was God's grace for couples who raised children who grow up to live in rebellion to God? How does our responsibility work with God's grace?

God's grace... 
Gave us the joy of parenting as we loved, care for, and enjoyed our children.
Taught His values more than training behaviors.

Taught self-discipline through prompt obedience. 

Gave us the wisdom to spend hours teaching right thinking.
Was with a mom who, though very sick, drove her kids to Awana weekly.

Got the family to church each Sunday and made Jesus look sweet!

Gave us the strength to home school through Junior High.

Was in a hard working dad who provided the resources to put our 
children into a terrific Christian high school.

Protected them by sending them to a fabulous Bible University.

Yes, everything we accomplish for God's glory is by His grace as He works mightily within us while passing on His grace, His truth and His love to our children.

We do not know exactly how it all works; How God's grace intersects human agency and Christian responsibility to accomplish His will. Do not think for an instant that if God demands that we train our children in the way they should go and we fail our mission that God's grace covers all.  Nor should we believe that we can be perfect Christian parents and never risk a child exercising free will to walk away from the Truth they were clearly taught.

What we do know is that we decided early in our marriage that we would take parenting very seriously. We wanted to honor God with our time, talents, and love by investing in the precious gifts He would entrust to our care. We desired to be able to present to Him four godly children, not one lost to the world. It was all God’s grace working through our faith and obedience, and in spite of our weaknesses, to grant us our prayer’s desires. 

Were we perfect parents? No, but we always tried to be loving, kind, generous and consistent. I am sure our kids sit around at times and talk about our imperfections with our experiment of parenting and I hope they can improve with their kids. But we also love the thank yous they give us, at times, showing appreciation for the grace of God that flowed through us towards them by our obedience.

Raising children should be serious business for Christians. We are called by God to “train up a child in the way they should go” and God gives every Christian parent the grace to accomplish this important task. If you teach them boundaries while they are very young, when they are teenagers, they will gladly live within those protected boundaries. We always had a good relationship with our children and talked to them about everything. We wanted them to learn from us God’s ideals, not from those outside of our family of faith.

Yes, it is exhausting, especially when they were little, but trust me when I say that God’s grace will get you through it all. Be faithful and when they grow up to walk with Jesus, every moment spent loving and training them will be so worth it. As you begin to choose to obey God and step out in faith, He fills you with His grace to accomplish His will.

God's grace gives us all we need for life and godliness and then demands that we walk in obedience to His will and His ways. When we willfully disobey Him, He chastens us, just as He expects us to do with our children. If the God of the universe lives inside of us, such grace and love compels us to work diligently to prepare godly offspring filled with God’s grace who walk in newness of life and will spend eternity in heaven with us. 
All by God’s grace alone and all to His glory!

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.

Deuteronomy 6:7

***We are no longer called sinners, but saints. God has clothed us with His righteousness and taken us out of the kingdom of darkness so that we might be a light to others.