A Gentle and Quiet Spirit

I have seen the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit and very much desire to work on this attribute in my life. I liked what Nancy Wilson shares on it:

"Some people mistakenly think that a gentle and quiet spirit is displayed when a woman never speaks. This has concerned some of the outgoing personalities because they don't know how to be a silent lump. This is merely looking at externals. Certainly sometimes a quiet spirit will be exhibited by silence, but not always. And a quiet person can be all worked up on the inside. This is missing the point. A heart that is resting in the faithfulness of God is gentle and quiet; it is not stirred up with worry and anxiety. This gentle and quiet spirit is a calm, peaceful spirit. It is a tame spirit, a gentled spirit. I have often compared this kind of spirit to a glassy lake, not turbulent or troubled, but hardly showing a ripple. In contrast, the anxious spirit is like a stormy sea with whitecaps whipping along the shore. This of course brings to mind our Lord calming the troubled Sea of Galilee. Likewise, He can calm our troubled spirits when we look to Him."

Isn't that a beautiful picture? Contrast this with the woman who is:

Loud and overbearing
Obnoxious
Wild, untamed
Angry
Bitter
Acting masculine, macho, tough
Flirting, teasing
Critical
Always gossiping
Trying to be center of attention-drawing attention to self and not God

We have all seen her. Sadly, sometimes we are her. But as we turn our hearts toward God, He begins to shape our lives to become like Him. I think that our prayer everyday needs to be focused on how we can grow these traits in our lives.

"Lord, help us to be the women you want us to be. Help to grow and cultivate that gentle and quiet spirit that you desire for us to have and to show true beauty to the world-not the counterfeit beauty that the world has to offer that fades away. May it be a light to all people so they will know who you are. Help us repent of a wrong spirit and convict us when we off course. You are mighty and we are thankful for your Mighty Hand in our lives. And we ask this in your Son's Holy name, Jesus Christ. Amen."

Billy Graham-The Early Years

My son loves Billy Graham and we often like to call him Stephen 'Billy Graham' Fuentes. He is trying to collect as many books on Billy Graham that he can and he also supports the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Imagine his surprise when I told him they were working on a movie about him called 'Billy Graham--The Early Years' that should be out sometime in October 2008 at select theaters. Here is the trailer:



Click here to visit the website on the movie. The trailer can be viewed clearer there.

Too Much

I am reading through Don Aslett's 'Weekend Makeover' again--everytime I pick up this book amazing things start happening around my house! Closets get organized, drawers get dejunked and Mama is one happy camper! Here is a glimpse:

"Abusing children in anyway, physically or emotionally, or neglecting them, the only unforgivable thing on this earth. When we hear accounts of child starvation and abandonment, most of us are irate or horrified. Yet have you ever thought about "too much" as almost an equal unkindness to children?

Having everything is almost as abusive as having nothing. We now are burying our children with too much---too many things and opportunities.

Our children now are getting less parenting and more playthings, less personal responsibility and more pleasures. They have more machines and fewer muscles; confections are overtaking affections. Think on this a minute or two and it will give "too much" a new meaning!

We ride this "Excess Express" from infancy onward...kids constantly asking for thing, buying and getting everything they want, when they want it, and actually being raised up to be junkers. Look at how bad we old duffers are, and we had little, or not more than a tenth of what is available to kids today, when we were young. Yet look where we are now: cluttered in. Just think of all that is available to newer generations and with less discipline, too. How much junk will they have by the time they are thirty, forty, and fifty? It will be horrendous and will affect their marriages, jobs and self-esteem. And let's not even try to imagine what size homes and storage units they will need to contain it all, or what will be done the the earth in the process of producing all this. It is a bloated future ahead..."

Isn't that so true?

Well, off I go to toss our 'too much'!

Thank you, Mr. Aslett.

Questions and Answers

I am honored to have recently participated in an interview by Sara Mae from Like a Cup of Warm Coffee. We addressed two vital topics---the high calling of being a help-meet and the other raising the next generation for Christ.

I want you all to know that my family and I have not yet 'arrived' and do not by any means feel our family is 'the standard'. By participating in this interview I just wanted to give a glimpse into my thoughts and our lives. No family is perfect and I do not want people to get the wrong idea in thinking that because I write a blog or participate in interviews that we have it all together. Instead, we join the journey with other families in the great adventure of the Christian life and I am grateful to Jesus Christ and for those who have been a Titus 2 example to us.

Please click here for the interview.

HomeBuilding 101: The Power of Words

Building up our home is done in many ways. We can cook, clean and organize until our heads our spinning but literally 'tear down' our homes with the way we communicate making all our other 'building efforts' in vain. We communicate three major ways:

1. Verbally
2. Body language (example: rolling eyes, folded arms)
3. Tone of voice

We can inspire our families to change the world or tear them down in a heartbeat if we are not carefully choosing our words--just as the verse says:

"The tongue holds the power of life and death."-Proverbs 18:21

Are we bringing life to our homes or death? Are we slashing our husband to pieces with our words and screaming at our little children (who are probably unsaved and need the Lord?)

WORDS

A careless word may kindle strife.
A cruel word may wreck a life.
A brutal world may smite and kill.
A gracious word may smooth the way.
A joyous word may light the day.
A timely word may lessen stress.
A loving word may heal and bless.


We are always building up our homes or tearing it down. Let's purposefully use our words to BUILD. A word that is timely can plant a seed that can be used powerfully to change the world one day---to change lives, to help save the lost.

BUILD up and respect husbands who will stand in the forefront of battle for the kingdom of God.

BUILD up children who will one day be an army for Him, who will lead the future for Him.

BUILD up extended family who need to see his love, grace and mercy.

BUILD up a neighborhood that will see Christs light in the dark, wicked world and find hope.

And ultimately...

BUILD up a world where the prisoners are set free, the shackles are loosened, and there is new life through Jesus Christ and his His healing, powerful Word.

The Bridge

I saw this last week and it stuck in my heart. It is powerful and worth watching-- I thought you might like to see it:



It is a shortened version of a film called "Most".

"Cleaning House"

In the back of my Bible I have notes I made over 1o years ago. It is under the title "Cleaning House" and it is not in reference to actually cleaning it. Instead, I had read some excellent material regarding cleaning out our home of things that do not please the Lord. Things that He even deems detestable. I used these verses as I went through our family inventory:

"I will walk in my house with blameless heart. I will set before my eyes no vile thing." Psalm 101:3

"Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction. Utterly abhor it and detest it, for it is set apart for destruction." Deuteronomy 7:26

"Let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God." 2 Corinthians 7:1

"Dear children, keep yourself from idols" 1 John 5:21

"The Lords curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous." Proverbs 3:33

"I will be careful to lead a blameless life--when will you come to me? " Psalm 101:2

"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 such things." Phillipians 4:8




These verses aided me as I went through things such as:

1. Books, magazines
2. Art, personal pictures
3. Videos
4. Music
5. Toys
6. Miscellaneous (or things the Lord points out to you, that you would otherwise miss)
7. Anything immodest
8. Inappropriate clothing

I looked for evil themes, suggestive themes, anything that was anti-God in philosophy and I must tell you that 14 years ago I threw out tons of bags of things. Things that I never even thought I would throw out, got thrown out! Did I miss those things? Not one bit! And what I found even more interesting was that it felt great to do it, like a burden lifted off of me and my home. Now we were 'free' to start over---my daughter (only Janai) at the time would not have to be subjected to all the things the Lord would not want her to be through things in her home---the place where she was to be nurtured and cultivated into God-fearing adult. Now she wouldn't grow up in an atmosphere that would work directly against what we were trying to sow into her life.


I replaced all those things with what would inspire---dolls that were modest, music that exalted God, clothes that suggested purity and were feminine, books that taught character, challenged the mind and supported Scripture, movies that were educational. Things that even reminded me of my sinful past I threw out---I was no longer that person anymore--I was a new creation in Christ and I was going to begin this new journey 'fresh' with Him.

It took several months to thoroughly go through everything, this is still something that needs to be done periodically because somehow little things still find their way in. But I am so happy the way things are now, I would never go back to the way we were. I continually strive to make our home a place that honors the Lord by guarding and 'cleaning' my house. I believe if we are faithful in this type of 'house cleaning' along with our daily household management, and watching over other area's that Proverbs 31:27 is accomplished in it's fullest and God-glorifying sense:

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

Satan's Meeting

Are you busy?



(Turn your volume up for sound)

Quote of the Year

Now that I am 37, I realized that I will only have so many birthdays and I want to make the most of my last days on earth. When I saw this quote I thought it fit with my new outlook on life.



Here it is:

"Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, Satan shudders and says..

"Oh no, she's awake."

---Unknown

Celebrating 37 Glorious Years

Today is my 37th birthday---I was told I was born a minute after the Fourth of July.

I am grateful to the Lord for 37 years of glorious life and 14 years of being a new creation. I would not be here if it were not for His mighty saving hand that spared me from myself!

Have a great week, everyone!

Cardboard Testimony

I love it! God's saving Hand is amazing!

Ladies, you are going to need to pull out the kleenex for this one:

Made For Eachother

Today we are celebrating our 16th anniversary. I am looking forward to spending time with my 'best friend' today but I am grateful and cherish the 16 years behind us. We are blessed with the fruit of our marriage---eight children who grace our home and I am looking forward to many more years together...

Here's a poem:

This Day I Married My Best Friend

This day I married my best friend
...the one I laugh with as we share life's wonderous zest,
as we find new enjoyments and experience all that's best.
...the one I live for because the world seems brighter
as our happy times are better and our burdens feel much lighter.
...the one I love with every fiber of my soul.
We used to feel vaguely incomplete, now together we are whole.

Happy Anniversary, Steve! I love you!

"Grow old with me the best is yet to be." ---Robert Browning

Children With An Outward Focus

Narcissism runs rampant in our culture---unfortunately we are so entrenched that we don't realize just how much our lives are inwardly focused. Not only that, but we teach our children those very same values unwittingly. I was thinking about that the other day and here are a couple ideas I thought of that would help to steer the children's minds into having a more outward focus---

We will be thinking MISSIONALLY---we are planning to use a map and write out all the different countries that we see, pull their names from a jar and we will pray for people to get saved in this country, that God will send out missionaries there and relieve those that are being persecuted and suffering for Him.

We are also going to start 'prayer-walking' the neighborhood. I have done some of this already but recently I have been taking Janai on my walks with me for discipleship purposes. We will have to take time out of our exciting conversation to pray for those lost in our area.
We'd like to be a blessing to our neighbors. We will probably try our hand at some baking/desserts to bless them with. I am also throwing around the idea of a block party to get to know everyone----has anyone ever done this? I'd like to hear your ideas.

And here's something me and the children have been planning all week which I think is totally exciting: They will be supporting Christian organizations throughout the world financially and through prayer. Here is an example...

Stephen, 8, loves Billy Graham---last year he sent him a birthday card and they sent him back various materials on the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Stephen sent some of his hard-earned dollars to this ministry and began supporting them. They in turn sent back materials on how to pray, etc. Stephen prizes all the things he gets in the mail from 'Billy Graham' and often reviews them and copies verses from there in his copywork binder. He knows he is impacting the world through supporting this ministry. We have just gotten wind that James MacDonald's 'Walk In the Word' radio ministry is in need of financial help. Stephen wants to support that as well.



Janai, 15, recently got to meet local distributor's of 'Voice of the Martyrs' magazine. We now receive them and have been inspired by stories brimming over of terrible persecution of the saints all around the world. She loves reading the stories to our family out loud. Our family wholeheartedly agrees that this ministry is worth supporting.



Naomi, 10, loves reading Above Rubies magazines---a ministry devoted to encouraging mothers. She is going to support this ministry that has been pivotal even in her own mother's life. Although, she must admit that she is having a tough time deciding because she would also like to support Vision Forum, who focus on resurrecting the Biblical family.



Ravi, 7, wants to support Acts 29, an international church-planting ministry. I am so excited about this one---just think---my little Ravi, having a hand in church planting all around the world!!!! Does it get any more exciting than this? It probably does, but right now, that really stirs my heart as a mother.



See, mothers, our children can already make a huge difference in the world. They do not have to wait until they are twenty to begin an outward focus. We must teach them when they are young. They must see that there is more to the world than just their comforts and recreation. They must be challenged to stretch and grow and love their neighbors---and to have compassion on those they will never meet. This is how we raise the next generation for Christ--by teaching them to look outward unto their brothers and see their burdens as their own.

All the Days of Her Life

This past Sunday my pastor gave a great message, one of the subjects he talked about was the Proverbs 31:12 verse,

"She brings him good and not harm, all the days of her life."

He was talking about daughters this time and sharing how a young woman can keep her life pure so she will bring her future husband good. Not just once the vows are made but way, way before that. How she has a responsibility according to this verse to come into the marriage PURE and spending her early years beforehand preparing herself for her future husband and home.

I have heard this taught before and thought it to be very compelling in the sense that a girl does not have to waste her time before she is married to begin 'real life'. There is so much a girl can do---how important it is for her to prepare herself! Imagine if we had had the time to prepare---if our parents had directed us purposefully to 'redeem the time' of our childhood so many of our past mistakes that would not have been.

I was also saddened to hear of the recent story of 17 highschool girls who were under the age of 16 and apparently one of the babies were fathered by a twenty-four year old homeless man. My heart cried out----where was the vision? Where were there parents? How could these girls get so off track?



Instead of squandering her time, a young lady could do many things to prepare herself not just for her future husband and home but also for the Lord's work that He will have planned for her. The most important thing she can do is grow closer to the Lord by spending time in the Word. It will help keep her from going astray and she will be laying a good foundation for herself and her family later. We all know that when the children start coming along it is alot harder to study in depth then---so now is an excellent time to take advantage of that.

It is important to grow her skills in cooking, cleaning, household management, reading books on being a godly wife/ training children and mentoring under older, godly women. She can learn valuable resourceful skills such as sewing, knitting, gardening, playing an instrument and she can devote more time to being missional in her family with her siblings, neighbors and world. She can minister in her local church and help moms there in need---this will give her much necessary practice for later. She can help instruct the little ones in her own family and help mentor and influence them towards godliness, for her first affections and loyalties should first be toward her home she lives in now. A young girl should NEVER waste her time, but she should be a good steward of it, always remembering to bless others with her gifts, time and talents. She should be challenged---perhaps write a book for children, perform a musical piece for church, encourage and help support a missions family in another country---the list is endless.

I urge you to think out of the box. If a fifteen year old boy can build his own home, then we absolutely should raise the bar of expectations for our children, for His glory alone, and never to impress others with trophy children or prideful parenting. We cannot risk not breathing and speaking vision into our daughters lives.We cannot grow weary of the holy responsibility---the humbling and glorious calling of raising up the next generation whom will impact this world for our King, Jesus Christ.

American Idolatry

Here's something to ponder upon as we go about our week...

Homeschoolers: Be Encouraged!

I was visiting a few blogs this morning and wanted to share a few points of interest that I felt important enough to share. You must begin by reading this article I found on Stacy's blog:

Homeschooler's Threaten Our Cultural Comfort

Here is an excerpt from the article:

"Deep down, however, we know that our generation has eaten its seed corn. We lack the discipline and the vision to deny ourselves in the hope of something enduring and worthy for our posterity. We are tired from working extra jobs, and the looming depression threatens our 401k’s. Credit cards are nearly maxed, and it costs a $100 to fuel the Suburban. Now the kid is raising hell again, demanding the latest Play Station as his price for doing his school work … and there goes that modest young woman in the home-made dress with her four bright-eyed, well-behaved home-schooled children in tow. Wouldn’t you just love to wipe that serene look right off her smug face?"

And I wanted to let you all know that Kelly is doing a super give-away on her blog of a Vision Forum set: Reclaiming the Culture--



Click here to view video samples of each DVD.

Monstrous Lettuce

Do you remember our tiny transplants? Here are our romaine lettuce heads all grown up! They were absolutely beautiful and huge---we delighted in picking the heads for our dinners and mused over the fact that organic lettuce can cost up to $4 a head in our local supermarket! I think there are currently only 2 left in the garden---I will definitely plant more since they are so easy to grow. Since then we've also added cucumbers, squash, peppers and pumpkin----help! We are running out of room! I even started an herb garden on my deck in a container---hopefully I will remember to use them during my cooking---thankfully the children are good about reminding me.

My little Joy (5yrs old) got into gardening this year since she saw Mama running all around the house like a mad woman and so we decided to make her a little garden and here it is in full bloom:



(Sideview:We used logs from one of our trees we had cut down earlier to carve out a small plot.)



(Frontview: We added a bit of this and a bit of that--petunias, buttercups, hostas and I don't know if you can see them but we put mini pinwheels in there so when the wind blows there is movement in her garden. The twins just loved that and would run up and try to blow on them all the time.)



(Windchimes shaped like butterflies with 'sparkly diamonds' on them above her garden for beautiful music while she hunts for worms while she weeds)



(Meet our new garden friend, Mr. Hoppy, a little frog Ravi found---we set him loose in our vegetable garden and now he lives there. We can usually find him under our lettuce leaves our huddled under the garage. He's a lot bigger and fatter now that he lives there and not in our home.We had bugs in here to feed him.)

Happy gardening!

Interviews

It seems a couple of you have asked for interviews with me on your blogs in the last month---I was at a very busy time here in my home, wrapping up school and various other odds and ends. Now it seems that I cannot find the comments/emails that you sent me inquiring about this (I surely haven't forgotten about you) so if you would be so kind to contact me through this post I will get in touch with you shortly now that I have a little more time on my hands since summer has arrived. Also just to let you know that I try not to post my email on this page for different reasons but will be happy to correspond through email to do these interviews with you or anyone else who be interested to. Please just leave your info here (blog or email address) in the comment section of this post and I'd be happy to get back with you--and thanks for thinking of me I feel quite honored to be asked to do this with you.

Precious Time with Daughters

Last night I stayed up to 11:30p.m. with my second daughter, Naomi, sewing sleeping bags for her Liberty doll (bought last year for her birthday by her Aunt and Nana.) We had a lot of fun during the day as well~we shopped the stores for material and looked for odds and ends for our little projects.

These past few months I did not realize Naomi had few accessories for her dolls. She never asked for a thing---only for a bit of material every once in a while to try her hand at making a dress (she is 10 years old). So we got to talking and the next garage sale I was able to pick up some nice Batatt accessories for her doll such as a horse, tent and jeep.

We made pillows and lacy tablecloths ($1) for a garage sale- steal wicker furniture set ($2) and even spray painted the furniture to make it look new. I picked up pretty blankets ($0.90) to place underneath as she played to make it look very pretty, for little girls need such things in their lives.

But it all was not about her doll at all. It is about spending time with her and knitting our hearts together. We perused stores and laughed and pointed at various things as we clutched mini-victorian tea sets close to us. We joked together and shared our thoughts together. We were in harmony, mother and daughter---working together and sharing our love.

The night we stayed up late and made the sleeping bags was indeed special. She fervently sewing on my machine and me busily pinning the seams of the fabric. We were sewing more than bags together--we were sewing together a bond between us. So precious that I cannot wait for our next endeavor---with my sweet little Naomi.



(Here's all our hard work, Liberty and her camping accessories)



(Sleeping bag made from a pillowcase from the Thrift store)



(We even sewed ribbon on so the bags could roll up like real sleeping bags)



(Marshmallows-or cotton balls-on a stick by the fire, anyone? Many stick, rocks, pinecones and berries were gathered up by Naomi's three brothers and brought as a love offering to their sisters so they would have sufficient camping materials)



(The night view with Liberty's lamp-$2-makes the whole ensemble authentic.)



(Too bad its blurry but here is some of the wicker furniture and latest dress Naomi has sewn, her sister Joy (5 yrs old) has an identical dress that she helped to make for her doll too.)

Music For the Spirit

So many of you let me know that you missed the music played here on the blog---unfortunately Sonic Songspot is no longer up and running---I am checking out different possibilities--but in the meantime I have put up some music in the lower left hand sidebar for you to enjoy--the same Canon In D Major by Pachelbel that once graced this blog before. The only catch is that you will have to manually click on it to hear it--which I suppose is a good thing since most of you turn down the volume while you are reading anyway. This clip also has beautiful pictures of Italy to go with it.



I will post it here too so you can see it in a wider screen, do let me know if there is any problems with it. I have also added 'For the Beauty of the Earth' underneath it on the sidebar as well, for those of you who read this blog further back and remembered and enjoyed that song for a different option.

Ahhhhhh....now that's more like it.