Maidens of Virtue Christmas Tea 2009

This weekend my daughters and I were very pleased to attend a memorable Maidens of Virtue Christmas Tea. Mothers, daughters and grandmothers alike joined together to hear Mary Miller, mother of the Eden String Quartet, teach about what she had learned about raising her daughters. It was a sweet sight to see three generations taking part in the festivities. Above is one of the many tables set up beautifully adorned with miniature
Christmas trees and handcrafted ornaments displayed as keepsakes for the guests.

The beautiful home of the hostess--last year Stacy McDonald was the speaker and there were over 100 in attendance in spite of a bad ice storm. While us ladies were attending the tea, my husband and sons were at a nearby church meeting with the Men of Valor group. They enjoyed a pancake breakfast and listening to Chris Miller (father of the Eden String Quartet) encouraging dads to raise godly sons and not 'molly-coddled pansified-boys' among many other things. I love that--definitely what we need to hear in this day and age!

Sandy Grutzius, of Christian Heritage Church, warmly welcomed the ladies.

Mary Miller shared with us her wisdom and warnings of her experiences as a mother and wife. I was very encouraged by her humility and honesty. She did not want anyone going away feeling discouraged and she did her best to encourage us mothers to do our best raising our families.

Janai and Therese Miller

Ladies enjoying fellowship

Me and the little maiden-Anika

Isn't she soooo cute?

Little cousin maidens learning to be feminine
Virginia, Joy and Lena

Mothers of the Maidens

Older maidens were encouraged to have strong authentic walks with the Lord, to follow their parents guidance and learn domestic skills. I think it is so important to pour our lives into doing our best to raise godly daughters for the Lord and a tea such as this is a wonderful time to celebrate womanhood and femininity with them.

Wouldn't you agree?




Hope you enjoyed our pictures of the Maidens of Virtue Christmas Tea!

The Voice of the Enemy

Life can get really busy for mothers, especially around the holiday season. Mothers need to be reminded to slow down and enjoy life around them without getting too caught up with the frenzy of shopping, decorating our homes beautifully, making the season perfect and not forget the things that truly matter.

This is a great reminder for us all through the year:

Each moment I have with these children.

Each moment I have to honor and submit to my husband.
Each moment I am given to love and serve another.
Each moment I pray or sing or praise.

Do I realize that each and every moment in time is ripe and full with eternal destiny? Am I going to continue on with my frenetic pace or am I going to slow down, be aware of the moments?
Is it worth speeding through the moments of life just to get one more thing accomplished?

I’m tired of missing out on the awareness of the eternal destiny in these moments, because there is so much to do.

Whose voice am I listening to when I hear, ‘accomplish more, be better, get more?’ Go, go, go!? Have I bought into the American lie of ‘you can have it all?'
I wonder at what cost?
What does it cost me to have it all?
Does it possibly cost me my health, my children, relationships, the eternal destiny of each moment?

Does Jesus drive and push me to do more?
Or is that the voice of the enemy?
Jesus never seemed to be in a hurry.
He walked everywhere He went.
He wasn’t too busy for ‘interruptions’ like people needing healing or teaching.

He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside still waters . . .
In returning to Me and resting in Me you shall be saved in quietness and trusting confidence shall be your strength . . .
Come to Me all you who are weary, I will cause you to rest.

No, I don’t believe Jesus is behind this crazy pace. Am I willing to listen to the Voice of my Good Shepherd instead of the voice in my head, or the the voice of our culture?

Lord Jesus, I don’t want to accomplish so much that I miss the ‘eternal destiny’ in each moment. I really don’t know how to slow down. I don’t know what to just let go of. So Jesus, teach me, lead me, cause me to rest. Open my eyes to the eternal destiny in each and every moment.

-This article is entitled 'Each Moment Is Ripe With Eternal Destiny'
by Michelle @ She Looketh Well
and was also featured At The Well...In Pursuit of Titus 2.
A special thank you for sharing!
(emphasis mine)

The Modern Woman

"Modern woman says that we have been weak throughout history.

But I personally think it is rare

to see a modern woman

exhibit the kind of strength and nobility

painted

from God’s Word."

-Kelly Crawford
Generation Cedar

(emphasis mine)

It's About Family

Last week was a whirl of events landing us in the hospital with my five year old son, Joshua having swollen glands in his neck with the potential to close his windpipe and an infection growing in his body, all caused by a simple cold.

After six days of being hospitalized, he is finally home!!! We are so happy to be together as family again and so grateful for those all of you who prayed and supported us through this time.

Today Joshua's grandma is making a huge Thanksgiving feast that we are especially grateful to be a part of this year, especially since the doctor's thought we would still have to be in the hospital for the holiday. We are so grateful to enjoy family being together, the love we share and of course, a little of this:





Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers!

The True Wife's Kingdom

Home is the true wife's kingdom.

Very largely does the wife hold in her hands, as a sacred trust, the happiness and the highest good of the hearts that nestle there. In the last analysis, home happiness depends on the wife.

• Her spirit gives the home its atmosphere.
• Her hands fashion its beauty.
• Her heart makes its love.

And the end is so worthy, so noble, so divine, that no woman who has been called to be a wife, and has listened to the call, should consider any price too great to pay, to be . . .

the light,
the joy,
the blessing,
the inspiration,
of a home.

The woman who makes a sweet, beautiful home, filling it with love and prayer and purity, is doing something better than anything else her hands could find to do beneath the skies.

A true mother is one of the holiest secrets of home happiness.

God sends many beautiful things to this world,

many noble gifts;

but no blessing is richer than that which He bestows

in a mother

who has learned love's lessons well,

and has realized something of the meaning

of her sacred calling.










~ J. R. Miller, "Secrets of Happy Home Life, 1894" ~






And as always, remember that Christ needs to be the center of the home in order for true peace, love and happiness to abound!

He is our everything!

Thank you Dallas @ Abounding Treasures

The Mission Field

So oftentimes we think of the mission field as some far, far away place, full of foreigners--a harvest waiting to be harvested.

But I propose to you to rethink that notion.

Have you viewed your home as a mission field?

We are told to set our sights for missions abroad and internationally--and we very rightfully should. But mothers, I am calling all of you to look carefully at your homes.

The mission field of the home is an often neglected subject. The topic is vitally crucial because the neglect of the home leads to the demise of a nation. Mothers can get very distracted with the here and now and forget the bigger mission at hand---to share the gospel with their very own children.

"I'll leave that up to their Sunday school to tell them---aren't they the experts?"

It is tragic when parents forsake the precious responsibility given them from the Lord to share with their very own children the very words of life that will save their children from the eternal flames of hell. It is tragic when we don't even think for ourselves but allow the world to dictate how we should live as families. It is tragic that we have set up so many idols in our lives that even if we wanted to share, we are too absorbed and seduced with our 'toys' and responsibilities that we don't bother and say we don't have the time. It is tragic that we uphold the the role of the missionary who travels far away and despise the role of the mother and father who is a missionary in their own home.

It is horribly tragic that when we are too busy at church and doing ministry there and don't have time or care to disciple our own children.

We have become a nation of laziness. Overlooking true needs and fulfilling our own desires. It has permeated our culture and now leaks it ways into the walls of our home. Complacency fills our halls and the children are left neglected. Johnny is running free on the streets and little Suzy is finding her way into all kinds of trouble since she has become part of the wrong crowd.

This is the generation that knew not the Lord.

"And there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord" Judges 2:10

But mothers, we need to turn that around.

Have you shared the gospel with your children lately? Have you held up the free gift of salvation and made it readily available for them? Have you showed them He who is the light and the truth and has the ability to change their life and forgive their sin now and forever?

Don't delay--take this day to change that around. Holdfast to the eternal and forsake the temporal. Invest in those precious little faces around you. Mentor them and disciple them, this is your life sacrifice of investing in those most dearest to your heart. Don't leave it for others, but take up this sacred responsibility with zealous joy and fervor. What is more precious than leading your very own child to the Savior? What is more important than seeing their lives changed forever?

Here is a poem that touched my heart:

A Missionary's Vision

After marriage God called me to the mission field -
A little bundle needing all my care,
A disciple in touch with my life, obedient to all he hears.
Then came some more all in a row.
Everywhere I went, six little arrows in tow.
God had to call me again to His mission field.
I answered, "To China, to Africa, to Israel, oh where?"
His voice was clear, soft and gentle. My ministry arranged -
"My child, you are to polish our arrows,
Preparing them for My call to spread my
Words of life for other nations to see."
"Lord," I cried, "Loneliness surrounds my soul,
No other woman stands with me answering your call.
The sacrifice is great."
Women give way to another's voice, pulling them away
from their home, far from the quiver."
Once more I pleaded, "May I go too, Lord, I feel the call
To share with the lost, Life giving words,
To feed the hungry a satisfying meal."
"My child," Jesus replied, "You share with your
children salvation and truth.
Feed them meals under your roof.
Discipline them, train them and then lie down in peace,
For sacrificial love have you given to make the world right.
Arise in the morning, open My book,
Teach them into My eyes they must look."
"Yes, Lord, I replied, "But should I serve you in a more obvious way?"
"Child, my sweet child," God spoke once more.
I anointed you to do this work - the high calling of Motherhood.
To show our children the need for my love."
"Lord,", I sought out, still not fully convinced,
"Should I sew for those in thread barren clothes, a Dorcas, a Martha?"
"Sit at my feet, my child, listen to me.
Your daughter needs dresses, your sons warm shirts,
The button of your husband's coat still lies on the table.
Pick up your mantle, the rod of Aaron.
Lead my women back to their home.
"Yes, Lord." Filled and content, I took my position in God's mission field.
Hungry faces graced my bedside.
Clothed in God's mantle, children at my side,
I prepared breakfast.

----Paula Muller of Brodnax, Va

A Delightful Princess Tea Party

This past weekend was a lovely weekend for our family. My daughters and I visited our first Maidens of Virtue meeting and we had great fun enjoying breakfast and an encouraging Bible study on being an organized woman and tea-party-invitation-making with other mothers and daughters. At the same time my sons went to a Men of Valor meeting and got the privilege of shooting potato cannons (isn't this every boys dream?) with other fathers and sons.

And yes, I said potato!!!

But the best part of the weekend was that my sweet little princess, Joy Noelle, turned seven. We were excited to host another tea party for her:

The Princess Tea Party Table

A Close Up

There were also pink balloons and streamers hanging from the chandelier but you can't see that in these pictures.

The Princess Maiden in all her glory!

Fruit-kabobs handmade by the maidens

Here are some of the finger foods, punch, cheese and crackers, tea party cookies made with love and we had a princess cake that both older sisters made for her that was pink and topped with a tiara, princess necklace and earrings.

The little girl maidens got to make mini-birthday cakes out of oreo cookies, frosting and sprinkles and got to take them home. Naomi made all the namecards and read this poem which I copied and printed and included in their giftbags as well:


Why God Made Little Girls

God made the world with towering trees,
Majestic mountains and restless seas.
Then paused and said , "It needs one more thing...
Someone to laugh and dance and sing.
To walk in the wood and gather flowers...
To commune with nature in quiet hours."

So God made little girls
With laughing eyes and bouncing curls,
With joyful hearts and infectious smiles,
Enchanting ways and feminine wiles.
And when He'd completed the task He'd begun.
He was pleased and proud of the job He'd done.
For the world, when seen through little girl's eyes
Greatly resembled Paradise.


Afterwards, Janai played a beautiful piece of music on the violin (it sounds like this) and her special friend Jasmine sang some songs to her that she wrote herself. We also got to talk about how God is good and how He made them special and how one day they would also do tea parties with their own daughters.

We played games of London Bridge, hot potato, pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey and later after Joy opened her gifts they played dolls and used Joys new strawberry tea set to make their own doll little tea party!


And, oh yes, we couldn't forget the toilet paper game!

I am so proud of my little girl, she makes me so happy and is truly a JOY to be around! And what is a birthday without a little tree climbing?

We hope you enjoyed viewing pictures of our Princess Tea Party!

Click here to view our Christmas Doll Tea Party!

The Two Temples

A Builder builded a temple,
He wrought it with grace and skill;
Pilllars and groins and arches
All fashioned to work his will.
Men said, as they saw its beauty,
"It shall never know decay;
Great is thy skill, O Builder!
Thy fame shall endure for aye."

A Mother builded a temple
With loving and infinite care,
Planning each arch with patience,
Laying each stone with prayer.
None praised her unceasing efforts,
None knew of her wondrous plan,
For the temple the Mother builded
Was unseen by the eyes of man.

Gone is the Builders temple,
Crumpled into the dust;
Low lies each stately pillar,
Food for consuming rust,

But the temple the Mother builded
Will last while ages roll,
For that beautiful unseen temple

Was

a

child's

immortal

soul.









-Hattie Vose Hall

Twilight--A Christian Mom's Review

Twilight has taken the nation of teenage and preteen girls by storm--glossy posters fill movies rental stores, bookstores and even family friendly places like libraries. Another seemingly harmless movie for our young ladies it seems---but so far from it.

As mothers who watch over our homes, we need to always be careful about what we put before our children. I personally am very picky about any reading material or movies that I place before our children and Twilight will never be one of them.

I am alarmed to find that even Christian mothers are not careful about such things. They do not realize the repercussions of putting such unfitting literature in front of our daughters as not only time-wasting but it also sows harmful and unnecessary seeds in their lives to desire things which they should not.

A Christian young girl/woman should not be fantasizing about intimacy with a vampire. They should not be lured into the sexual, lustful temptations intertwined with occultism. This is wicked and evil and even worse, parents should not be promoting it. Daughters are easily deceived and can carry much naivety in the romance department--why tempt them in the ways to fornication? They should not be wasting their precious time on such unnecessary and harmful literature and films. These are the precious and important years of their youth. How can we use this time better?

This is a wonderful time to teach our daughters femininity and the Word of God. It is a time to educate them biblically, academically and domestically. There are so many woman today who cannot cook, sew, know their Christian or historical roots. They cannot balance a checkbook, manage a home, or know how to care for children. We should be using these years to teach them life skills and godly character. We need to teach them servanthood and be busy in serving those close and far from us. We need to teach them to be prayerful. These are the things that will benefit them. We should give them literature and movies that promote such and not waste our time on movies that will lead their minds away from purity and godliness. This will take prayer and time examining entertainment materials from the parents but in the long run, well worth the investment. Here is our measuring stick:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true,
whatever is noble, whatever is right,
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable
- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -
think about these things.

Phillipians 4:8

This is why Twilight is banned from our home among other similar writings/films. My prayer is that as mothers and fathers that we would closely examine any material we put before our children and weigh it's benefits and not just follow the world in its patterns and desires for ungodly entertainment.

Contentment In the Palace

I think it is pretty hard for women today to find contentment because of all the temptations of this world. The rush is on to have the best, the newest, the latest and the trendiest. Advertisements seduce us from all sides against our better judgment.

A simple woman who wants to live a simple life finds it so challenging to turn her eyes away from all that the world has to offer. She is tempted to think that she needs material possessions in order to have joy when in reality---she possesses it all along.
In fact, she is overlooking the truth: that she possesses great treasure that mere money cannot buy.

See, money cannot buy eternal life in Christ or the riches found in Him.
Money cannot buy the new work God is working in you.
Money cannot buy the forgiveness you have been freely given.
Money cannot buy godly character.
Money cannot buy a godly husband.
Money cannot buy that sweet little baby growing inside of you.
Money cannot buy all those sweet little children that live in your home.
Money cannot buy the love of a family.
Money cannot buy true friends.
Money cannot buy a happy home.
Money cannot buy true peace.



You can take all these things from us and still, if we possess Christ, we are RICH.

We are happy and give thanks for the simple:

Food and clothing.

(1 Tim 6:8)

People would laugh at that today, insisting the newest technologies guarantee happiness.

But Christians know THE TRUTH.

And we will walk in that truth.

Because we are not bound by the world and its strongholds.

It is mandatory that we not allow let the lusts of this world dictate how we govern our homes, finances, and thought life. Worldly contentment is only happy with the here and now, but we fix our eyes on the eternal,
not the temporal.

Let us truly live our lives as such.


Matthew Henry (1662-1714) had this to say about discontentment:


“Discontentment is a sin that is its own punishment and makes men torment themselves;

it makes the spirit sad, the body sick, and all the enjoyments sour;
it is the heaviness of the heart and the rottenness of the bones.

It is as in that is its own parent.
It arises not from the condition, but from the mind.

As we find Paul content in a prison,

so Ahab discontent in a palace.”








Can we be content in any situation? In any circumstance?

Or are we worldly minded,

and find ourselves

discontent in our palaces?

The Biblical Family Under Attack

Because the family is so central to building up a godly society, it has always been under attack by unbelievers and is in particularly great danger today.

At the root of outright hatred of family bonds lies sinful man's craving to be independent of God and his fellow men so he may do as he pleases and not be burdened or restrained by any responsibilities or obligations. Such individual anarchy and selfishness among ever growing numbers of people eventually leads to the breakdown of society at large. But this is not the end: the most ruthless and selfish people will usurp the government and enslave the rest of the people to serve their own ends. He who will not serve God his Creator invites human tyranny, as history shows.

As C. S. Lewis wrote, "Some fatal flaw always brings the selfish and cruel people to the top and [civilization) slides back into misery and ruin. Because the family is so central to building up a godly society, it has always been under attack by unbelievers and is in particularly great danger today.

At the root of outright hatred of family bonds lies sinful man's craving to be independent of God and his fellow men so he may do as he pleases and not be burdened or restrained by any responsibilities or obligations. Such individual anarchy and selfishness among ever growing numbers of people eventually leads to the breakdown of society at large.

But this is not the end: the most ruthless and selfish people will usurp the government and enslave the rest of the people to serve their own ends. He who will not serve God his Creator invites human tyranny, as history shows. It seems to start up all right and runs a few yards, and then it breaks down. They are trying to run it on the wrong juice [instead of on God Himself]. That is what Satan has done to us humans." (Mere Christianity. p.39).

Modern enemies of biblical Christianity have attacked the family on the grounds of evolution, denying the biblical creation account (for instance. Sigmund Freud). The vituperative attack on the family by Friedrich Engels, Karl Marx's co-founder of Marxism-Communism, was based upon evolution. For him, the monogamous family was founded upon enslavement of the woman by the man, and original group marriage was replaced by individual marriages inevitably accompanied by adultery and prostitution. His idea of marriage was that of a contract based only upon physical love, which could be easily broken. Likewise Engels looked upon private property not as a trust under God, but rather as theft from communal ownership of all things, and to be abolished, as it is today in Communist countries. Consider that Communism dominates about half the world today and bids fair to conquer it all by invasion (Afghanistan, Tibet), subversion, and by confluence with New Age thought in the anticipated one-world state of the near future. "Communal ownership" means administration by the state/government, and in practice by the ruling elite.

Because the biblical family protects true cohesion and love, and points to the God of Scripture and His true freedom in Christ, it is especially under attack in today's "post-Christian" world. One line of attack is to confuse the difference between a true family and "people living together" no matter who they are. Another is to take over the education of the children. Another is to discriminate against biblical families by peer pressure (as against families with more than two children). by tax disadvantages, and by contempt against "homemakers" in the name of feminist "self-esteem," "self-fulfillment," etc.

Enemies of the biblical family also suppress the lesson all `History teaches, namely, that breakdown of marriage and family has always been a sure precursor of the breakdown of an entire society or state.' Ancient Greece and Rome are perfect examples of this historical fact.

Because the family is God's basic social institution,

to abandon or destroy it

is to destroy

society.

-The Creationism Website

Training Children To Speak

Psalm 127:4-5, "As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that has his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate."

Many times we forget the purpose of our parenting, don't we? We plod along from day to day with what has to be done and we don't see the future picture. It is good to come back to the Word of God and be reminded of what we are supposed to be doing.

God talks of our children in the context of war. This life is a battle between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. We are raising our children to be warriors for God's kingdom, to know how to face the battle and to stand strong for God.

Recently, I noticed something important in our above Scripture. We are training our children to speak! Did you notice that? We are to raise children who will speak with the enemies in the gates. In Bible times, the gates of the city were more than an entrance way. They were the busiest place in the city. It was here that the elders sat to rule and direct the affairs of the city. It was here the judges and officers judged the daily matters of the people. It was at the gates the soldiers stood sentinel to guard and protect the city.

And this is where God wants our children to speak--in the important places of the city, the state and the nation. He wants us to raise children who will be able to proclaim His truth in the gates--in the high places where decisions and laws are made. We are living in an era where "Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands afar off; for truth is fallen in the street and equity cannot enter." (Isaiah 59:14-15) In this hour of history, we need to raise children who know more than a few Sunday school stories, but children who understand God's truth, who have discernment and know how to execute justice. We need to raise children who are not afraid to speak God's truth, even in the face of opposition and persecution. The psalmist said, "I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed." (Psalm 119:46) I love the Knox translation which says, "Fearlessly will I talk of thy decrees in the presence of kings, and be never abashed."

Truth is not always easy to make known. People often compromise the truth because they are scared of the repercussions. But we are not raising wimps--we are raising warriors. We are raising children who are not afraid to face the enemy. We need soldiers like C.T. Studd prayed for:

Lord, send us lion-hearted men
With good courageous habits,
Who ne'er will run from the devil's gun
Like hares and bunny rabbits!

Some translations of Psalm 127:5 say, "Contend with the enemies in the gate." Our "arrows" must know how to contend for their faith and the truth.

"How do we train our children to speak?" you may ask. Perhaps Apologetics should be part of every homeschooling curriculum. Our children must learn how to give an answer for the faith that is in them (1 Peter 3:15). Of course, it will be difficult to prepare children to be truth-bearers if we are not heralding the truth ourselves. We must not be afraid to speak God's eternal truths, even when they are counter-culture. The ideologies of our society regarding family are not working. There is so much heartache in marriages and family life. Marriages are continually falling apart. God's way, although different to man's ways are the way to success if we are prepared to be obedient to them. We must not ever be ashamed of the truth. We do not have to be intimidated by our adversaries. We can speak with confidence for we know the way that works!

We should be like the apostle Paul who spoke boldly in the synagogue and in the market place, testifying, reasoning, disputing and persuading people in the truth. The psalmist and Paul both confessed, "I believed, therefore have I spoken." (Psalm 116:10 and 2 Corinthians 4:13) What do you believe? That's what you'll speak about. What are you teaching your children to believe? What is the passion of their heart? That's what they'll speak about. Not clichés, but convictions!

Never forget--silence is surrender, but speaking the truth can change the culture of the nation.

Raise your children to be warriors for the Lord. Raise them to know the truth. Prepare them to speak the truth--anointed, not-giving-in, not-backing-down words--in the market place and in high places.


PRAYER:

"Lord, please lift my vision for parenting my children. Help me to train them to know and understand the truth and be filled with zeal and boldness to speak your truth to all they meet. Help me to also be a truth-bearer wherever I go and to never be ashamed of your timeless truths. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:

I am raising children to be Truth Bearers.

Further Reference:

Speaking boldly, disputing and persuading:
Read Acts 4:13; 29-31; 9:27, 29; 13:43, 46; 14:3; 17:17; 18:4, 13, 26; 19:8, 26; 28:23; Ephesians 6:18-19; Philippians 1:20; 2 Corinthians 5:11; Proverbs 28:1.

Speaking before kings and rulers:
Psalm 119:46; Proverbs 22:29; Acts 4:8; 24:10-21; 24-27; 26:1-32.

Always ready to speak, even to those who oppose:
Ezekiel 33:8-9; Matthew 10:18-20; 32-33; Colossians 4:6; 2 Timothy 2:25; 4:1-2; 1 Peter 3:15.


Written by Nancy Campbell
To subscribe to her email devotional where I received this article from, click here.

One Family

"How can one family affect anything?

One person battling away to put selfish interests aside,
to put other people before herself or himself, even for a fraction of time,
day by day,
how could that help?

. . . One family and the children of that family can do marvelous things to affect the world



or devastating things
to destroy it."







-Edith Schaeffer


Thank you for sharing this Miss Jen @ Blessed Femina

Reformation Day Celebration

We have been busy studying the Reformation at the Fuentes household. It is an amazing thing to learn about Christian history especially when you are a first generation Christian. I don't ever remember the Reformation being taught in school and now I am grateful for a chance to dig deeper as I educate my children on their Christian roots.

As I sifted through the thought that mothers are the memory makers of their homes and children's lives-- I wanted to take this opportunity to begin a new tradition at our home. Starting this year we will anticipate our first Reformation Celebration.

The 95 Theses were nailed on the door at Wittenberg, German on October 31, 1517 by Martin Luther. A profound moment for our faith, this act would shake Europe to its foundation and cause great religious divide and spiritual freedom for so many. Which is why I want my children to remember the example set before them-- to remember that it takes one person to change the world.

In the past, Oct. 31st was used to pass out tracts but when the costumes became too gruesome for my little ones, we stopped. Before all of this, we had also watched a video about the origins of Halloween from Moody Bible Bookstore and was convicted that we personally wouldn't take part of it. Now we have a wonderful way to celebrate the day--to remember the sacrifices of our reforming and courageous spiritual forefathers.


World magazine had a great article examining some of the origins of Halloween and how to celebrate Reformation day that I highly recommend that you read here: Reformation Day

I did some research too and here are some ideas of what we are going to do for that day:

Dress up in costume (have a skit, try to guess who we are),
hold a medieval banquet (with authentic German food--some ideas I found were Roasted Papal Bull and Diet of Worms cake!)
and playing German music in the background

Games:

Sing the Battle Hymn of the Reformation "Almighty Fortress is our God"/or use this song to play musical chairs/who can build castles out of legos quickest
Boffer Wars,
Hide the Heretic (Hide and Seek),
Pin the Theses on the Door(blindfolded)
Bows and arrow event/tug of war (Reformers vs. Cardinals of course!)
Bonfire with storytelling about the Reformation
Indulgences relay race throwing indulgences in the trash

Daddy can teach about our thankful to our forefathers and their hefty sacrifices that led to religious freedom today. This is a wonderful experience for all! Here are some helpful links:

How to celebrate at home
Easy Costume Tips
Put on a celebration at your church
-includes Medieval games, costumes, recipes

Visit a Reformation Day Faire

Doorposts offers a book I'm looking forward to getting:
A Night of Reformation

We took a week off of 'regular' school to focus on this period and do a Unit Study on the Reformation, I have heard of others taking a month or more. We still incorporated math, spelling, literature, vocabulary, creative writing etc. into our history lesson.

You can view our Reformation Unit study here.

We will also be watching this October 31st:

(Be sure to turn off the music in the sidebar!)

The Broad and Narrow

"How can it be a large career
to tell other people's children about arithmetic

and a small career to tell one's own children about the universe?

How can it be broad to be the same thing to everyone
and narrow to be everything to someone?

No, a woman's function is laborious
because it is gigantic,

not because it is minute."



G. K. Chesterton

Searching The World

A man

travels the world

over in search

of what he needs

and returns home

to find it.


-George Moore

The Wise Woman and the Foolish Woman

I found this excellent article by Mercy King and thought I should share it:

This morning, I began to consider Proverbs 14:1 which says, “Every wise woman builds her house: but the foolish pluck it down with her hands.” And to reflect on the wise woman verses the foolish woman. This passage contrasts two women who were both “stay-at-home” types. However, only one is praised for her virtue.

The Wise Woman

First, the wise woman will build her home. She will garnish it with the grace of feminine beauty suitable to the admiration of both sexes. She will adorn it with the flowers of fair speech, kindly intuition, and gracious acts of mercy. She may not have much in terms of material possessions, but she is thrifty and builds upon what she already has. Or, if she is wealthy, she gives much of it away for the service of God and to be used to build His kingdom. She adds to the family economy by working “willingly with her hands.” She fixes mementos in her home by making memories out of her speech, which is “the law of kindness.” It is her portrait that is seen when a stray thought returns to her home. Her husband may be grand, or less esteemed in the world’s eyes, but she builds him up in love, respect, and affection, calling him lord. She shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of his house. Her society may be disagreeable or pleasurable, but she does all that she can to benefit the downtrodden and needy. She does not shame, but builds and restores that which is broken within and without. And, to all, she is careful not to show impatience or impolite behavior. The woman who builds her house lays it with her very life, her health, and her strength. She willingly lays down her life so that others around her may flourish. Her pleasure is gained by seeing others edified and cared for.

The Foolish Woman

In opposition, the foolish woman will be the one that pulls down with her hands what she does have. That which she alone has been entrusted with to cultivate, nurture, and beautify, she destroys. With crass words, complaining lips, and a murmuring spirit, she finds discontentment in everything. Her work is to chase vanity and to imitate vain people. Rather than work on her home (her very heart) she lets the thorns of bitterness encapsulate the life pulses of love and tenderness. Mark that woman! And, approach not unto her home to learn her ways. She will continue to sink lower and lower as her foundations crumble. Eventually, she will have nothing left. She who pulls it down, uses others to gratify her own desires. Her pleasure is mounted on the displeasures and discomforts of others.

Let us, as Reforming Women, strive to be those who build up their houses.

Repentance to God and man may be a daily thing as it is with me!

You may always wonder whether you will gain the mastery over your spirit.

You may cry every day “Help me God to do what’s right.”
God sees you and he knows you.

He will comfort you so that you can comfort others. Psalm 55:22 says, “Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”

A house is not built except one stone at a time.

Even what has been torn down can be rebuilt for service to God!

Let’s get building
the home God has given
each of us to cultivate!

The Making of a Home

One of the most rewarding endeavors a homemaker can partake of is making her home lovely for those who live in it. We have talked about making our homes lovely spiritually and now we will look at some ways women take extra care to add the loving details in their home.

These two blogs will introduce us to Tablescaping:

Between Naps on the Porch

The Tablescaper

The Inspired Room shares practicals tips on how to have a peaceful home at Serenity Now: A Peaceful Home

I also like that Nesting Place teaches thriftiness using you might already have.

Warm Pie Happy Home inspires us to decorate for fall with a little Autumn Goodness.

I think no matter what kind of a budget you have you can still make your home a lovely place by being creative. I know many women decorate their homes on a shoestring by integrating a bit of ingenuity. It just takes a little thought and love to add those finishing touches to a room.

I have heard of women who framed children's personal art to decorate their childrens or baby's rooms, and women out in the country who like to decorate naturally bring in boughs, berries and pinecones from the forest and fill decorative bowls with them and hang swags on the wall. In the old days Grandma would find old scraps of material and creative beautiful heirloom quilts to hang on the wall. Once I watched a video of a women decorate her whole home in patterned bedsheets!!! It just goes to show you the lengths a women will go to to make her home special to those who a dear to her. Family photos that are framed also are a readily available source to cozying up a room It really is so simple and ideas can be easily found on the internet today. No home should have empty or bare walls, in my opinion, we must make it a beautiful place for our husband and children to be in no matter how small or large it might be.

I have seen cozy homes decorated strictly from thrift stores and stunned by them--so I don't believe you need alot of money to create special places for your loved ones. My home is not extravagant by any means---it is simple and basic. But I try to use what I have to make it special. The idea is to weave and spin a beautiful, cozy, comfortable refuge for our families every day and not look at it as burdensome but instead as a great blessing and honor to be entrusted by God to even have a family and home to care for.

Know that it is not perfection we are striving for--instead we are doing this to bless and be attentive to those we love. It doesn't have to be glamorous, just practical. Do you have a child that loves to play chess or a daughter who likes to sew? Why not set up a little comfortable corner of the home just for that? Have a husband who needs a place to study?
Be thoughtful and create a space for him like Brenda, her love for her husband speaks louder than any home decorator magazine could!

Remember Christ must always be center of our homes and hearts as we create this refuge. If there is quarreling and strife we fail at creating such a place. So be careful to mind the 'temperature' of peace in your home as well!

It just takes a woman's touch:

(Don't forget to turn off the sound in the sidebar)





I hope this post has inspired you,

now I am off to conquer some rooms!

Have a blessed weekend as you lovingly make your house into a home!

Christian Feminism

Christian women cannot effectively begin to build and strengthen their families if they do not discern some of the key lies that are cleverly interwoven into our culture today. Sadly, these lies have pervaded our churches and homes as well and many biblical lines have been blurred. Feminism has distinctly played a key role is disguising these falsehoods as truth and deceiving too many unsuspecting families.

When Christian women and men believe and embrace these obvious perversions to the scripture we end up with a problem...

We now have given birth to what is known as 'Christian feminism' in the church.

This is dangerous because it teaches Christian women the opposite of scripture. It does not seek to build their homes but instead tears it down. The world uses every medium of communication to dispose their misleading forgeries upon unsuspecting families, but we must be wise to discern our lifestyles and philosophies today- especially among the body of Christ.

Pastor William Einwechter shares his thoughts on six areas where we have strayed from biblical norms in his article The Feminization of the Family:

"The feminization of the family is seen in at least six areas:

First, marriage has been destabilized, and divorce is rampant. Feminism’s “diabolization of marriage” has made divorce “socially and psychologically more acceptable by the idea that it is a reasonable response to a defective and dying institution.” The biblical teaching that marriage is a divine and covenantal institution that binds a man and woman together for life by a sacred vow (Gen. 2:18-24; Matt. 19:3-9) has been repudiated by modern society. The biblical concept has been replaced with the notion that marriage is a mere human institution, an imperfect one at that, and that divorce is a reasonable way to deal with any misery associated with it.

Second, male headship in the family has been replaced by an “egalitarian” arrangement where the husband and wife “share” in the leadership responsibilities of the family. The scriptural idea that the man is head of the family (1 Cor. 11:3-12; Eph. 5:22-23) and lord of his household (1 Pet. 3:5-6) is considered by feminists to be both tyrannical and barbaric, a vestige of primitive man and his ability to physically dominate his spouse. In our day, the overwhelming majority of both men and women scoff at the notion that the wife should submit to her husband’s authority.

Third, the man as provider has been rejected for a new model of joint economic responsibility. The view of our time is that the man is no more responsible than the woman to provide for the financial needs of the family. Feminists believe that the scriptural teaching the man is the family provider (1 Tim. 5:9) is part of a male conspiracy to hold women down by making them economically dependent on men.

Fourth, the women as a full-time homemaker is scorned, and the working woman who seeks fulfillment and independence in employment outside of her home is now a cultural norm. The biblical mandate that a woman be a “keeper at home” (Titus 2:4-5) is either unknown or unheeded. Feminist-minded folks consider it to be a demeaning thing for a woman to stay at home and confine her work to the sphere of her house and her family. A career is considered more suitable and meaningful for today’s wife and mother.

Fifth, the biblical norm of a woman as a nurturer of children has been replaced by the feminist ideal of a working mother who places her children in “daycare” so that she can pursue other important matters. The responsibility of motherhood is seen in far different terms than it was in the past. The biblical call to the mother to be with her children, to love, train, teach, and protect them (1 Tim. 2:15; 5:14) is rejected for the feminist vision of the woman who is freed from such constraints on her individuality and own fulfillment.

Sixth, the idea that a large family is a “blessing” is rejected for notion that a small family of one or two children (and for some, no children at all) is far better. The concept of “family planning” geared at reducing the number of children in the home is advocated by nearly all. The biblical teaching that a large family is due to God’s blessing and sovereignty (Ps. 127; 128) is despised by modern families, even those claiming to be Christian. The feminist’s view that we determine the number of children we will have, that we are sovereign over such matters is now accepted with hardly a question. Of course, this supposed sovereignty over life and birth leads to a justification of abortion, the ultimate birth control."

*Be sure to read this post carefully.* This is not a post attacking women who have to work or have to stop having children due to medical reasons,etc. It is attacking the ideas that demean, ridicule and mock what is holy and upheld in Scripture. We need to take a closer look at what is accepted as normative society today and see how it parallels with Scripture.

And in the spirit of Proverbs 31 and Titus 2,

we must be able to defend scripture
and the biblical family
even if it means taking a stand against this world
and it's misleading fallacies
and understand that

our

silence
is

surrender.










Want to learn more about Feminism?
Click here:

Feminism Exposed

The Nursery of the Nation

The home is the nursery of the nation,

and the deep and sacred love that binds into existence

the hearts and lives

of husband and wife

is the soul

of the home life.






-True Womanhood,
Pearables

HomeBuilders: Our Family Ministry

This past weekend we were blessed to host HomeBuilders at our home again...

click here to read about it.

If you'd like to visit a HomeBuilders group

please visit our blog.

The War on Motherhood

"America’s glory was her women.

Alexis de Tocqueville believed this when he wrote:

As for myself, I do not hesitate to avow that although the women of the United States are confined within the narrow circle of domestic life, and their situation is in some respects one of extreme dependence, I have nowhere seen woman occupying a loftier position; and if I were asked, now that I am drawing to the close of this work, in which I have spoken of so many important things done by the Americans, to what the singular prosperity and growing strength of that people ought mainly to be attributed, I should reply: To the superiority of their women.

But this birthright would be exchanged during the last century for a mess of pottage.

Perhaps the greatest legacy of the 20th century has been

the war on motherhood and biblical patriarchy.

Feminists, Marxists, and liberal theologians have made it their aim to target the institution of the family and divest it from its biblical structure and priorities.

The results are

androgyny,

a radical decline in birthrate,

abortion,

fatherless families,

and

social confusion."



-Doug Phillips,
The Rise and Fall and Rise of Motherhood in America

Her Heart Is Rooted In Her Home

"In contrast to the wise woman,
the foolish woman is not content to be a keeper at home.
She is not satisfied with where God has put her.

One of the things the feminist movement has done so successfully
is to stir up discontent in women with being homemakers
and to convince them that other pursuits
can increase their sense of self-worth …

Fueling discontent and pushing women out of their homes
in search of greater meaning and satisfaction
has resulted in off-the-chart stress levels for many women
who can no longer survive without pills and therapists …

The greatest spiritual, moral, and emotional protection
a woman will ever experience
is found when she is content to stay
within her God-appointed sphere.

This does not mean that she never leaves her house,
but rather that her heart is rooted in her home
and that she puts her family’s needs
above all other interests and pursuits."

~ Nancy Leigh DeMoss ~
Biblical Womanhood in the Home, Crossway, 2002, p. 91, 92.









***********************************************
Thank you Dallas @ Abounding Treasure's for sharing this.

Spiritual Warfare in Schools

"Many Christian parents are concerned that homeschooling would not allow their children to fulfill the great commission of sharing the gospel with non-believers. They often cite Matthew 5:14-16 about being the light of the world.

Some Christian homeschool parents argue that even though young believers are to reach out to the lost, they are not called to immerse themselves daily in a hostile setting that constantly works to influence them in the ways of the world. They recognize that those with strong Christian upbringings are still vulnerable to the ungodly climate of the schools.

In Proverbs 4:11-15, King Solomon realized the vulnerability of his son, proclaiming his responsibility to train him in godly teachings and keep him from stumbling over the vices of this world.

Just as parents know that children are not prepared for war, many Christians believe that youth are not equipped to fend for themselves in the spiritual warfare taking place within schools.

A nationwide survey conducted by The Barna Group shows that 80 percent of Christian families send their children to public schools where their faith is attacked. Based on the study's findings, it appears that their kids are the ones being "evangelized" by the religion of secular humanism. More than half of their Christian teens believe Jesus actually sinned and only nine percent hold to moral absolutes, while 83 percent of children from committed Christian families attending public schools adopt a Marxist-Socialist worldview, reports the group.

For more statistics on Christians in education, click on The Barna Group.

Consistent with these figures, Christian producer and occult expert Caryl Matrisciana reports that 75 percent of public-schooled American youth brought up in Christian households disown their Christian faith by the first year of college. NHERI finds that this is only true for less than four percent of homeschooled youth.

Most home educators would not trade the blessings that homeschooling brings their families and society for the world."

Read the whole article here.

If adults have a hard time holding their own and staying true to what they believe in the face of adversity...how much harder is it for our children who have not yet had a firm foundation built for them? I think, for the majority, the statistic above is clearly our evidence...

they CAN'T.

The Case for Christian Education

I am convinced that Christians desperately need to reevaluate their choices of educating their children. Here are a few reasons why:

This article is a must read--



Five Reasons Not to Send Your Children to Government Schools


I was shocked (but then not really) to see what is going on in some American public schools today:

We Are Going To Rape You -----*do not read this unless you are 18 or older*

Student Suspended For Exposing Classroom Chaos

Teacher Molesting Student

Children Banned from Saying Pledge of Allegiance to Not Offend Muslims

I did a little research on the educators who are in charge of public educating the children and it only got me upset:

Chicago Public Schools Give Their Students 'Birthday Sex' ---*do not read this unless 18 or older*

Govt. Education and the Deliberate Dumbing Down of America


Is homeschooling a viable option?:

Homeschoolers Score 34-39 Percentile Higher Than Norm on Standardized Tests

Homeschoolers Score High on ACT

Homeschoolers Rank in 83 Percentile in All Subjects

Homeschool Socialization Resembles Real World/Combating Being a Light In Schools

Homeschoolers Accepted At Ivy League Schools

Homeschool Hall of Fame (do you recognize these famous people?)

John Wesley on education:

" Let it be remembered, that I do not speak to the wild, giddy, thoughtless world, but to those that fear God. I ask, then, for what end do you send you children to school? “Why, that they may be fit to live in the world.” In which world do you mean, — this or the next? Perhaps you thought of this world only; and had forgot that there is a world to come; yea, and one that will last for ever! Pray take this into your account, and send them to such masters as will keep it always before their eyes. Otherwise, to send them to school (permit me to speak plainly) is little better than sending them to the devil. At all events, then, send your boys, if you have any concern for their souls, not to any of the large public schools, (for they are nurseries of all manner of wickedness,) but private school, kept by some pious man, who endeavours to instruct a small number of children in religion and learning together."

John Wesley actually thought this back then...
I wonder what he would say today?

And as if there weren't enough links here already, I thought I would add this last one in. While I don't agree with everything in this following article, it certainly left some powerfully interesting food for thought:




The Christian Education Manifesto



(Note: Pull up a chair and pour a cup of tea while you skim through these links. You are also welcome to use these posts on homeschooling to link to on your blogs or on Facebook to help others gain a better understanding of Christian homeschooling/education as long as used in a favorable light.)

Homeschool Organization At It's Finest

Homeschooling is an joy and a blessing--however, homeschooling moms can get stressed and burnt out by not organizing well. It is vitally important to be organized so that our schools will run efficiently and that learning & teaching can occur at peak performance. If we are organized as we plan our lessons we will be on the right path of success as we travel along the adventurous journey of educating our children.

Here is a system that I have been using for organizing our homeschool that I cannot praise enough:



Angie at Many Little Blessings shares how she makes this system work for her school:

Homeschool Organizing

I have used a binder system in the past that I would carry around with me most of the time and still do that, but now I just pull out the folder for that week in advance and carry it around with me through the house. If I plan several weeks ahead I have a viable place to store it all and I have also made folders for each childs work, seasons, holidays, etc., so that when the time comes it is all there. I, personally, do not plan out the whole year (or every minute detail) but try to stay at least a week or two ahead since we need plenty of flexibility in our home of 10.

I believe homeschooling moms can get discouraged and overwhelmed by not organizing well and this is a huge solution to that problem. This system did not take long to set up and is now proving itself to be invaluable. Dawn at By Sun and Candlelight show us another example with more details of what could possibly go on the inside:

The File Crate System



I liked her ideas because she advises to leave the crate out in plain view where you will see and use it. Because I am often at my desk where the files are and I have a regular planning time I don't need to have it out in view...but for those who need more visual reminders I definitely thought it was an excellent idea.

If you click on her label for organization you find will she has all kinds of great ideas for school and running the home. If you are organizationally challenged you definitely will go away inspired.

A well run, planned out school can make the difference from a boring, monotonous school to one that is alive with fun. It just takes a little planning. A game here, a manipulative there, a craft activity that coincides with what they are learning so that learning can overflow and concepts are reinforced.

Remember that *variety is the spice of life* and that holds true in homeschools, too!

Happy planning!

The Secret Is Out--Duggars Expect Blessing #19

...........................

It was SO hard.

Yes, it was hard to keep the secret a few weeks ago when our family got an email from the Duggars saying they were expecting blessing #19 and told us to keep it under wraps---but now they have come public with the news and here is the clip to enjoy!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

(Note: Turn off the music in my sidebar before you play the clip!)

Homeschool Rooms

With a new school year around the corner I thought I would write a few posts to get us focused and encouraged on on homeschooling our little blessings. I have been working on the school room and looking for new ways to set it up differently, to be more functional and beautiful this year so I looked around online and found some inspiration:

Tiany has a wonderful sunfilled, happy space:


I like the peaceful colors here from Sheri's homeroom makeover at Green and Crunchy:


Love the spaciousness of this room here at School on a Hill:


Counting My Pennies had some good organizing ideas--love how the books are all lined up:


This reading nook by Mamamonk for the school looks cozy and she was so creative with this tree mural:


Even Nester has a tidy and chic space:


How could I forget this writing center from The Write Start:


I thought this picture was probably pretty accurate for many homeschoolers:


If you are creating a special space for your children on whatever kind of a budget--large, small or nonexistent----remember...what matters most is the love that is put in it!

If you need more inspiration, you can click here and view over a 100 different homeschool rooms.

Happy planning!

Persevero...

As The Christian Motherhood Series draws to an end, let me just share what a joy it has been doing this series with you. I have learned alot about myself and about other mothers as well. I wanted to thank you for joining us here and let you know it has been an honor to walk beside you and share what has been on my heart.

I would like to end the series by encouraging you to just do your best as a mom. We are all imperfect creatures and therefore will parent imperfectly. We will have good days and bad. There will be laughter and pain. What matters in the end is the account we will give to God on how we did. Let us all be found faithful in doing our BEST for Him.

If some of your are sad to see the series end, I wanted to point out that I have a label on my sidebar for more teaching on motherhood if anyone is interested or you can just click here:

Blessed Motherhood

And to find this series or put it on your side bar you can click here:

The Christian Mother Series

(this is on my sidebar and I will possibly make a blog button for it in the future)

Don't forget what you have learned here. There were a few mothers who were going to make copies of these posts and put them in a binder (some even to give as gifts)--so they could refer to them often and remind themselves of what they learned which might be a good idea for some of you. I will also consider putting this series into PDF format as a few of you suggested so that you might be able to share them as Bible studies at church with other women.

Have a great time building up your sacred homes!

The Christian Grandmother

I can not wait to be a grandmother.

Some days the children and I will get to talking or I will start daydreaming about what the future will look like with small grandbabies around and I cherish those thoughts because they make me delightfully happy. I so look forward to the day when I get the indulgence to kiss their fat cheeks and hold their pudgy little hands into mine.

I want to take my precious grandchildren out and spend time with them. I can't wait to for that first conversation--I wonder what will it be about? A butterfly? A book? Jesus? Or Elmo?

While I am not a grandmother yet there are certain things I want to remember to do. I want to remember to help my children out with their first home and bless them with money every now and then. I want to surprise my grandchildren with gifts of clothes and toys. I want to take them to the park and go on slow walks with them discussing the trees and the birds in the air while holding hands. I want to be available as a babysitter so their parents could get some much needed rest and time for eachother. I want to be supportive and encouraging. I want to have big family get-togethers and not just annually for a family reunion--as often as possible! I want my grandchildren to make homemade cookies with me and get the kitchen really messy as we dance around the room. I want to teach them about the Lord and tell them about all the stories in the Bible and what He has done in my life.

But what I would not want to do is not be available. I don't want to be too busy to not have time for them. I do not want to criticize their parents or ridicule them or manipulate them in their parenting. I do not want to seem meddle-some, interfering were I ought not. They will surely need room to make their own mistakes and learn to become good parents. I also do not want my daughter or son-in-laws to resent coming to visit me because I am a source of discouragement to them. I do not want to look down upon my daughter-in-laws or my sons-in-laws and view them as 'outsiders' or 'intrusions' to our family---but instead I want to embrace them as welcomed, loved and accepted, my new sons and my new daughters--as if they were my own.

Grandparents today would be wise to invest in their children and their grandchildren and not just clock out when their child turns eighteen. They need to grasp the bigger vision--the one of reaching the next generation for the Lord.


"Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them." Deuteronomy 4:9

"Grandchildren are the crown of grandparents, and parents are the glory of their children." Proverbs 17:6

"A good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children, but a sinner's wealth is stored up for the righteous." Proverbs 13:22

Here we see some of scripture's teachings to grandparents. We see a command to the Israelites to teach their grandchildren about the Lord so that they would not forget Him. We are taught how to view grandchildren--as a crown. In other words- they are a blessing and should not be looked down upon. Christian grandmothers should only speak well of their grandchildren because they value them as the crowns that scripture declares, and they teach that to the world by how they refer to them. We also see grandparents generously thinking towards the future when it comes to their grandchildren and leaving them behind an inheritance.

If you are a grandparent reading this today I encourage you to use your time as a gift to bless other your families and those around you. You possess much wisdom and experience that needs to be shared and the Lord views your role as valuable to your grandchildren. Teach the younger, in the spirit of Titus 2, so that they can parent better and so your grandchildren will not forget the Lord as we have seen happen in the Bible. And remember-- that when a generation was not taught, they quickly forgot the Lord and worshiped idols instead.

Christian Grandmothers----you are IMPORTANT!

Be sure to take an active role in your grandchildren's lives before it is too late!

Time's a wastin'...!





(The Christian Mother Series, Part 20)

Daughters of Virtue, Strength and Vision

In my earlier post on 'Raising Lords and Virtuous Ladies' I explained why I believed why parents needed to raise the next generation with a different spirit like Caleb:

"But My servant Caleb, because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land which he entered, and his descendants shall take possession of it."

-Numbers 14:24 (emphasis mine)

This stands true for our daughters as well. Daughters have been deceived and lied to today by the world. They have been unprotected by their parents. They have been taught that true beauty and self worth comes from cheap outward adornment, how much they weigh, and whether or not they have a boyfriend. These daughters are taught that rebellion and haughtiness is the norm in order to be accepted by their peers. They have been taught that sexual prowess determines their popularity and they lack vision much like the actors and singers they idolize on TV . They are confused about their true purpose because their parents did not set it before them-- so instead they seek to be emulate the world. Despairingly, mothers today have abandoned and rejected biblical teaching of womanhood and therefore they are raising daughters like the women of Zion spoke about in the Bible:

"The LORD says, "The women of Zion are haughty, walking along with outstretched necks, flirting with their eyes, tripping along with mincing steps, with ornaments jingling on their ankles." -Isaiah 3:16

There were consequences for that.

What a stark contrast to see virtuous daughters being raised up with a different spirit. These daughters have been raised in homes by God-fearing parents that took the time to sacrificially disciple them. These daughters have been raised for Kingdom purposes and do not waste their time running around aimlessly on the streets.

This new generation of daughters are being raised to fear the Lord. They are taught to be feminine women of nobility, courage, diligence, loyalty and submission. They esteem purity and modesty. They strive to be honorable. They are daughters who have vision and remarkable influence as they help to advance the kingdom of God. These daughters have given their hearts to their parents and desire to help and bless them and their families. They possess meek and quiet spirits as they firmly defend and teach the Word to all who are willing to listen. They know their true purpose because they are serving the Lord wholeheartedly. They embrace how they were designed to be help-meets and seek to be industrious to help their fathers and future husbands. Many are highly educated and well-equipped to teach the next generation about the Lord and prepare for Him an army of warriors.

Godly daughter's follow in the spirit of Proverbs 31, Titus 2 and Psalm 144:12--

"That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace."

Cornerstones and pillars, which is another word often used in this verse, help to support a buildings structure--much in the same way daughters become just as invaluable to a home as they grow and help it to run successfully. Godly daughter's embrace their father's vision and take it up as their own. Virtuous daughters brought up to be godly women are valuable and priceless in the eye's of the Lord. (Prov 31:10) And they impact society and culture with a powerful rippling effect.

So, dear Christian Mothers, know that that little daughter sitting next to you is cherished in the Lord's eyes. The babes she will raise will be the next generation which will serve Him. She will be standing shoulder-to-shoulder with her husband taking dominion and quite possibly be at the helm with him, leading the future church, mentoring men and women alike as they take their place in reforming culture. She will be making strong the fabric of society by taking her place in the home and in her family- making it an example for others to learn from and to bring God glory. Be careful to guide her and protect her. Be careful to teach her all that you know and much, much more. Love her with the love that comes from the Heavenly Father and be found trustworthy of discipling her well.





(The Christian Mother Series, Part 19)

Raising Noble Lords and Virtuous Ladies

Young people today face a battle like we have never had to face before--sin is more rampant, plaguing our streets and schools in such a way that it would make grandmother gasp in aghast if she only knew the true realities of the wickedness that tempt them today.

That is why I believe as parents we need to raise a generation with a different spirit like Caleb:

"But My servant Caleb, because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land which he entered, and his descendants shall take possession of it."

-Numbers 14:24 (emphasis mine)

Sadly, the culture of today is largely a generation of pride, rebellion and disrespect. They do not possess a different spirit. They do not follow the Lord wholeheartedly. In fact, many do not know the Lord and many who do reject Him for worldly knowledge and peer acceptance.

But Christian mothers, we are to raise our children with a different spirit-- and they should look and sound different from the world.

"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers." Psalm 1:1

In both verses we see that there is a blessing for the one who walks with and follows the Lord. The opposite stands true for those who don't. That is why as mother's we must raise up sons and daughters in such a way that prepares them to be servants to the Lord.

Sons should be brought up to be noble, courageous, brave, teaching the Word, busy, hard-working responsible and not idle. They should be taught to take dominion, and they should be educated well with wisdom and knowledge so they can take their places at the forefront on the battlefield for the Lord. Mothers must be careful not to feminize their boys or indulge them in much entertainment-- such as video games for example. These indulgences appeal to their sin nature that cries for comfort and pleasure. Clearly it is not a sin used occasionally , but what I am referring to is the indulgence of such things. There are grown men who are living in perpetual adolescence playing video games for long hours each day, refusing to seek jobs. They instead choose live off of their aging parents at home or making their wives support them and their children. This should not be so. These sons are a shameful disgrace.

I have also seen sons with a different spirit--sons who love the Word and spend hours devoted to its reading. I have seen them speak as men and act like men taking on the responsibilities of manhood at a young age. They use their time wisely, working, mentoring and serving others, doing ministry, acquiring and financing their own education, they buy or build homes in advance and even save enough for a nice nest egg--all this while they are contributing financially to their father's home. They are hard workers---they love the Lord--they are about the business of men. They want to bring glory to God with their lives. They help their fathers and carry on his vision, many times partnering with him in the family business and ministry as they help to reform culture around them by courageously and boldly teaching God's Word. We have known sons who have planted churches with their fathers and helped them grow and flourish. It has encouraged my heart and given me hope--such as when I had heard a noble son of only 13 years say:

"I do not want to just be a soldier in the God's army.
I want to be a general."

--Noah Botkin

If that is not vision--what is? We must raise men to have vision and to share it. These are the Christian leaders of tomorrow and we must equip them. Time is of the essence and we must use it wisely. We must also raise them to be the spiritual leaders of their families. In our home, our small sons are invited to preach and teach and share the Bible at a young age. This is important because it teaches them to feel comfortable in that role because they will be expected to lead their families in Bible studies one day. I think many men feel inept, fumbling as they teach their families today because they never saw it modeled as they grew up having a chance to practice it. This helps to alleviate any awkwardness and becomes a second nature--- much like breathing. This will help boys and men to preach to nations one day if God so allows.

A note to mothers here: this also requires sons to spend much time with dad when he is available. He is the one who will teach them about being a man--something a woman cannot do like a man. A father understands how a son thinks and will teach them how to be a man. I have seen my husband instruct and interact with our boys on things I would have never thought of because I view things from a different womanly perspective. I am grateful for his wise insight and am careful not to interfere as he teaches them.

And as for our precious daughters--I will address that in my next post. But my prayer today is that we would be found as faithful and courageous mothers who are not afraid to raise sons and daughters that possess a different spirit and be a refreshing aroma to the Lord. (2 Cor 2:15)



(The Christian Mother Series, Part 18)

Training In Righteousness

What would a Christian Mothers Series be without practical teaching on training children?

"Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." Ephesians 6:4

"Correct your son, and he shall give you rest; yes, he shall give delight to your soul." Proverbs 29:17. Notice that this is the opposite of the lament "My kids are driving me crazy!"

It is imperative that we correct, train, teach, exhort and discipline or children as needed. It is commanded in scripture. It is not optional. It is not on a 'feel like doing it' basis. We have something to look forward to--the promise that if we are to correct our children they will bring us rest.We cannot neglect this all important duty:

"Train a child in the way he should go, and even when he is old he will not turn away from it." Proverbs 22:6

Consistency is the key. We cannot grow lazy. We cannot overlook sin when we notice it and excuse it or ignore it. It must be addressed. We must get off the couch, stop what we are doing, get off the internet, etc. If not, there will be consequences. It will be harder the second time around.

It takes alot of work to train children, so it is important to start young. Often times you will think that you are getting nowhere and that it is all in vain, but remember that is a lie and not to give up. Stay focused. Know that your children are going to sin today and be mentally prepared for it. How will you respond? They are sinners in need of a savior--just like you. If we are still struggling with sin in our lives then they will too.

Not all children are the same and do not need the same kind of punishment. Some will be crushed by just a simple rebuke from you. Others will need firmer discipline.Be prayerful about what would need to be done. Be sure not just to REACT to the situation and use thought to handle it. A hot-tempered mama is not what you want to model. The fruit of the spirit is what you want to exemplify.

There is much I have shared on my blog already about parenting. Here are a few links to learn from...

Do you have a child centered home or God centered home? Find out here:

What Kind of Home Do You Have?

Children out of control and ruling the roost? Click here:

The Child-Centered Home

Want to know what you might be doing wrong? Read this:

Provoking Children to Anger

Have small children? Click here:

Moms With Small Blessings

Do you have your children's hearts? Find out:

Who Has Their Heart?

How To Chase After A Child's Heart

How to help our children and not tempt them:

Cleaning House

Good and Bad Appetites

(The Christian Mother Series, Part 17)

The Titus 2 Mandate

"Where are all the Titus 2 women?" was the cry of one young mother, distressed and caring for her young infant.

Yes, Titus 2 women, where are you? Young mothers everywhere are looking for you needing your help, advice and wisdom. God commands the older to teach the younger but those who have answered the call is only a small group. What keeps older women from teaching the younger? Comfort? Lack of confidence? Career? Unteachable 'students'?

Thankfully today we can find many resources at our fingertips. We can learn from women today and from the past through the Bible, books, blogs, internet and the like, as we never have been able to before. But truly, nothing is like the real thing. If you are lucky, you have had your share of those in your lifetime. But if not, don't despair, begin praying today for God to bring a mentor into your life. Everytime I have prayed that prayer He was very faithful to answer.

But before He answered those prayers He allowed a waiting process. This was definitely a good thing for me because instead of relying on a person to meet my needs as a young Christian mom, I allowed Him to. I turned to Him more and clung to Him even tighter, which without a doubt I knew that is what He wanted all along. I have also learned with time, that even Titus 2 ladies are not perfect and might 'fail' you...but not God.

"Be strong and of good courage, do not fear or be in dread of them: for it is the LORD your God who goes with you; he will not fail you or forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6

So, younger ladies, I want to let you know that we do not need a Titus 2 woman more than we need God. He is our everything, He is our Rock and our strength. Everything we need is found in Him and Him alone. He was here at the beginning of the earth and will be here until the end. We need to rely more on His Word than relying on books, blogs or other woman.


Sweet older woman, please know that you are invaluable to teaching younger Christian woman who desperately need role models and a loving helping hand. Please be prayerful about who you could choose to spend time with and bless. So many times its the small things that speak volumes and can lift a weary spirit. I know that many older woman today now want to use their time for themselves as their own children grow up and move away, but it is imperative that we not forget what God has called us to in Titus 2:3-5.

I also wouldn't be surprised that many divorces could have been prevented if older women were around to help teach the women to love their husbands. There also would probably be more children too as older women faithfully teach the younger that women that children are a blessing. And we can't forget stronger homes--I believe part of the reason we have are seeing a decay of the moral fabric of society today is due to the weakening of the American family. Weak homes will always equate a weak nation.

"The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; that they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed."

Our prayer should be that all women would be found faithful, viewing it as an honor, to step up to the plate and fulfill our God-given duties of teaching the next generation to walk with the Lord.




(The Christian Mother Series, Part 16 )

Shattering The Image of Perfectionism

Mothers everywhere are pressured to have it all.

Perfect homes...

perfect husband...

perfect children..

perfect wardrobe...

perfect life...

But if we take a minute to really examine ourselves and the root of desiring and embracing all this perfectionism we might very well find it's origin stemming and fueled by our age old enemy----pride.

Why do we feel the need to have this type of perfectionism? Is it commanded in the Bible?

Perfectionism can be downright lethal to the Christian family and does not come from God. It imposes impossible standards on husbands and children. It can destroy relationships, it tears down the home, and models wrong priorities. It creates a false image that you feel constantly has to be kept up and steals your focus off pleasing God and instead.... to please man.

Mere man-pleasers. Yes, that is what it is reduced to. Instead of winning the world for Christ, we end up merely worrying about the minute and distracted by the unimportant-- what Sue and Johnny next door think of us--and we force ourselves to become a dishonest and be a misleading model for ourselves and others. We rack ourselves us with debt, strain the relationships with our most beloved ones, and sin against God because we are too focused on being pleasers of man.

What else do we destroy unknowingly (or knowingly) by this sin?

"Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of God."---Galations 1:10

But instead, what pleases God?

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." Psalm 51:17

Pride and perfectionism cannot make their homes in broken spirits and repentful hearts.

Relinquish today magazine perfect homes for joyful homes, and perfect relationships for imperfect relationships filled with love, mercy, and grace, understanding that we are all just sinners. Relinquish that perfect wardrobe to wear the wardrobe of contentment and humility so that our lives will reflect Christ's perfecting love and faithful mercy and that we might bring to the Lord's feet an offering of a humbled heart and life---a broken spirit, having our priorities in order-- and therefore, ultimately pleasing Him.

Thankfully, there are no perfect homes, there are no perfect moms and there are no perfect children!

But there is ONE perfect God!



Ladies, on a personal note, I wanted to share this song with you that makes me weep when I hear it. It is by a worship team from Terra Nova Church and it's just what I talked about above-- a broken and contrite heart. Here is the link:

White As Snow

(Note: be sure to click play)



(The Christian Mother Series, Part 15)

The True Test of Home-Making

...before we can say that we have realized the ideal of a true Christian home, we must prove its spirit. What impression would our home and its like make upon a pure and simple-hearted child?

We may build a palace of marble. We may fill it with the rarest beauties of art. We may adorn it in the most luxurious fashion. We may furnish it in the most costly manner. It may be perfect as a gem in all its appointments, a piece of art in itself. Then our home-life may be as stately as royalty itself. There may be the most perfect order, the loftiest courtesy, the utmost precision of movement. Each member of the family may fulfill his part with unfailing promptitude.

Bring in the child and ask it what it thinks of your home. "It is very beautiful," responds the little one. "It is very grand. It is a palace. Does a king live here?"

You turn away disappointed. You have failed to make such a home as you wished. You have piled up grandeur; you have made a splendid piece of art; you have succeeded in setting up a model which all will admire; but you have not made a home of love, of tenderness, and of praise.

You begin anew. You do not seek this time for grandeur. You build your home with taste and thought. You put into it as many lovely things as you can afford. You set up your household life and fill it with the spirit of prayer, of love, of gentleness, of unselfishness. Again you call the child. She moves up and down, in and out. She sleeps under your roof; she eats at your table; she tastes of your pleasures; she mingles in the life of your household. You ask her what she thinks of your home and she replies, "I think Jesus lives here!"

It is not the grandeur that impresses her now, but the spirit that dwells within; not the stateliness, but the affectionateness, not the courtliness, but the sweetness. She finds love everywhere---love that shows itself in tone, in act, in look, in word and in countless little manifestations of thoughtfulness and unselfish tenderness. It impresses the untaught feeling of the child as a home like that in which the Master would live.

This is the true test of home-making. It matters not how little or how much of grandeur, of luxury, of costly adornment there may be. Money and art can do many things, but they cannot make a home. There may be more of the spirit of a true home in a lowly cottage or in the one room where poverty finds a shelter, than in the stateliest mansion.

--JR Miller, The Family





(The Christian Mother Series, Part 14 )

The Christian Wife

What is a post entitled 'The Christian Wife' doing in a Christian mothering series, you ask? Why, this topic is so important I could not think of not including this into the series and here is why:

Our role as a wife is an important to our role in mothering for several reasons. If we are in rebellion in our roles as wives it taints much of what we teach as a mother. We are constantly engaging in teaching our children by teaching them through our examples. If we are loving, respectful, humble and submissive in the sacred role of wife our children we see those traits characterized in our lives, but if we possess the opposite...manipulative, slanderous, controlling, nagging, rebellious, proud towards our husbands---do we not think our children who are keen observers will not spot our hypocrisy sooner or later?

The interesting thing I have observed in children is they will learn your manner and then become what they have witnessed. Do you question your husbands decisions outloud? They will learn not to trust and question him also. Do you say bad things about dad in front of them? They will too. I have been shocked to hear the smallest child of the age of 5 talking lowly of her father only because she witnessed it day in and day out at the hands of her mother. She was taught dishonor and disrespect from her very infancy. Sadly staying true to the 'you reap what you sow' principle--the seeds of rebellion cannot help but to eventually take root and soon it will take shape against the very mother who initially exemplified poor judgment and character in the first place.

A Christian wife would be very attentive of her example at all times, knowing that not only her children are watching her but also the world. Does this mean she is perfect? No, but she tries her best to bring glory to God by obeying Him. God exhorts us about living a godly life and how doing so others might be saved, trust in the fact that He will also give you the help to do it.

Every minute of the day we are teaching our children volumes about being a wife and mother just as our husbands teach by their example what it is to be a father and leader of the home. If we are always irritated or ridiculing one another we should not be surprised when we hear that our children do not have a desire to marry...they have learned in our homes what they have to look forward to.

If we always always complain about housework and participating in pity parties for ourselves, we should know we are not helping our daughters who are in training to be homemakers, except we are setting them up for failure through our example. If we say we love children but then are always angry at them or yelling at them we are conveying the exact opposite. Mothers, we must always strive to be good examples!

This is where we need to oftentimes do a *heartcheck*. Are we prideful when it comes to our husbands because worldly feminism is still lurking in our hearts? Do we uphold and esteem him as leader of the home--even through his faults--and others know it? Do we look lowly at his opinions while we roll our eyes or sigh? Do we honestly think children are a blessing or do we say that just to look spiritual?

Dear Mothers, I urge you to start today on building on a strong foundation for your marriage and the sake of your children--one that will last, endure the test of strength and one that your children will look upon with admiration and try to emulate in their own marriages one day. Remember in your heart that one of the key ways to begin to change your home and culture around you is by beginning with yourself.




(The Christian Mother Series, Part 13)

Instilling a Godly Heritage

The Duggar family, who have 18 children, has been a source of inspiration to many so I wanted to include these videos of them in The Christian Mother Series to give you all an idea of what all of our children are capable of. Their parents, Michelle and Jim Bob, are doing their best to instill a godly heritage in their children and likewise, we should do the same. The videos are not of highest quality but you can still get the picture:

The Duggar children recite scripture at a church they were visiting:



(You can click on the box in the bottom of the video to enlarge it, and don't forget to turn off my music in the sidebar)

We have seen other children do this and have been blessed and *refreshed* by their ministries. See how small the tiny ones are on the end? Yes, mothers, even the smallest of children can recite long passages of scripture! And I love how they added in the hand signs--I think that is important in keeping it fun for them. Imagine the invested time it took their parents to teach this. Remember--they have 18 children. Most of us only have two or three. If they can do something like this with so many, we should not think we cannot. If they can do this with their limited time due to their bigger family size, what are WE squandering our precious hours away with????? I definitely believe we would be wise to learn from their diligent and steadfast example.

The Duggar girls perform hymns on violin:



Here they minister with siblings:



Young men and women should find ways to serve the Lord with their talents. Too many children today are wasting their precious time in frivolous pursuits---knowing the hottest bands, keeping up with the newest clothes trends, worrying about being like their peers, watching the latest movie....in the end, all these things are meaningless. Instead, they should be about the business of the Lord, growing in Him, learning about Him, serving others, growing their skills and mastering them for the Kingdom.

A godly heritage is priceless and worth the time and sacrifices of all Christian parents, let us be found diligently faithful a in cultivating and providing it.




*For those of you who are new to my blog, you can view more videos of the Duggar family here but clicking Must Watch Webvideos in my sidebar or visit their website here.*

(The Christian Mother Series, Part 12)

The Exquisite Home Culture

What is home culture, you ask?

Home culture is the atmosphere that is purposefully and intentionally cultivated within the four walls of your home. It is the music when you walk in the door, it is the conversation at the dinner table, it is games played by the fireside, it is the singing when your daughters do the dishes or the laughter of small toddlers who find a small green caterpillar. Culture...it exists just as richly and lively inside your home as it does outside your front door.

Dear Mothers, we weave the tapestry of homelife for our loved ones as we create the culture of our home. As we sit down and plan the days and months ahead, we purposefully begin writing what is akin to a novel of soon-to-be memories of our families lives. The music played the background of your homes today will become the soundtrack from their childhood. The art you hang on your walls can leave a deep and lasting impression on a child's mind and soul. Children will forever fondly remember the smells, music, joy and memories of their childhood and always fondly desire to return to it...even when they are old and gray.

But even more importantly than these things are what is experienced in a home. Is there joy, peace and forgiveness? Or is there anger, strife and quarreling? That is what makes a home. Not the fancy furnishings, or the designer tablecloth that the magazines taunt us with---but the LOVE and TIME that is lovingly sacrificed for one another. Mothers, even if all the earth around you is wicked---you alone create and make your home a small haven for your family behind those closed doors, a sacred dwelling where Christ is center. There could be ruin and folly outside your doors, but inside your peaceful sanctuary you, with loving hands, create a calm refuge for those you love.

Christ must always be the center of the home otherwise all other things will be off balance. True peace cannot be attained if the Prince of Peace is absent. At home, make every effort to teach to children patiently His Word, doctrine, and apologetics, teach them about the world around them so they will be a well-trained soldier going into battle totally prepared. Patiently explain to them the gospel as many times as it takes in the hopes of saving their souls and do not abandon or assume this precious responsibility to another.

At the meal table be sure to enjoy lively discussions about scripture, ethics, worldviews, missions, current events, church planting, sermons, ways to minister to others, etc. Home should be the hub of excitement--where great plans and great lives are molded, where hospitality and ministry takes place. We do not need a church program to do ministry--instead we need to view our homes as a focal point for ministry to begin at. Are our homes perfect? Certainly not--a home filled with sinners will contain sin! Mercy, grace and forgiveness are common visitors at our home. A home of imperfect sinners will learn to rely heavily, humbly and wholeheartedly on it's Savior.

Home should be a merry, spirited place of celebration---joke around, wrestle, play games, chase eachother, go out together, travel, play instruments, sing together, relax together. Do not stifle children with a rigid and cold home environment and extinguish the joy from their hearts. Children are like flowers who bask in the sun of love. Too often we ignore our children or put stern expectations on them and do not savor the grandeur and beauty of their childhood. Home should also be a place that when the dark streets temptingly beckons our children's hearts --that they will remember the sweetness and joy of the homelife and hopefully choose that safe shelter instead.

Home culture takes planning...it takes time...it takes thought.

Mothers hold the brush in painting the beauty, fun and memories in children's lives.

"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

Dear Mothers, what a privilege it is to prepare such a place for our families.

Prayerfully begin planning the culture for your home today!







(The Christian Mother Series Part 11)

A Mother's Self Control and Restraint

Does anyone remember seeing TV shows from the 90's of people (children and adults) attacking eachother during counseling sessions with huge overstuffed pillows and big sticks with soft ends all supervised and encouraged by the all- knowing psychiatrist to just' let it all out'???

Well, needless to say this is wrong. On these shows we were taught a fallacious lesson...that displaying lack of self control and restraint was our personal right. Children yelled angrily at parents and spouses physically assaulted eachother under the counselors encouragement for the camera as viewers gasped (or cheered) at the sight.

But the Bible has many teachings for us about self-control.

"Like a city who's walls are broken down is a man who lacks self control." Proverbs 25:28

"...train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God." Titus 2:4-5

"Be self controlled and alert. Your enemy the devils prowls around looking for someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8

It was harmfully detriment to those of us who watched this because now as Christians we have to learn not to give full vent to our anger. We have to 'untrain' ourselves and do the opposite of what we watched and learned over the years of growing up in an era where 'venting our frustrations' was the hip thing. Our view of self control has been so jaded and disillusioned that we have to relearn what it is and need help discerning what self control is and what is not.

So, you see, we mustn't get angry if the baby spills his milk, or if little Suzie hasn't cleaned her room--but instead we must have patience to teach and to train--not yell and throw our own childish tantrum! If we see shortcomings in our children, our hearts should be filled with mercy just as Christ had mercy on us, and see the situation at hand as an opportunity to teach. Many times a child does not know something because we have not taught it beforehand, we just expect them to already know it. I am brokenhearted when I hear mothers chastising their children with vulgar language because they themselves do not recognize the folly of their ways. So often they do not recognize what normal childhood development is and expect so much from their little children and mock them when they do not. I think it would be wise to follow these verses:

"A man's wisdom gives him patience, it is to his glory to overlook an offense." Proverbs 19:11

"But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children." 1 Thessalonians 2:7

"Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matt 19:14

"But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea." Matt 18:6

Gentleness, love, and merciful forgiveness is what should rule the Christian mother.

And lastly I encourage you to:

"Train yourselves for the purpose of godliness." 1 Timothy 4:7

So that we might practice self control in our mothering and bring glory to our God.

(The Christian Mother Series, Part 10)

The Work of Satan

In relation to unbelievers he:

1. Blinds their minds (2 Corinthians 4:4)

2. He snatches the Word from their hearts (Luke 8:12)

3. He uses men to oppose God's work. (Revelations 2:13)

In relation to the Christian:

1. He tempts him to lie (Acts 5:3)

2. He accuses and slanders him (Revelation 12:10)

3. He hinders his work (1 Thessalonians 2:18)

4. He employs demons to attempt to defeat him (Ephesians 6:11-12)

5. He tempts us to immorality (1 Corinthians 7:5)

6. He sows tares (weeds) among believers (Matt 13:38-9)

7. He incites persecutions against them. (Revelation 2:10)

I've included this in The Christian Mother Series because we need to understand doctrine. I pulled this straight out of the back of my Bible under the section entitled 'A Synopsis of Bible Doctrine'.

If we understand that Satan is our adversary and see how he relates to us, we can defend ourselves better.

I also included this because as mothers, we need to see how he tries to hinder our work--our sacred marriages, building of our homes and training our children.

We need to be aware that he truly does exist and that there are ways to battle against him. We cannot go about our days without our full armor:

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

Ephesians 6:10-17 (emphasis mine)

Be encouraged in remembering that Christ is interceding for us:

"Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us." Romans 8:34





Note: This post is not meant to confuse Satan's work with your sin nature. We need to always take responsibility of our own sinful actions because there is a difference.

(The Christian Mother Series, Part 9)

The Christian Homeschool-The Indispensable Key

Our homeschooling journey began 12 years ago when I had a neighbors daughter who was attending the local elementary school nearby came knocking on my door. "Hi Crystal, come on in." I welcomed her into our tiny little apartment. At the time my only daughter was only 4. Crystal had been coming over frequently and I had been blessed with the chance to share what I was learning in the Bible with her. But today she looked distressed.

"What's wrong?" I asked. Quickly she told me that she did not want to return to school, when asked why she stated the girls in her school had brought a gun. A gun? In elementary school? She did not feel safe. She said the girls did not like her and she was afraid. Tears welled in her eyes. She did NOT want to go back.

Girls with guns? Are you kidding? Remind you this was before all the school shootings like Columbine had taken place and before they began to place machines in schools to check for weapons.

This would be the same school I would be enrolling my only daughter in the following year.....in other words after hearing this---there was NO WAY she would be enrolling.

I had already been teaching her at home since she was two, because I was trying to see if I could really do this 'homeschool' thing that I had been learning about. When I first heard about homeschooling I laughed and quoted the infamous line--"Theres no way I could ever do that!" But after much prayer we felt the Lord leading us to it. Now we have been going steady for 14 years and seven more children later.


I am sharing this story with you because I want you to know how homeschooling has become an indispensable key to our family as we raise our children. What first started out as a safety measure, turned out to be a delightful journey as we soon learned that homeschooling offered many desirable variables such as teaching our children the Word without contradictory teaching, a chance to offer a better education, an opportunity to really get to know our children and for them to bond with their siblings, and platform to shepherd and disciple them with more hours in the day to do so, going at their own pace in subjects whether that be quicker or slower than the average classroom, liberty to teach different subjects, freedom from being enslaved to another's schedule and protecting them from unnecessary negative peer socialization. There's so much more I could add but will save this for another time.

I am sharing this in The Christian Mother Series because I want to share our experience of this wonderful option of giving our children a Christian education. Above all, I think homeschooling provides the priceless advantage of mentoring and discipling your children which is a challenge when your children are gone from you most of the day. Think about it, if you aren't doing this, who is? I think the media have proven time and time again that even teachers and classmates cannot to be entrusted with such a holy responsibility. Pastor Voddie Baucham recently wrote an excellent article making the case for Christian education that is truly a must read entitled Top Five Reasons Why Not To Send Your Children Back to Government Schools to get us all thinking outside the box.


While I am a strong advocate for homeschooling, I would like to add a word of caution. Many times parents look at homeschooling as their savior--thinking it will solve all their problems. Homeschooling is definitely an indispensable key and an invaluable one at that, however, it is only a' bridge' to accomplish the means to an end. See, it is a 'tool' that we use to accomplish the purposes that we want to see fulfilled in our children. We can homeschool and still raise rebellious, God-hating children, I have seen it happen. We can homeschool and give our children a poor education. The difference is in our willingness to train ourselves to apply diligence and wisdom. This is imperative is we desire to be the best mentors and teachers to them.

This post is absolutely NOT about judging those who public school or those who teach in the system, don't assume that for one minute. I am a product of public schooling so I speak from those experiences. This post is about offering an alternative to those who are seeking such. It is about rethinking and educating ourselves about the options that are available. It is about teaching and shepherding our children in whatever Christian environment we find best for them and for our family it happens to be homeschooling.

So, Mothers, let us evaluate the Christian education we are giving our children---whatever means we use-- and pray and ask God for wisdom in the vitally important area so our children will not be lacking. We must share with them our Christian heritage and teach them the Word so that this generation will not forsake Him.

"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him." --James 1:5

(The Christian Mother Series, Part 8)

Christian Instruction in the Home

I cannot emphasis enough the power of Christian instruction in the home. Many Christians do not know where to begin with this, especially if they are first generation, so I am offering this post for them. The purpose of Christian instruction and education is so that our children will learn about God correctly from us, hide the Word in their hearts, become saved as a result (not always but many will), be eventually able to defend the Word and contend for it, make disciples and eventually help to reform culture as a result of what they know.

What does Christian instruction in the home look like?

1. One thing that must be central in the home is the teaching of God's Word. As we teach God's Word to our children, they will learn wisdom, attain true knowledge, and build godly character. There are many ways to do this as there are homes. In our home, we like to teach a Bible verse at breakfast and discuss scripture. At lunch we go over the memory verse making a game out of who can do it quickest and accurately then we discuss current events or biblical worldviews. This is how I prefer to do it, since I am sitting with them already, why not make the most of that time? Plan into their day a time for them to have personal devotions and prayer and realize that you will be instilling life time habits. Buy them Bibles that are suited for their age, buy movies that help to teach and buy audio resources that do the same, their are also CD-roms that can help teach this too. Use these resources so your child will be filled with the knowledge of God.

2. We must be aware of what is considered time-wasters as we bring our children closer in the knowledge to the Lord. Are video games, television shows, internet and iPods stealing away their time? As parents, we need to offer excellent alternatives to the goals we are desiring to accomplish with our children. This will not happen if we do not prayerfully plan out their days. This should be one of our highest goals as parents. So many times, adults will spend the time to mentor someone at church but not take the time to mentor their own children. This should not be! We want our children to be able to understand the Bible, defend it, contend for it and reform culture with what they know. This takes purposeful planning. Plan their days out and don't let hours just go to waste--seek to fill those precious hours with a Biblical education--teaching them sound doctrine and educating them for His glory.


3. As you teach Gods Word you will find your home becoming more peaceful as so are the children you are diligently seeking to train. When we sow seeds of righteousness, keep in mind that the Word of God does not come back void instead it produces a harvest of righteousness. Train your children to obey you or they will not be able to obey God. It is neither a waste of time or in vain. Teach godly character especially since it is sorely needed and absent in the world today. I recommend finding or creating a character course for your children so they will focus on learning godly character. These are two books that I like to use in our home--Christian Character and Christian Manhood-- and here is another great character building resource that I also use.

4. Another thing we do is family devotionals. We gather around with our Bibles on the couches and dad leads us in song, Bible study and questions. This is important to us because we are reminded that we don't have to be at 'church' to worship God--instead that a family altar exists right in the realm of our own home which makes our time with God even more sacred as it reminds us that He exists everywhere and can be worshiped throughout the week. We do this as time allows---allowing it to happen naturally, but not daily. We have fun with it, sometimes acting out scenes, etc., or doing the songs to handsigns. This also teaches them what is important to Dad.

5. A word about teaching your children a biblical worldview--did you know that we are losing our children to the world before they ever step out to go to college? Why is this? Is there glaring hypocrisy in our own lives? Was there too much worldly influence allowed in the home that caused them to go astray? Was there a lack of biblical teaching in the home leaving it up to the church folk and Sunday school classes? It is fully the parents responsibility to teach their children what the Word teaches about everything under the sun! This is a sacred responsibility--do not hand it over to another! If they have a stronger foundation in the 'why' behind their belief in God they will be able to stand firm---if not, they will be plucked right out of the ground as soon as anyone questions or confronts their faith. I believe every Christian home should teach biblical apologetics for this very reason. Over and over again we find examples in Scripture were the Word of God was not taught to the next generation and they quickly forgot and followed wicked ways. God was angry and brought curses and destruction upon them. Teaching God's Word must be seen as imperative and not merely an option. Let us not be a people who drops the torch as we pass it down to the next generation.


6. Teach servanthood. One one of the main mistakes we do as parents is teaching our children that the world revolves around them suggesting they are the center of the universe. We have lost what it means to be a servant--the very thing Christ has called us to be to this world. How do we teach servanthood? We teach by doing---this means volunteering at the food pantry, making bread to take over to an elderly neighbor or expecting mother, raking someones yard or shoveling their driveway. There are teens that have raised huge amounts of money for different causes, made movies or actively helping to change culture through their writings. We have known families who have gone to nursing homes to share the word of God and sing there to serve them. Don't forget the pricelessness of learning to serve in the home--caring for little ones or elderly ones, serving mom and dad through acts of love or cooking. The ideas are as limitless--teaching our children to be servants is vitally important since it prepares them for a lifetime of servanthood to Christ.

7. Our family homeschools and has for 12 years. We have chosen this method for several reasons--one of they key reasons was that we would be able to teach and share our faith with our children without contradicting, oppositional teaching from a public school education. This is just as important to a Christian education as the other points. But since this post is already way too long I will save more on this for a later post.

This is where we need to begin, Christian Mothers.

There is much work to be done.

Our high calling is to raise up disciples for the Lord.

Now let's roll up our sleeves, and get to work!




(The Christian Mother Series, Part 7)

Generation Diva

Georgie loves looking through fashion magazines and can’t pass a mirror without checking to see if she’s put on weight. She’s got 20 kinds of lip gloss and a closet chock full of expensive clothes, shoes, and handbags. In fact, she’s already saving up for enhancement surgery, reports Diana Appleyard of the Daily Mail.

But here’s the catch: Georgie is just 10 years old.

Newsweek calls girls like Georgie “Generation Diva.” They are tween girls who are becoming obsessed with hair, make-up, clothing, and body image at earlier and earlier ages. “Forget having mom trim your bangs, fourth graders are in the market for lush $50 haircuts,” writes Newsweek columnist Jessica Bennett.

Once they hit high school, $150 highlights will be the norm. Meanwhile, Bennett writes, “five year olds have spa days and pedicure parties.” And teens “get laser hair removal, the most common cosmetic procedure of that age group.”

According to market research, if the trends continue, by the time today’s 10-year-old turns 50, she’ll have spent almost $450,000 on hair, makeup, elective surgeries, manicures, and pedicures.

Read the rest here:

Taming Tween Divas

I have included this article in The Christian Mother series as a warning.

We live in a culture that foolishly worships materialism. This must be rejected by Christians .

Christian Mothers definitely cannot afford to NOT possess discernment.

If we teach our children to worship the god of materialism today--how, oh how will they ever learn to worship the true and living God tomorrow?

"She watches over the affairs of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness." Proverbs 31:27

This begins at home---what are you, Mother, teaching your children?

Are they more concerned about their comforts and where their next form of entertainment is coming from or are they about the Lord's work?

Who are their role models?

Who are they imitating/dressing like?

Who do they desire to be?

How do they spend their free time?

What is the music they are listening to? What does it promote?

What do the singers themselves promote? (sex, lust, anger, materialism, etc.)

What we allow today in the name of 'fun' can hinder, influence and mold their lives later in a disastrous way.

Are we Kingdom-minded or Worldly-minded?



Mothers, take a good look around...



And YOU be the judge.







(The Christian Mother Series, Part 6)

Note: Special thanks to Norma Garcia who sent me this article.

Distracted Christian Mothers

In America, comfort and leisure can be a distraction to mothers and fathers raising their children and discipling them for the Lord.

As Christian mothers, we need to be careful to manage our time well and decide whether or not our time is being used wisely. Many 'good' things can steal away our 'best' from those we love the most if we are not shrewd in our evaluation of this precious commodity.

The internet, for example, is a wonderful tool but can be a huge time waster if we are not careful to manage it well. Blogs, Facebook and Twitter can become all time consuming and use up your best energies intended for your husband, children and home by dominating your thinking, time and life.

Likewise-- in the pursuit of comfort-the excess of material possessions can become vainly obsessive. If we are not on our guard much of our lives can become dominated by senseless consumerism. This distracts us from our duties as mothers. The fruitless comparison of ourselves to the Jones' can be a lethal recipe to the Christian home distracting us from Kingdom mission and purpose. In the end, these unprofitable pursuits will not matter for eternity.

"She watches over the affairs of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. Proverbs 31:27.

Neglect of the home culture and education cannot be an option for the Christian mother. She must be on the lookout for idleness in her life that would steal away her time from her family. Is her husband cared for? Are her children trained and possess a biblical worldview? Is her home tidied and is her walk with the Lord strong? She cannot give to others spiritually what she herself does not possess. Christian mothers greatly need to cling close under the wing of the Lord and rely on Him greatly if she desires to fulfills her mighty purpose of shaping the lives of those around her.

So I ask you...is your home neglected and 'empty' as the home pictured above---with a child roaming trying to 'find' you where you once graced the home with your presence? Are you gone always shopping, on the computer, out with the girls or too busy doing ministry? Christian mothers today would be wise to fully evaluate their lives and their time. Not hurriedly or flippantly ("everyone else is doing it.") or by the world's standard, but instead...HONESTLY.

Worldly vices will continue to tempt us so we must be alert and discerning as we purposefully choose to live differently. Mothers are waking from their slumber realizing they have lost their children. "I don't understand" they cry, "I stayed home to raise them." Staying home is not enough, we must pour ourselves into our children--discipling and shepherding them and not wasting our precious time. As we do this we must reject feeble time-wasting indulgences this side of the world so that we can live their lives purposefully and on mission for God.

Then, united, we can take back our homes,

our children,

our marriages

and our time

and stop sacrificing them to the world...

on the alter of futility.

And instead

rightfully restore our homes,

and offer our children and ourselves

as a living sacrifice

to the Lord.






(The Christian Mother Series Part 5 )

Exhausted Moms

So many things can make a mom exhausted.

It might be caring for small or many children, cleaning a home or trying to keep up with a very busy schedule. No matter what the situation is it is easy to become exhausted, get discouraged and feel burnt out.

What I have learned over the years to avoid this situation is to pace myself. Do I have to strictly abide to my 'to do' list? Certainly not. It is a tool that was made for me and not I for it! Many women schedule more things than they could possibly do into 24 hours and then get down on themselves when they don't cross off every task. (Can I get an amen from all the perfectionists out there?)---Must I to get all the cleaning done in one day? Probably not, it will still be there tomorrow. Do I have to do all the activities on my schedule? If I looked closely I could probably eliminate something, and the world would still function. We can run ourselves into the ground by doing too many things--even if they are good--because they can take away from what is best. If mom is busy running around living out of the van with her children because the children have too many activities or say if she is involved in ten different ministries at church then that does not allow adequate time to be home. Moms need to pace themselves and slow down as our rigid self-imposed schedules can be our demise. It also takes time to teach and train children and if you are always 'busy' you will not have time for it.

Above are some of the things that can control us, but with a little revised management, wise flexibility, not being a slave to 'how we think' things should run, or feeling pressured by others-- we can surely help to turn our day around. Another important help I would like to also suggest is asking your husband for advice in what he thinks would help through your day. He knows you best and can see things about your life that you may not notice. Prayerfully ask him what needs to be changed in your life and then be open minded to what he has to say. You might be surprised at how his answer will help you.

Surely there are medical reasons that can cause exhaustion (thyroid issues, illness, etc), or physical reasons like not getting adequate nutrition, vitamins or exercise. These are all very important and keep to helping a mom have the energy and vitality to give her best each day so be sure to keep your 'temple' in good condition because that can affect your mindset and activity levels.

I cannot emphasis enough the importance of personal Bible time. The Word refreshes our minds mentally and our souls spiritually. I personally like reading in the morning before my day starts because it gives me 'ammunition' for the day ahead. My personal view on this is if I don't read my Bible in the morning I am similar to a man going into battle without any weapons--and trying to fight on the frontlines! I would have set myself up for failure before I even started.

It is also definitely helpful to also plan in some recreational time. Carve out time in your day to read a book, relax, work on some pages in that scrapbook, decorate or garden. The key is that it is fun for you so that you get a chance to unwind in the course of the day and not feeling like you are always rushed or working.

And lastly, I'd like to point out that sometimes half the battle is in our minds. We think negatively and that wears us out. We don't think like Christians and quickly loose the battle before the day even begins. Bitterness and complaining rule us instead of thankfulness and contentedness. The mind is a powerful thing--if we feel defeated, we will become defeated. People can destroy themselves by merely thinking negatively and not looking to the hope that Christ offers. People can actually make themselves sick and die earlier from worries and stress. A Christian mother would be wise to guard against this kind of thinking and learn how to refute negative thinking with the Word of God.

So when you are tired and weary be sure to lean on the Lord for strength and wisdom:

"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
but 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 40:29-31

For thus say the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, who name is holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the hearts of the contrite ones." Isaiah 57:15

I highly recommend you read Mrs. Amy's article In Praise of Slow.


(The Christian Mother Series-Part 4)

Self Government of the Tongue

"A blow with the tongue is an outward thing just like a blow with the hand. A blow with the tongue is just as wicked and irritating and irrational as a blow with the hand; and yet many people let their tongues run loose in the family and strike fore and aft without restraint, and then wonder why there is no government in their homes. Many a man will strike his wife with his tongue, blow after blow, when he would not strike her with his hand. And sometimes wives are tongue-strikers, who do not strike with their hands. This unruly member, the tongue, is the first one in the family to put under control. There is no government where the tongue is ungoverned. The poor government of many families is due to the striking freedom given to the tongues. There must be a new law of home; or the old law reenacted, which allows the Lord to bridle the tongue and guide it by the reigns of His Word, in all such Christian homes."

Read the rest here:

A Calm Voice Governs

This article is a must read! The site itself is a delightfully wonderful, truly a hidden treasure, please take time to browse around it and collect for yourselves precious pearls of wisdom!

Self control needs to rule the Christian mother and learning about the power of the tongue is important because the tongue has the power of life and death (Proverbs 18:21). Christian mothers need to be the type of mothers that will breathe life and vision into her children. She needs to encourage and praise all the good that she sees in her child's life while patiently teaching him the Lord's ways.

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." Epheshians 4:29

"But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." Hebrews 3:13

Lord, help us all to be mothers that are careful and discerning with our tongues. Let us be slow to speak, quick to listen and slow to become angry...

(The Christian Mother Series Part 3 )

If Not You...Then Who?

If you don't sing to your children...who will?

If you don't read to your children..who will?

If you don't teach the Word of God to your children...who will?

If you don't hug your child when they fall...who will?

If you don't teach your daughter the gentler graces of womanhood...who will?

If you don't teach your son's about courageous manhood...who will?

If you don't share the gospel with your children to get saved...who will?


I will tell you who...

The world will sing your children to sleep with lullabyes of narcissism, sensuality and violence.

The world will read to your children and teach them anti-God philosophies and give them a humanistic education.

The world will teach your children that the Word of God does not matter today, is false and is irrelevant and ultimately to be rejected but all other faiths fully embraced.

The world will hug your child when they fall and teach them that homosexuality is okay.

The world will teach your daughters by showing them to dress and act like prostitutes, drink and do drugs, rebel and have unprotected sex.

The world will teach your sons to have dirty mouths, drink and do drugs, rebel and have unprotected sex.

The world will share it's gospel with you---that a man can only be saved if he seeks his own rights and comforts, if he chases after materialism, big toys, vanity, power and success and that you must absolutely sacrifice yourselves and your families to acquire such attainment. Here God does not rule, only shameful man. Deadly sin is not cautiously avoided, instead vehemently encouraged, and therefore broken homes, uncontrolled violence and widespread death reigns.

That is their gospel.



Dear Mothers,


If not you....




then who?











(The Christian Mother Series, Part 2)

True Christian Motherhood

How should a Christian mother view children?

1. As a gift and miracle from God and not as drudgery.

2. She has been entrusted by God to care for them for their time on earth.

3. She delights in them and is thankful for them, even on hard days.

4. She is protective, never bad-mouthing her children to others or slandering them.

5. She understands that they are the next generation entrusted with the Gospel.

6. She knows their souls are precious to God and He knows the number of every hair on their head.

7. She knows she is accountable to God for how she raises them so she faithfully sacrifices her love, her patience and her life for them.


8. She understands that even as they are in a state of infancy now that this precious season is quickly fleeting and in a blink of an eye they will grow up---so she savors the moment.

9. She welcomes the number of children the Lord gives her and treasures each one in her heart because she knows the He has a purpose for each and every single one--- even if the world doesn't see it that way. She rejects the lie that children are a burden.

10. She understands and embraces the future--she knows her job is not done when her children graduate from high school or when they turn eighteen, instead it continues on until she takes her last breath.

11. As she cares for a crying infant or sick child she realizes it is part of God's great plan to mold her into becoming a nurturing mother and into the image of Christ.

12. She acknowledges that she is the best one to take care of them as God has chosen to give them to her. She understands her children in a way that a stranger cannot. She realizes that mothering is her sacred work and is careful not neglect her responsibilities. She is protective over who cares for her children.

13. She recognizes her season with little ones and uses wisdom. She tries to surround herself with like minded women who are going through the same season or have been through it and can encourage and support her.

14. The Christian mother does not rely Oprah, Dr. Phil or the latest trends in parenting magazines for wisdom but instead searches God's Word to help her raise her family because it is the source of all truth.


15. She clearly understands that her and her husband are an undivided team when it comes to parenting their children and respectfully allows him to lead the home. She knows that if she is dominating, controlling or manipulating she would destroy her home so she purposefully learns to trust God on matters of submission.

16. She wisely spends her time in prayer---for herself to be a godly mother, for her husband to be a godly father and for children's salvation and their futures. She knows her time in prayer is never wasted time.

17. The Christian mother seeks to educate her children about the Lord so she wisely invests her days teaching them all she knows about Him and His Word.

18. When her season of raising her children has passed, she looks forward to investing her time and love into her grandchildren as they arrive. She doesn't try to move far away to 'begin living her life' but instead she considers them a blessing and her love for them evident. She considers it an honor to take part in their lives. She is a loyal encourager and faithfully supports her children in raising her grandchildren.

(The Christian Mother Series, Part1)

Learning Before Motherhood

Before we begin The Christian Motherhood Series, I would like to take a moment to address the young daughters, single gals and married women without children who read this blog. I want to warmly welcome you to this series and wanted to let you know that this topic is just as much for you.

In fact, this is an excellent time to begin learning some of the ins and outs of motherhood and marriage--to gain a vision for your 'hopefully-one-day-to-be' family and to learn to view the world in a biblical worldview from a Christian female perspective.

A wise lady could and should use her time to learn how to cook, care for a home, study marriage, learn scripture, care for children as much as she can before she is married. Hopefully she has had a mother or other role model to teach her these things. If not, then there are plenty of resources out there to teach ourselves--even after we are married with children--and praise God for He has once again provided a way for us and will equip us for what He has called us to do. We are always learning and should never feel that we have 'arrived' on any topic.

And if you already are a Christian mother here today, I urge you to teach your daughters at a young age to look forward to marriage and motherhood as God has designed us this way and to teach them what they need to know. Too often I hear of women who were totally incapable of the simplest cares of marriage and homemaking, sadly, because they were not taught. Let's break that cycle and teach this generation what they need to know and properly equip them for life.

So I encourage you all to join us as we begin this journey to feel comfortable here knowing this is being written just as much for you gals in the pre-motherhood stage, as well as for the mom with many children.

Now onto our series...