Simply Keeping Home

Have you ever noticed the temptation among some Christian women to want their husbands to appear  more spiritual than they actually are? She will make mention, casually of course, of something her husband does or is that will impress others. She might fool herself into thinking that she is just praising her man, but in reality, she wants others, her friends especially, to feel that she has it all. And that her man is really Godly.  This kind of pressure is especially prevalent among wives whose husband's are in the ministry. But a woman who does this just coveting what she perceives desirable in other women's husbands?  Of seeing something that she deems ideal and wanting it? A wife will hear how so and so's husband is such a wonderful spiritual leader in his home. He reads the Bible every night to his children and has regular family devotions. He's an elder in the church or some other position (the importance of which is often exaggerated). But the truth is that

I have only been familiar with the issue of head covering for a couple of years. I don't add any cloth coverings  on top of my hair nor am I an advocate.  But it seems to be a practice that is on the rise and I decided to study my Bible to see what God's word says. First of all, every Christian must understand that there is nothing that can be done to add to the finished work of Christ on Calvary. If more people just read the bible rather than study guides and books, there would be fewer troubles in the churches of God. I'll state my conclusion clearly right up front: wearing a head covering is a work . And an unnecessary, unbiblical one. I will back up what I say with Scripture. This article is long, so please read it all before you make any comments. If you're ready, open your King James Bible with me and lets read. I'm not going to allegorize, parenthesize or squish them around to say what I want. No lexicons, no Greek & Hebrew, no study guides. We

There seems to be a few parents these days who are clueless about how teachable children are when they are very young. Many fall for the lie about the "terrible twos". They think that their kids can't learn right behavior until they are old enough to understand. This is a HUGE mistake. Infants and babies may not have the sophisticated understanding of verbal speech yet, but they are plenty teachable. Birth to age five are very precious years to instill obedience and routines in a child. Kids are like sponges and they learn very, very quickly from ages 0-5.  But the window of time to really ingrain simple but crucial behaviors into them passes rather quickly. It requires a good measure of selflessness and forethought by the parent. Proverbs 19:18  - Chasten thy son while there is hope , and let not thy soul spare for his crying. It may seem like forever when we're in them, but the early years really do go by  fast.  Having a plan is super important. It's be

Every once in a while, I have brushes with the past.  I'll bump into someone while I'm out and about, or see them from afar, or stumble upon them online.  And more often than not, these individuals lives look strikingly different than what they were when I knew them.  Their appearance is different. And not just in age or typical changes. How do I say it other than ... they look like the world. Like every other person you spot on the street. Low tops, girl's hair is too short boy's hair too long, piercings, tattoos, low cut blouses, low waist jeans, etc.  But most disturbingly, a hollow sort of look in the eyes. They are "christians" who are supposed to be salt and light, a peculiar people set apart unto God. But the "image" they are projecting speaks differently, at least to me. They seem more concerned with fitting in and  mingling w ith this lost generation, than winning them to Christ.  They say you can't judge a book by it's cover,

I am married to a wonderful man who loves home cooking. He has graciously and enthusiastically eaten every creation I have ever come up with from the beginning of our marriage 18 years ago.   In fact, if it hadn't been for his encouragement and enthusiasm, I don't know if I would've had the courage to keep up with my culinary pursuits. But I did and I've improved a lot since our early years. Ah, the love of a good man!!  Subsequently, I've made my husband 99% of the lunches he's taken to work from then, too. But it is always challenging to think up something different and new. In other words, not boring! :) More often than not, it's been the typical american lunch: sandwich, veggie, fruit, chips, cookies. Sometimes I make him different kinds of wraps. Every so often I would fill a hot thermos with stew or soup. But not as often as I'd have wished. A few months ago my husband did a big hotel remodel and in the first couple of months, he commuted an

Who has the most influence in the peace of my home? I think it's me. If I show unthankfulness or let stress take hold of me, my kids get whiny and my husband gets grouchy. When I am thankful and smiling, my home is noticeably peaceful. Did you know that your smile only works right when your heart is thankful? I've had guests remark how peaceful my home is. Is it always peaceful? Uh, nope. :) But it's the goal I continually strive for. Not the bad kind of striving, like always worried and reaching. But the steady pacing of myself, like a runner in a marathon kind of striving. It's a goal I keep in the forefront of my mind. Smile. Relax the forehead. Go ahead, touch your own forehead. Feel any furrowing? How often is that going on? Are you stressed? Your family can see it on your face. Take it to the Lord in prayer. I am so limited. I am so "not good" at some things. I think some women try to be good at too many things or take on more than they can handl

Happy Mother's Day! I feel so blessed to be a mother. Being a mother has had the most profound impact on my life than anything else. It's my best accomplishment and my most precious investment.  God has graciously given me 3 children on earth and two in heaven.   When I was growing up, my mom was on the unstable side and she failed to give the wisdom, love and knowledge that a mom should give. She tried and I have many happy memories as a kid. But there was a lot that, looking back, I think could have been so much better, had she been more considerate of me than herself. As a result, by the time I was a teenager, I never wanted to become a mother. I was going to be a successful business woman in New York City. But God had other plans and wow, am I glad he did!  :)   Even so, I have had to combat many insecurities from not having a good role model in my own mom.  On my toughest days as a mother, I have cried to the Lord and said, "See? I told you I wouldn't be a ver

Our family has been really enjoying Keith Green lately.  My husband and I had read the book about Keith's life, No Compromise, written by his wife Melody early in our marriage and we really enjoyed it. But it's been years and we couldn't find our copy, so we bought another, plus two more of his books. One of the books are selected sermons by Keith ( A Cry in the Wilderness ) and the other is his personal journal ( Make My Life a Prayer ) both published posthumously. The journal is amazing. It begins from when he was searching for God and ends in blazing hot zeal as a born again Christian. A must read! Our sons devoured all three books and loved them. I, not having as much free time as they, have been slowly working my way through  Make My Life a Prayer and WOW, has it been a blessing to me.    I am so inspired and encouraged by Keith's heart and enthusiasm for serving and obeying the Lord. It is contagious! His personal reflections are so bare and honest. I ha

My desire is to please God with my conversation. I want my words seasoned with grace, patience, and discretion. The one place God has given me  total control over is my mouth. I choose the words, the tone, the speed, the wisdom, the discretion. Or the lack thereof.  It's all my choice. No puppet strings here. We all know that. The Bible has a lot to say about our conversation.  The words we speak are powerful. The tongue is simple and tiny.  But without it we'd be unable to speak.  God says in his Word that death and life is in the power of the tongue and they that love it will eat the fruit thereof. Words have fruit. If you love life, your tongue will bear witness to that.  And you'll eat the fruit from the words you choose to say. We will reap what we sow with our conversation. That's good news if we put a gate at the lips and weigh our words before they spill out. But on the flip side, if we're in the habit of letting our tongue fly and thinking afterwa

Do you ever just stop and think about how blessed we are to be living? And how blessed we are to have homes?  It is good to be alive!   Every day is a good day.  If you  don't  think every day is a good day, just try missing one.  :-)  I am so thankful for my life and constantly humbled by God's goodness to me. I'm thankful I can breathe, pray, laugh and love. Thankful for my wonderful husband, my bright children, and our cozy home. I have a bed to sleep in tonight. I ate three meals yesterday and expect the same today. I've been hugged and kissed and cared for. I can turn the heat when it's cold, and A/C when it's hot. I have proper clothing for every situation. I have a wonderful van to drive and take me wherever I need to go. I have a Bible to read and study any time I want. God's own words, right in my hands! I have my own kitchen to make any kind of meal or snack or dessert that I fancy. I have washing and drying machines to provi

I have been mulling around some ideas to blog about. I have some goals and even a few plans, but have been so busy with life that I haven't known where to begin.  Then I feel overwhelmed...so I just do nothing. A definite weakness of mine, resulting in scant blog posts. To those who expect so much more from a blogger, I hope you'll pardon me for being a fickle blogger.  I've also been writing a monthly newsletter for our homeschool group for the last year and a half. I want it to be a worthy read so I work really hard on it and give my all. Which translates to many long hours spent putting it together each month. After it's finished and published, I feel a bit drained and don't want to sit in front of a computer for a while. Thus it's dampened my blogging. But I just put the last issue to bed for the season and I feel like a weight's been lifted off my shoulders! Yay! :) ( I'm considering passing the baton next year.)  In the meantime, if any of you