Proverbs 31:15-16 "She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard."
Last week we all adjusted our bedtime so that we can fit in some of that "ME" time that is so much needed. But what did you actually do with those extra hours or minutes that you had?
One thing I've noticed in my walk with Christ is that sometimes he can have the worse timing! I can't tell you how many times I've been praying over something and he will give me a dream and wake me up in the wee hours of the night. One time I recall in particular the Lord woke me up for two weeks straight at 4am every morning, wanting me to seek Him! I'd lay back down and try to fight Him on it, but he would make my spirit so restless I couldn't even lay in bed. I had to get up!! What is it about God and the morning? Why does he have to be such an early bird?!
It makes me think of the hymn "In the Garden" I'm not a hymn person by any means but this is one of my favorites!
"I walk in the Garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses.
And the voice I hear falling on my hear, the Son of God discloses.
He speaks, and the sound of His voice, is so sweet the birds hush their singing
But the melody that he gave to me, within my heart is singing."
That sums it up for me! In the morning, it's quiet the birds are singing, dew still on the ground everything is fresh and renewed. And that is the time for us to be fresh and new as well. This picture of "morning" reminds me of the first day after God created the earth and all that is in it. He looked around and said "it is good!"
There is nothing like waking up in the cool of the day and seeking the Lord first thing.
My husband has been in ministry since we first were married. We've been through a lot of things and seasons. I remember in the beginning when we were serving, we got so burnt out on being there so much, and giving so much. We never had the time to receive from the Lord ourselves! It became such a dry season for us. Until finally we were able to take that break and spent time with the Lord. Cause you see, You can't fill up an empty glass if the pitcher is empty as well! You can share your knowledge but what good is knowledge if it's not accompanied by the Holy Spirit? Even Satan knows the bible. How are you going to pour into those beautiful children of yours or friends, or family members if you are empty!
In our verse this week it says "She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls." This doesn't always have to be a PHYSICAL food, but it can be a spiritual food! In order to provide food it must be planned, prepared, mixed up, flavored, and baked in order to seal that flavor. Same with us. In order to provide others with spiritual food we must plan to get up early, prepare to study, let God mix it up in our hearts so we can be Salt & light, and then sprinkle and shine on everyone the rest of the day!
So Ladies your challenge this week is to Seek the LORD, ask him for a new and refreshing touch of his Spirit. Ask him to help you to pour into your family this week the things he is speaking to your heart!
Make sure to join us in the discussion forum on our facebook page and let me know what God did for you this week!
Also make sure to post a link to our facebook page on yours and invite friends to join...you never know whose marriage you might save!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Challenge #12 September 28-October 4, 2010
Proverbs 31:15-16: She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
Well here recently after having baby #4 I've noticed a huge change in my life especially. I have NO TIME TO BREATHE!! I'm on the go all day long! If one thing in my day gets off the entire day is a mess! I have NO TIME for phone calls, Internet, or reading anymore. And if I do decide to get on the phone, update some blogs or crack open a book...4 crying babies all the sudden emerge from nowhere needing immediate responses to the deadly misquote bites, hair pulling sister, or hunger pains. Life in our household is very active and loud at the moment!
Last week I actually was having a strange sleeping schedule. For some reason I couldn't sleep past 4:45am. So every morning last week I was up before the sun! It really became quite enjoyable! There are so many things I can get done in those 2 hours of peace and quiet! I got up and checked email, had some coffee, did my bible study, had some exercise, showered, and made breakfast all before the little ones became conscious! I actually had some ME time! It was amazing!! Only problem was by the time 6:00pm rolled around, I was so exhausted I couldn't even hardly eat my dinner so I had to start drinking Coffee after dinner! Even then it only got me to 10:00pm!
This week I somehow went back to normal, I get to bed before 11 and haven't woken up will 8-9:00am. And this week is a nightmare! I get up do school with the girls, then it's lunch time, then I feed the baby, then naps, then cleaning, then feed the baby, then ON AND ON all day and into the night... I haven't gotten hardly a second of that peace and quiet that I've become so fond of in the early mornings!
So your challenge for this week Ladies is to look at your sleep schedule and when you get up in the mornings and get up 30-60 minutes earlier this week then you normally do, or than your kids normally do. In order to be good successful wives and mothers, we have to have that time to hear from the Lord in the mornings, or take our shower, or have quiet coffee! We have to have time to just be ourselves and take care of us so we can be better caretakers of our families. If you had an extra 30-60 minutes a day with no kids...what could you do??
Prayers this week ladies as you fast your sleep for the good of your souls. Make sure you head over to the facebook page and participate in the discussion this week! We're slacking a bit over there! Also don't forget to invite your friends to join us you never know whose marriage you will save!
Hugs!!
Well here recently after having baby #4 I've noticed a huge change in my life especially. I have NO TIME TO BREATHE!! I'm on the go all day long! If one thing in my day gets off the entire day is a mess! I have NO TIME for phone calls, Internet, or reading anymore. And if I do decide to get on the phone, update some blogs or crack open a book...4 crying babies all the sudden emerge from nowhere needing immediate responses to the deadly misquote bites, hair pulling sister, or hunger pains. Life in our household is very active and loud at the moment!
Last week I actually was having a strange sleeping schedule. For some reason I couldn't sleep past 4:45am. So every morning last week I was up before the sun! It really became quite enjoyable! There are so many things I can get done in those 2 hours of peace and quiet! I got up and checked email, had some coffee, did my bible study, had some exercise, showered, and made breakfast all before the little ones became conscious! I actually had some ME time! It was amazing!! Only problem was by the time 6:00pm rolled around, I was so exhausted I couldn't even hardly eat my dinner so I had to start drinking Coffee after dinner! Even then it only got me to 10:00pm!
This week I somehow went back to normal, I get to bed before 11 and haven't woken up will 8-9:00am. And this week is a nightmare! I get up do school with the girls, then it's lunch time, then I feed the baby, then naps, then cleaning, then feed the baby, then ON AND ON all day and into the night... I haven't gotten hardly a second of that peace and quiet that I've become so fond of in the early mornings!
So your challenge for this week Ladies is to look at your sleep schedule and when you get up in the mornings and get up 30-60 minutes earlier this week then you normally do, or than your kids normally do. In order to be good successful wives and mothers, we have to have that time to hear from the Lord in the mornings, or take our shower, or have quiet coffee! We have to have time to just be ourselves and take care of us so we can be better caretakers of our families. If you had an extra 30-60 minutes a day with no kids...what could you do??
Prayers this week ladies as you fast your sleep for the good of your souls. Make sure you head over to the facebook page and participate in the discussion this week! We're slacking a bit over there! Also don't forget to invite your friends to join us you never know whose marriage you will save!
Hugs!!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Challenge #11 Sept 21-Sept 28, 2010
Proverbs 31:14 "She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar."
The last few weeks we've taken more of a spiritual take on this verse. This week I'm going to take more of a physical take.
When I think of this verse literally, I picture a woman, a mother, a wife. She wakes up while it's still dark out, showers, dresses and puts on her shoes for her long journey. She isn't tired, but excited. She isn't dreading her day, but energized for it! She heads out on her long journey across the fields, across the deserts, across the mountains until she comes to town. She examines every fruit, every veggie, and every piece of meat while carefully choosing only the best, freshest and leanest! If she cannot find what she is looking for, she continues on her journey until she does. She is wise about her findings, picky about what she takes back to her family, and practical about what is needed. Sometimes her hunt for the best can take an entire day, and sometimes it only takes hours.
I remember back in the day before I had 4 children. I could get up for work, work till 5, then head to the grocery store, post office, bank and 5 other places within an hour! Now, it is an ALL DAY affair!
I've had to get a little more picky about some foods since I've had children, less picky about others, and wise about the amount of money we are willing to spend in order to feed our family. I spend more time clipping coupons, and looking at sale papers and plotting out our journey to get our necessities than I do fixing my hair and putting on make up anymore!
I for one know how painful those long grocery store trips can be with little one's. I can honestly say that some of those trips have given me the privilege of knowing the pain Christ felt on his journey to Golgotha where he was crucified! Oh how many times I've been in a store with unruly children and I just want to crawl in a hole from all the piercing looks and screams, and sounds of broken spaghetti sauce on the ground. I just have to remind myself that Christ's journey was longer and his pain and suffering was far beyond what mine is when I go grocery shopping! At least I know he is there beside me the hole time and won't give me anymore than I can handle!
The last three-four weeks we've eaten take out for dinner almost EVERY day! Now we never went anywhere that we didn't have a coupon for, or where they weren't offering free kids meals and it was still at least 15-$20.00 per meal. I had a baby, 5 weeks ago and for the last three-four weeks I was still recovering and did not have the energy to make dinner! It became so much easier for me to just go grab something! Now here it is 5 weeks later and I feel greasy, and tired and just gross from all the fast food! My girls (while they love a good chicken nugget meal) are sensitive to certain foods making them hyper, unable to sleep, and just irritable depending on what they eat. So for the last three-four weeks, yes meals have been easier on ME, but they have been harder on everything and everyone else! We've spent over 250.00 a week on eating out, that is 600.00 more a month that we normally spend! My children have been in a lot of trouble for not obeying, and not going to bed. They've been up some nights till 11:00pm, 12:00pm and sometimes 1:00am.
Life for us is so much better when we take that 1 day a week journey to the grocery store and run all our errands and be done with it! Sure we start at 10:00 in the morning loading up all 4 kids, and we don't get home until after 8:00pm, but the rest of the week my girls are not in trouble, and go to bed when they are suppose to! Not to mention we have a lot more money to use for other things!
I believe what God is trying to tell us here is that even though things are more convenient, doesn't make them better for us! We can't be selfish because we don't feel like standing in the kitchen for 30 minutes whipping up some mac & cheese and hot dogs for our family if it will save us a $20.00 per meal! (I'm so guilty of this!) If we need to take that extra hour or two a week and clip coupons, look them up online and print some off in order to save some extra money for our family and be good stewards of our money that God has trusted us with, so be it! What ever length you have to go to, to bring the best to your family, it will be totally worth it in the end! And even now days there are so many resources online to help with these little things. (I'll list my favorites at the end.)
So ladies, your challenge this week is to make an action plan. Do you need to order sunday papers to get coupons? Do you need to shop once a week, once every 2 weeks, or once a month even?(LOVE freezer cooking!!) Do you need to do a monthly meal plan and shopping list and stick to it? Whatever it is that you need to do in order to eat better, and save some money lets do it this week! Head over to the discussion forum on the facebook page and share some meal plans, recipes, or coupon tips!
~Hugs and prayers this week!
***Check out these websites***
http://www.thegrocerygame.com/con__WhatIsTheGroceryGame.cfm
http://www.couponmom.com/
http://e-mealz.com/
http://www.menus4moms.com
http://organizedhome.com/freezer-cooking/freezer-cookbook-recipes
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2008-07-03T16%3A21%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=7
http://www.redplum.com
http://www.cincysavers.com/
The last few weeks we've taken more of a spiritual take on this verse. This week I'm going to take more of a physical take.
When I think of this verse literally, I picture a woman, a mother, a wife. She wakes up while it's still dark out, showers, dresses and puts on her shoes for her long journey. She isn't tired, but excited. She isn't dreading her day, but energized for it! She heads out on her long journey across the fields, across the deserts, across the mountains until she comes to town. She examines every fruit, every veggie, and every piece of meat while carefully choosing only the best, freshest and leanest! If she cannot find what she is looking for, she continues on her journey until she does. She is wise about her findings, picky about what she takes back to her family, and practical about what is needed. Sometimes her hunt for the best can take an entire day, and sometimes it only takes hours.
I remember back in the day before I had 4 children. I could get up for work, work till 5, then head to the grocery store, post office, bank and 5 other places within an hour! Now, it is an ALL DAY affair!
I've had to get a little more picky about some foods since I've had children, less picky about others, and wise about the amount of money we are willing to spend in order to feed our family. I spend more time clipping coupons, and looking at sale papers and plotting out our journey to get our necessities than I do fixing my hair and putting on make up anymore!
I for one know how painful those long grocery store trips can be with little one's. I can honestly say that some of those trips have given me the privilege of knowing the pain Christ felt on his journey to Golgotha where he was crucified! Oh how many times I've been in a store with unruly children and I just want to crawl in a hole from all the piercing looks and screams, and sounds of broken spaghetti sauce on the ground. I just have to remind myself that Christ's journey was longer and his pain and suffering was far beyond what mine is when I go grocery shopping! At least I know he is there beside me the hole time and won't give me anymore than I can handle!
The last three-four weeks we've eaten take out for dinner almost EVERY day! Now we never went anywhere that we didn't have a coupon for, or where they weren't offering free kids meals and it was still at least 15-$20.00 per meal. I had a baby, 5 weeks ago and for the last three-four weeks I was still recovering and did not have the energy to make dinner! It became so much easier for me to just go grab something! Now here it is 5 weeks later and I feel greasy, and tired and just gross from all the fast food! My girls (while they love a good chicken nugget meal) are sensitive to certain foods making them hyper, unable to sleep, and just irritable depending on what they eat. So for the last three-four weeks, yes meals have been easier on ME, but they have been harder on everything and everyone else! We've spent over 250.00 a week on eating out, that is 600.00 more a month that we normally spend! My children have been in a lot of trouble for not obeying, and not going to bed. They've been up some nights till 11:00pm, 12:00pm and sometimes 1:00am.
Life for us is so much better when we take that 1 day a week journey to the grocery store and run all our errands and be done with it! Sure we start at 10:00 in the morning loading up all 4 kids, and we don't get home until after 8:00pm, but the rest of the week my girls are not in trouble, and go to bed when they are suppose to! Not to mention we have a lot more money to use for other things!
I believe what God is trying to tell us here is that even though things are more convenient, doesn't make them better for us! We can't be selfish because we don't feel like standing in the kitchen for 30 minutes whipping up some mac & cheese and hot dogs for our family if it will save us a $20.00 per meal! (I'm so guilty of this!) If we need to take that extra hour or two a week and clip coupons, look them up online and print some off in order to save some extra money for our family and be good stewards of our money that God has trusted us with, so be it! What ever length you have to go to, to bring the best to your family, it will be totally worth it in the end! And even now days there are so many resources online to help with these little things. (I'll list my favorites at the end.)
So ladies, your challenge this week is to make an action plan. Do you need to order sunday papers to get coupons? Do you need to shop once a week, once every 2 weeks, or once a month even?(LOVE freezer cooking!!) Do you need to do a monthly meal plan and shopping list and stick to it? Whatever it is that you need to do in order to eat better, and save some money lets do it this week! Head over to the discussion forum on the facebook page and share some meal plans, recipes, or coupon tips!
~Hugs and prayers this week!
***Check out these websites***
http://www.thegrocerygame.com/con__WhatIsTheGroceryGame.cfm
http://www.couponmom.com/
http://e-mealz.com/
http://www.menus4moms.com
http://organizedhome.com/freezer-cooking/freezer-cookbook-recipes
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2008-07-03T16%3A21%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=7
http://www.redplum.com
http://www.cincysavers.com/
Monday, September 13, 2010
Challenge #10 September 14-20, 2010
Proverbs 31:14 "She is like the merchant ship, bringing her food from afar.
It's so good to be back ladies! I'm so excited to start back with the challenges this month after a 4 week break! I hope everyone is rested up and ready to get back in this and give it their all again! My husband and I have been blessed with a beautiful 6lb 2oz baby girl, she is such a blessing to our lives and fits in with our family just perfectly! I couldn't be happier!
The last few days as I've been praying over this next challenge and what direction the Lord wants me to go with it. God brought to my mind a sermon my husband gave a long time ago called "Living Water-Ride it out." I always love listening to my husband preach/teach. He is so gifted and anointed and has so much wisdom and knowledge to share! So anyways I remembered we had a recording of it so I've spent most of my night trying to convert an MP3 file into a movie file, and load it onto facebook. It took some searching for free software and googleing to find out how the heck to do that but I think I finally have something! So I'm going to be quiet now and let you listen to him this week (I'll throw in my two cents after he is finished.)
I've broken his sermon into three parts. The first is about 5 minutes, then there is a media clip 2nd and then the rest of it is 3rd. Turn up your speakers and enjoy!!!
Oh goodness that clip gets to me everytime! Proverbs 31:14 "She is like the merchant ship, bringing her food from afar. As we talked about in our previous challenge, Merchant ships take a long time to get from point A to point B. They carry TONS of weight, but also have a weight limit cause too much weight will put the ship under. The Ship moves slow and when out to sea like that can come in contact with high waves, hurricanes, bad storms, pirates! But no matter what the ship goes through it will get to point B!
I'm not sure who this post is for because it's not EXACTLY what I wanted to write but it's what God gave me this week so I know it's for someone out there! Keep your eye on point B, give it over to God and "DON'T QUIT", cause God wants "EVERYTHING YOU GOT" and and when you "don't have anymore" he is going to be right there to pull you the rest of the way through!
I can't tell you how many times I've gotten on my knees and cried out "LORD it hurts and it burns, and is so heavy!! Lord I'm out of strength, it's too hard, I can't do it!!" And now I know why God never takes the blindfold off so I can see the whole picture, because if he did and I saw how much farther I had to go, I would quit! But when it's over and I turn around and see how far I've come, It's so worth it and I know that next time I might be able to even go a little further!
Matthew 11:28 says "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest"
So your challenge this week is to face those storms head on, and keep focused on getting from point A to point B while calling out to God! Not complaining, not crying and no QUITTING!! What is your storm this week? How have you been dealing with it so far and what can you do different? I want you this week to step out of your comfort zone and let me know how I can pray for you in your storm. You can message me, or post it in the discussion forum on the facebook page.
Prayers this week as we get back into our challenges!
Lots of Love!
It's so good to be back ladies! I'm so excited to start back with the challenges this month after a 4 week break! I hope everyone is rested up and ready to get back in this and give it their all again! My husband and I have been blessed with a beautiful 6lb 2oz baby girl, she is such a blessing to our lives and fits in with our family just perfectly! I couldn't be happier!
The last few days as I've been praying over this next challenge and what direction the Lord wants me to go with it. God brought to my mind a sermon my husband gave a long time ago called "Living Water-Ride it out." I always love listening to my husband preach/teach. He is so gifted and anointed and has so much wisdom and knowledge to share! So anyways I remembered we had a recording of it so I've spent most of my night trying to convert an MP3 file into a movie file, and load it onto facebook. It took some searching for free software and googleing to find out how the heck to do that but I think I finally have something! So I'm going to be quiet now and let you listen to him this week (I'll throw in my two cents after he is finished.)
I've broken his sermon into three parts. The first is about 5 minutes, then there is a media clip 2nd and then the rest of it is 3rd. Turn up your speakers and enjoy!!!
Oh goodness that clip gets to me everytime! Proverbs 31:14 "She is like the merchant ship, bringing her food from afar. As we talked about in our previous challenge, Merchant ships take a long time to get from point A to point B. They carry TONS of weight, but also have a weight limit cause too much weight will put the ship under. The Ship moves slow and when out to sea like that can come in contact with high waves, hurricanes, bad storms, pirates! But no matter what the ship goes through it will get to point B!
I'm not sure who this post is for because it's not EXACTLY what I wanted to write but it's what God gave me this week so I know it's for someone out there! Keep your eye on point B, give it over to God and "DON'T QUIT", cause God wants "EVERYTHING YOU GOT" and and when you "don't have anymore" he is going to be right there to pull you the rest of the way through!
I can't tell you how many times I've gotten on my knees and cried out "LORD it hurts and it burns, and is so heavy!! Lord I'm out of strength, it's too hard, I can't do it!!" And now I know why God never takes the blindfold off so I can see the whole picture, because if he did and I saw how much farther I had to go, I would quit! But when it's over and I turn around and see how far I've come, It's so worth it and I know that next time I might be able to even go a little further!
Matthew 11:28 says "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest"
So your challenge this week is to face those storms head on, and keep focused on getting from point A to point B while calling out to God! Not complaining, not crying and no QUITTING!! What is your storm this week? How have you been dealing with it so far and what can you do different? I want you this week to step out of your comfort zone and let me know how I can pray for you in your storm. You can message me, or post it in the discussion forum on the facebook page.
Prayers this week as we get back into our challenges!
Lots of Love!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Challenge #9 July 30-August 5, 2010
So for the month of August we are moving onto verse 14.Proverbs 31:14 She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.
One thing my husband and I have discussed in the last few months is how much we have begun to dislike living in the state of Virginia. I'm not sure if it's just the area we are in or if it's the entire state, but it seems like it is just such a fast paced area!
People around here are so busy all the time! At one time in our lives, we were so busy and on the go so much, that we only had time to stop by the house to drop things off and grab something else. That life got old fast! People here are so busy that I have to make an appointment to call them! Most of my conversations with people end up like this:
"we should get together sometime!" Other person, "yeah that would be great!" me "okay well when is a good time to call you to set up a play date?"
Haha, have you ever heard of such?! Scheduling an appointment to call and schedule an appointment, that is just crazy!
In verse 14 it talks about being like the merchant ship. A Merchant ship is very large, it can hold a lot, but is very slow to get to where it needs to go! However this method is used and even preferred over using a plane because it takes less energy and can hold so much more than a plane. Sometimes it's better to slow down and take your time instead of being so busy and going, going, going all over the place.
One thing I've implemented in the last year in my life is doing all my errands in 1 day, and only being gone from home, 1 day a week! When I'm away from home so often and I get so busy with life, it's so hard to enjoy it! I find myself trying to keep up with my home, cooking, bills, and other things instead of being able to spend time with my family, and have a relaxing evening with my husband.
Just this week I've been in such a nesting mode to get the house organized for baby #4 to make her appearance. Before my house would be cleaned but I'd let my bedroom go for weeks, or it would be cleaned but cluttered, or cleaned but disorganized. Whatever the state of our home, I never felt that I could just sit down at night and play a game with my husband or pull out my scrapbook stuff and go at it, because I either had so much on my mind that needed done and couldn't concentrate without getting stressed. Or maybe I just felt guilty for having ME time when I didn't have my house in the order I wanted it! But this last week I've gone through every drawer, every space, every nook & cranny of our home and organized, got rid of things and got our home in the order that I want it! I can't tell you what a huge difference it has made in our moods, and in how de-stressed I feel in the evenings! I feel like I can actually do other things that I like, or that my husband likes, and I actually feel great about our home!
Would I have been able to do this when my life was chaos and I was on the run all the time...NO WAY! And I didn't either, nor did I spend quality time with my husband without having a million things on my mind!
So this week ladies, lets take a breath, slow down, take our time and get that long list of things done that we've wanted to do for a long time!! Faster is not always better. Re-evaluate your schedules and move as much to 1-2 days as you can instead of being gone away from your home so much. You will be surprised at how much less stressed you are when you slow down your life a little and become more efficient. No husband wants to come home to a stressed, chaotic woman after a hard day at work and become even more stressed himself. Your time with your husband should be completely about you and him! Take time to get to know each other again this week, instead just riding in the car to the next errand together. Take 10 minutes every day and have "couch time" with your husband when he gets home NO MATTER WHAT! Send the kids to their rooms to play and let him talk about his day, with your undivided attention! Remember slow and steady wins the race!
Make sure to head over to the discussion tab on the facebook page and let us know how you are doing this week
Please continue to help us grow this ministry! If you place a link to the The Modern Proverbs 31 Wife on your facebook page you will receive three entries into our end of the month drawing, just post on the facebook wall and let me know you've done it. You never know whose marriage you will save just by posting a link!
One thing my husband and I have discussed in the last few months is how much we have begun to dislike living in the state of Virginia. I'm not sure if it's just the area we are in or if it's the entire state, but it seems like it is just such a fast paced area!
People around here are so busy all the time! At one time in our lives, we were so busy and on the go so much, that we only had time to stop by the house to drop things off and grab something else. That life got old fast! People here are so busy that I have to make an appointment to call them! Most of my conversations with people end up like this:
"we should get together sometime!" Other person, "yeah that would be great!" me "okay well when is a good time to call you to set up a play date?"
Haha, have you ever heard of such?! Scheduling an appointment to call and schedule an appointment, that is just crazy!
In verse 14 it talks about being like the merchant ship. A Merchant ship is very large, it can hold a lot, but is very slow to get to where it needs to go! However this method is used and even preferred over using a plane because it takes less energy and can hold so much more than a plane. Sometimes it's better to slow down and take your time instead of being so busy and going, going, going all over the place.
One thing I've implemented in the last year in my life is doing all my errands in 1 day, and only being gone from home, 1 day a week! When I'm away from home so often and I get so busy with life, it's so hard to enjoy it! I find myself trying to keep up with my home, cooking, bills, and other things instead of being able to spend time with my family, and have a relaxing evening with my husband.
Just this week I've been in such a nesting mode to get the house organized for baby #4 to make her appearance. Before my house would be cleaned but I'd let my bedroom go for weeks, or it would be cleaned but cluttered, or cleaned but disorganized. Whatever the state of our home, I never felt that I could just sit down at night and play a game with my husband or pull out my scrapbook stuff and go at it, because I either had so much on my mind that needed done and couldn't concentrate without getting stressed. Or maybe I just felt guilty for having ME time when I didn't have my house in the order I wanted it! But this last week I've gone through every drawer, every space, every nook & cranny of our home and organized, got rid of things and got our home in the order that I want it! I can't tell you what a huge difference it has made in our moods, and in how de-stressed I feel in the evenings! I feel like I can actually do other things that I like, or that my husband likes, and I actually feel great about our home!
Would I have been able to do this when my life was chaos and I was on the run all the time...NO WAY! And I didn't either, nor did I spend quality time with my husband without having a million things on my mind!
So this week ladies, lets take a breath, slow down, take our time and get that long list of things done that we've wanted to do for a long time!! Faster is not always better. Re-evaluate your schedules and move as much to 1-2 days as you can instead of being gone away from your home so much. You will be surprised at how much less stressed you are when you slow down your life a little and become more efficient. No husband wants to come home to a stressed, chaotic woman after a hard day at work and become even more stressed himself. Your time with your husband should be completely about you and him! Take time to get to know each other again this week, instead just riding in the car to the next errand together. Take 10 minutes every day and have "couch time" with your husband when he gets home NO MATTER WHAT! Send the kids to their rooms to play and let him talk about his day, with your undivided attention! Remember slow and steady wins the race!
Make sure to head over to the discussion tab on the facebook page and let us know how you are doing this week
Please continue to help us grow this ministry! If you place a link to the The Modern Proverbs 31 Wife on your facebook page you will receive three entries into our end of the month drawing, just post on the facebook wall and let me know you've done it. You never know whose marriage you will save just by posting a link!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Challenge #8 July 22-28, 2010
Prov 31:13 "She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands"
**Hello ladies, first of all just a note to let you know I am now 32.5 weeks along with baby #4 and will probably start getting a little behind on my postings until after the baby comes with all I need to do to get ready for her, so please be patient. But also please be eager to get to the next challenge! Just cause they are late does not mean they aren't coming!!
Last week we talked about protecting the hearts of our families through the things we watch, say, or bring into our home. This week we're going to talk about "Selecting the Best for our family" which goes right along with last week!
But this week, we are going to dig a little deeper into our hearts! We're going to examine our own hearts for selfishness.
This subject has been on my mind all week long! I've come in contact with so many people around me who want to make good selections for their families, but when it comes down to it, are not capable of putting their own wants and desires aside to make the best choices for their families.
When I think of this verse in Prov. 31:13, I picture a wife sitting down at a table looking through mounds of fabric. She picks out pieces that are pleasing and beautiful to her, however, her selection is for her husband and his taste is much different. So the wife puts aside her picks, and tries to pick the BEST materials that she thinks her husband would like!
If she had picked out a material that she would want him to wear, or she thought would look better on him even though he did not care for that material, I'm sure her husband would not have been very happy.
We all have our preference on how we want to run our households as a wife or mother. However, sometimes our preference isn't always BEST for our husband or our children.
I remember when my husband and I were about to get married, we were planning our honeymoon for two weeks in Cancun. I was totally excited to get new outfits. I ordered myself some tropical looking dresses and thought he should match me! So I also found him a few tropical beach shirts. Only really thinking of myself and how cute I thought we'd look together as newlyweds, I didn't really take into consideration his style. So when the shirts came in, he was very nice about it. He told me he would wear them cause they would be cooler on the beach, but that he probably wouldn't ever wear them again, and he hasn't!
That is just a small example of putting our own desires or preferences before others in our families. There are so many other ways we as women, mothers, and wives tend to do this daily.
So this week your challenge is to examine your heart with every selection, decision you make. Pray over your choice, make sure it isn't coming with selfish motives but with the BEST interest of your children and husband in mind. This can be anything from what type of dinner you make this week, does your schedule accommodate you or your husband and children, do you only clean when it's convenient for you, do you spend time with your kids besides TV? This can go all the way back to our last weeks challenge with what we watch, listen to or people we hang out with. Are we selecting the BEST most beautiful things for our families or are we selecting them according to our own desires?
Praying for you all this week, examining your own hearts can get pretty messy and ugly sometimes so hang in there and keep with it!
Remember from now till the end of the month you will be entered into the drawing to win the book "Captivating" by John & Stasi Eldredge by replying to discussion forums and even posting on the Facebook wall. Make sure you share this ministry with your friends, you never know whose marriage it will save!
**Hello ladies, first of all just a note to let you know I am now 32.5 weeks along with baby #4 and will probably start getting a little behind on my postings until after the baby comes with all I need to do to get ready for her, so please be patient. But also please be eager to get to the next challenge! Just cause they are late does not mean they aren't coming!!
Last week we talked about protecting the hearts of our families through the things we watch, say, or bring into our home. This week we're going to talk about "Selecting the Best for our family" which goes right along with last week!
But this week, we are going to dig a little deeper into our hearts! We're going to examine our own hearts for selfishness.
This subject has been on my mind all week long! I've come in contact with so many people around me who want to make good selections for their families, but when it comes down to it, are not capable of putting their own wants and desires aside to make the best choices for their families.
When I think of this verse in Prov. 31:13, I picture a wife sitting down at a table looking through mounds of fabric. She picks out pieces that are pleasing and beautiful to her, however, her selection is for her husband and his taste is much different. So the wife puts aside her picks, and tries to pick the BEST materials that she thinks her husband would like!
If she had picked out a material that she would want him to wear, or she thought would look better on him even though he did not care for that material, I'm sure her husband would not have been very happy.
We all have our preference on how we want to run our households as a wife or mother. However, sometimes our preference isn't always BEST for our husband or our children.
I remember when my husband and I were about to get married, we were planning our honeymoon for two weeks in Cancun. I was totally excited to get new outfits. I ordered myself some tropical looking dresses and thought he should match me! So I also found him a few tropical beach shirts. Only really thinking of myself and how cute I thought we'd look together as newlyweds, I didn't really take into consideration his style. So when the shirts came in, he was very nice about it. He told me he would wear them cause they would be cooler on the beach, but that he probably wouldn't ever wear them again, and he hasn't!
That is just a small example of putting our own desires or preferences before others in our families. There are so many other ways we as women, mothers, and wives tend to do this daily.
So this week your challenge is to examine your heart with every selection, decision you make. Pray over your choice, make sure it isn't coming with selfish motives but with the BEST interest of your children and husband in mind. This can be anything from what type of dinner you make this week, does your schedule accommodate you or your husband and children, do you only clean when it's convenient for you, do you spend time with your kids besides TV? This can go all the way back to our last weeks challenge with what we watch, listen to or people we hang out with. Are we selecting the BEST most beautiful things for our families or are we selecting them according to our own desires?
Praying for you all this week, examining your own hearts can get pretty messy and ugly sometimes so hang in there and keep with it!
Remember from now till the end of the month you will be entered into the drawing to win the book "Captivating" by John & Stasi Eldredge by replying to discussion forums and even posting on the Facebook wall. Make sure you share this ministry with your friends, you never know whose marriage it will save!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Challenge#7 July 15-July 21, 2010
Proverbs 31:13 "She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands."
Do you ever just want to run around the house with no clothes on when you're the only one home? Sounds freeing right? Would you ever decide to stand in the kitchen and cook without clothes on? I know I wouldn't! Why? I'd be afraid of what I might catch on fire! LOL. We wear clothes for protection of our bodies, for modesty, for many different reasons!
The first outfits were made by God to protect and cover Adam and Eve after the fall of man. Genesis 3:11 "And he said, "who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from? Genesis 3:21-22 "The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. And the Lord God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil...."
Before the fall of man, we had no knowledge of Good and Evil. Unfortunately, today we are all BORN naked with a sinful nature. I never taught my 4 year old to lie, or to steal toys from her sisters, or to be disrespectful to her Mom & Dad; she did these things naturally! But I do have to teach her that they are wrong, that she should share, not to lie, and not tell Mommy & Daddy NO! I call this "clothing their hearts."
There are so many meanings for the word "Naked;" I wanted to share a few of my favorite (***):
1. Without clothing or covering
2. Bare or stripped
3. without protection***
4. defenseless, unprotected, exposed***
When Adam and Eve realized they were naked in the garden of Eden, they hid from God, their best and only friend, their Father, the only person who could have helped them in the situation. They felt the shame of the sin that they committed. Then, (does this sound familiar) God asked them, "WHY did you disobey me when I told you NOT to do this? Because you disobeyed you will have to be punished." And then God forgave them and made garments for them to cover their nakedness.
That reminds me so much of when I discipline my children; my first question is WHY did you do this?! Then I always go on to the discipline, and punishment; afterward we hug and kiss, and then they are corrected, or I guess you can say that I clothe their hearts from sin by correcting the problem and telling them how this can be avoided next time.
When we clothe our children and husbands' hearts, we cover up their nakedness, and protect their hearts from sin, shame, and destruction. So many times it's the small things that leave our children/husbands' hearts exposed. Things like: what we watch, what we listen to, what we say around them.
When my husband and I were dating in the VERY beginning, years ago, I remember one time being in a Blockbuster looking for a movie to rent. Along comes another girl. Her belly was hanging out, short shorts, low cut top, you get the picture. I watched him fix his eyes on her and watch her walk across the room. Now to be fair, I even watched her because, really, you couldn't not stare at her with what she was wearing! But, him watching her, if we were married at the time, could have opened up a WHOLE load of problems for our marriage.
On television now days, anything goes- even on the "family" programs! It's important as the wife, the heart of the family, and the one who "clothes" the hearts of your family, to set standards for these type of things. For our family, I have to say my husband was actually the one who set the standards in this area. Once we were married he has always been VERY respectful of me and what he watches. He always makes sure to check and see what something is rated, and rarely ever watches something rated R. If something pops up unexpectedly, he will turn his head or fast forward it; in several cases, he has just turned it off the show completely. I've never had to ask him once to do this; he just does because he knows how important it is to me that he be shame free, and protected from the bigger things that the little things can lead to.
As the wife, we might not be able to control everything our husbands want to watch. However, we can control what we watch. I don't know how many times in the past I've watched some shows like Grey's or Desperate Housewives and they always start out clean and then you get hooked. Then they throw in some homosexuality, premarital sex, you name it- and because you're hooked already it's hard to turn it off! My husband will sit and watch them with me at times and up pops a half naked woman! By limiting what we watch as the wife, even if our husbands decides to watch things on their own that we don't agree with, it will still clothe and protect their hearts. Then you can walk away knowing you've made the right choice for your family. My husband has said before "if it's not good enough for our kids to watch it, then why would it be good enough for us to watch?"
It is the same with our children, how many times have we turned on a cartoon and just sat them in front of it without REALLY knowing what they are watching?! I did this when my 4 year old was younger. I wasn't familiar with all the new cartoons when I first became a mom, and assumed they were all okay for her. So, I'd turn on NICK, sit her in front of Spongebob or whatever was on, and go clean my house! Until one day, I sat with her, and actually watched it! It was a funny cartoon, but Spongebob was lying and cheating!! If he were real, he would not exactly be someone I would want my children to learn character traits from!
Ephesians 4:27 "And do not give the devil a foothold." If you were walking across the room and someone grabbed you by the foot, you wouldn't just lose your balance, your entire body would fall crashing to the ground! From that small hold that someone could get on your foot, it could effect your entire body! From that one naked woman, or small temptation your husband watches on a show you turn on, it could effect your entire marriage. From that one lie that your child sees on a cartoon and thinks is funny, it could effect them the rest of their lives!
Our challenge this week is to observe your family. Take a closer look at what you are bringing into your home: games, movies, music, gossip, anger, even people etc. Figure out how you can clothe your family's hearts, or protect their hearts, from these things. If you've never paid attention to what your kids are watching during the day, sit with them one day this week, all day, and find out! What in your life can you protect your family from that could be destructive to their hearts? You will be amazed at the impact these things have on your family.
Just this week, I decided to really crack down on what my kids were watching. I have felt recently we've been a little less strict on the cartoons, and I've been having the worst few weeks behavior-wise with them. So, this week they have gotten MAYBE 1 hour of TV and it has been a Veggie Tale, a Bible DVD, or something about God. Already, in these few short days, it has made a HUGE difference in their character!
I'm praying for wisdom for you all this week; I know it can be hard to give up things that you've done/watched/listened to for so long, but it will be totally worth it in the end! Love you all!
Make sure to head over to the discussion tab on the facebook page and let us know what you've observed about your family this week!
Please continue to help us grow this ministry! For the month of July if you place a link to the The Modern Proverbs 31 Wife on your facebook page you will receive three entries into our end of the month drawing to receive the book "CAPTIVATING" by Stasi & John Eldredge! You never know whose marriage you will save just by posting a link!
God Bless!
Do you ever just want to run around the house with no clothes on when you're the only one home? Sounds freeing right? Would you ever decide to stand in the kitchen and cook without clothes on? I know I wouldn't! Why? I'd be afraid of what I might catch on fire! LOL. We wear clothes for protection of our bodies, for modesty, for many different reasons!
The first outfits were made by God to protect and cover Adam and Eve after the fall of man. Genesis 3:11 "And he said, "who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from? Genesis 3:21-22 "The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. And the Lord God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil...."
Before the fall of man, we had no knowledge of Good and Evil. Unfortunately, today we are all BORN naked with a sinful nature. I never taught my 4 year old to lie, or to steal toys from her sisters, or to be disrespectful to her Mom & Dad; she did these things naturally! But I do have to teach her that they are wrong, that she should share, not to lie, and not tell Mommy & Daddy NO! I call this "clothing their hearts."
There are so many meanings for the word "Naked;" I wanted to share a few of my favorite (***):
1. Without clothing or covering
2. Bare or stripped
3. without protection***
4. defenseless, unprotected, exposed***
When Adam and Eve realized they were naked in the garden of Eden, they hid from God, their best and only friend, their Father, the only person who could have helped them in the situation. They felt the shame of the sin that they committed. Then, (does this sound familiar) God asked them, "WHY did you disobey me when I told you NOT to do this? Because you disobeyed you will have to be punished." And then God forgave them and made garments for them to cover their nakedness.
That reminds me so much of when I discipline my children; my first question is WHY did you do this?! Then I always go on to the discipline, and punishment; afterward we hug and kiss, and then they are corrected, or I guess you can say that I clothe their hearts from sin by correcting the problem and telling them how this can be avoided next time.
When we clothe our children and husbands' hearts, we cover up their nakedness, and protect their hearts from sin, shame, and destruction. So many times it's the small things that leave our children/husbands' hearts exposed. Things like: what we watch, what we listen to, what we say around them.
When my husband and I were dating in the VERY beginning, years ago, I remember one time being in a Blockbuster looking for a movie to rent. Along comes another girl. Her belly was hanging out, short shorts, low cut top, you get the picture. I watched him fix his eyes on her and watch her walk across the room. Now to be fair, I even watched her because, really, you couldn't not stare at her with what she was wearing! But, him watching her, if we were married at the time, could have opened up a WHOLE load of problems for our marriage.
On television now days, anything goes- even on the "family" programs! It's important as the wife, the heart of the family, and the one who "clothes" the hearts of your family, to set standards for these type of things. For our family, I have to say my husband was actually the one who set the standards in this area. Once we were married he has always been VERY respectful of me and what he watches. He always makes sure to check and see what something is rated, and rarely ever watches something rated R. If something pops up unexpectedly, he will turn his head or fast forward it; in several cases, he has just turned it off the show completely. I've never had to ask him once to do this; he just does because he knows how important it is to me that he be shame free, and protected from the bigger things that the little things can lead to.
As the wife, we might not be able to control everything our husbands want to watch. However, we can control what we watch. I don't know how many times in the past I've watched some shows like Grey's or Desperate Housewives and they always start out clean and then you get hooked. Then they throw in some homosexuality, premarital sex, you name it- and because you're hooked already it's hard to turn it off! My husband will sit and watch them with me at times and up pops a half naked woman! By limiting what we watch as the wife, even if our husbands decides to watch things on their own that we don't agree with, it will still clothe and protect their hearts. Then you can walk away knowing you've made the right choice for your family. My husband has said before "if it's not good enough for our kids to watch it, then why would it be good enough for us to watch?"
It is the same with our children, how many times have we turned on a cartoon and just sat them in front of it without REALLY knowing what they are watching?! I did this when my 4 year old was younger. I wasn't familiar with all the new cartoons when I first became a mom, and assumed they were all okay for her. So, I'd turn on NICK, sit her in front of Spongebob or whatever was on, and go clean my house! Until one day, I sat with her, and actually watched it! It was a funny cartoon, but Spongebob was lying and cheating!! If he were real, he would not exactly be someone I would want my children to learn character traits from!
Ephesians 4:27 "And do not give the devil a foothold." If you were walking across the room and someone grabbed you by the foot, you wouldn't just lose your balance, your entire body would fall crashing to the ground! From that small hold that someone could get on your foot, it could effect your entire body! From that one naked woman, or small temptation your husband watches on a show you turn on, it could effect your entire marriage. From that one lie that your child sees on a cartoon and thinks is funny, it could effect them the rest of their lives!
Our challenge this week is to observe your family. Take a closer look at what you are bringing into your home: games, movies, music, gossip, anger, even people etc. Figure out how you can clothe your family's hearts, or protect their hearts, from these things. If you've never paid attention to what your kids are watching during the day, sit with them one day this week, all day, and find out! What in your life can you protect your family from that could be destructive to their hearts? You will be amazed at the impact these things have on your family.
Just this week, I decided to really crack down on what my kids were watching. I have felt recently we've been a little less strict on the cartoons, and I've been having the worst few weeks behavior-wise with them. So, this week they have gotten MAYBE 1 hour of TV and it has been a Veggie Tale, a Bible DVD, or something about God. Already, in these few short days, it has made a HUGE difference in their character!
I'm praying for wisdom for you all this week; I know it can be hard to give up things that you've done/watched/listened to for so long, but it will be totally worth it in the end! Love you all!
Make sure to head over to the discussion tab on the facebook page and let us know what you've observed about your family this week!
Please continue to help us grow this ministry! For the month of July if you place a link to the The Modern Proverbs 31 Wife on your facebook page you will receive three entries into our end of the month drawing to receive the book "CAPTIVATING" by Stasi & John Eldredge! You never know whose marriage you will save just by posting a link!
God Bless!
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