Pondering Easter

My daughter has been doing an online devotional with some of her friends. They take turns creating a weekly email devotion and I thought that I would pass on to you some of her insights on Christ's death and resurrection. A great reminder to us all as we celebrate Easter.

Christ's death and crucifixion. Luke 23:26-49

In this passage it talks about Christ's death and the pain he went through for us. If you can imagine all he went through for his sinful people that he was faithful to for so many years, well it's unbelievable!! Jesus was God (and He still was on earth) and He came down to this sinful wicked world to walk and talk with His people. He loved the people so much he died on a cross for their sins. He was sinless and yet he took on all of our sins on that cross so we can live forever with him in heaven. Imagine having everything and coming to sacrifice yourself for these people who rejected you and some who hate you. Even God the Father rejected His son when he was on the cross because he contained all the sins of His people. He sacrificed so much for us!

Here are some questions you can answer in an e-mail and in your journal:

• Can you think of anything you would die for like Jesus died for us?
• When you think of the pain Christ went through for you how do you feel?
• Do you feel free to give Christ all your burdens of sin to hang on that cross?
• Christ died for you, are you willing to die for him?

Luke 24:1-12.

One word describes this passage perfectly!!!! AMAZING!!!!! He is risen guys!!!! The Lord Jesus Christ was under the curse of death for only a few days before He was alive again!!! This story is so amazing. I just read the passage and do you know what I just realized? Before Christ died He told His disciples He would die and then raise from the dead. But those disciples didn't believe Him!!!!! After He was raised from the dead the woman told them what the angel said but Christ's best friends didn't believe it!!! They didn't remember what their teacher said!!! They forgot about how He mentioned rising from the dead!!!! But Jesus still loved them. Even if His chosen ones give up on Him, there is no way He'll give up on us. We might doubt Him, but every word of the Bible is the truth!!!! No matter what we do, if we're a Christian we'll never be taken out of His hands! His love is so amazing!!!

Happy Easter

Back to the Bible

The new year is here which means a time for new resolutions and goals, or perhaps reviving a few of the old ones from last year!

Both of my lil' cubs declared to me the other day that their new year's resolution was to have devotions more often, maybe even reading through the Bible in the year. So we discussed how they might accomplish such a task.

I told them that I too had resolved to be more diligent with my daily devotions, already beginning to work through a one year book given to me for my birthday. They were surprised, and responded, "But you already do devotions with Daddy every night." I reminded them that it is still important to read the Bible and pray on my own as well and that was something I felt I needed to get back to doing more regularly.

The whole conversation was a really good reminder to me about how much our little cubs notice without us telling them - like our daily evening devotions. And that through church, school and our guiding they have a personal desire to read the Scriptures on their own. What a delight to our ears!

All this was to preface the fact that it was high time I revived our Monday Morning Memory Verse! Since reading the Bible and committing God's word to memory is a vital tool in our spiritual belt then we best get back to it. To see what the Proverbs 31 wife has been up to check out some of the previous posts here.

The next verse is:

Proverbs 31:20 - She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.

This one is pretty self explanatory, but a good reminder nonetheless. What we have seen with the Proverbs 31 wife is that she is pretty selfless, isn't she? Everything she does seems to have a distinct purpose of serving others whether it be her husband, her family, her household and now those residing outside the realm of her home.

Up to this point we have seen what she has done and the tasks to which she has striven in order to provide for her household. Now we see her outward focus toward the poor and needy. With "open arms" she embraces her calling to serve others. The phrase "extending her hands" continues to give us a picture of a woman who is welcoming, caring and loving toward those in need. The implication to me seems to be that she is down at the proverbial soup kitchen getting her hands dirty. What'd ya think?

This brings to mind several women in our church who can always be found in our church kitchen. No matter what the event, from our monthly Food From The Heart lunches (which feed the poor and needy of our local community) to the banquets or church functions (which serve the members of our congregation) these women are always on hand to do the job. Serving others through the culinary arts is a particular talent, gift and calling to which they readily respond. It is a good example to me of some real Proverbs 31 women that serve their families, their church family and open their arms and extend their hands to the poor and needy in our community.

Back to Proverbs 31

It's been awhile since we've looked at Proverbs 31, so I thought it was time to get back to it. Here's a summary:

v. 1-10: King Lemuel's mom is busy teaching him how to be a ruler. Basically, be wary of women, use wisdom in choosing your friends and advisors, and avoid drunkenness. Speak up to defend the rights of the poor, the needy, and those who cannot speak for themselves. Judge fairly.

v.1-18: Mom now tells Lemuel what to look for in a wife. A woman who loves him, works with eager hands, provides for her family, has a mind for business and delegation, and is creative.

Proverbs 31:19 - In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

I suppose it's time for me to pull out my sewing machine, eh? Well, not sure the text is telling us we have to be expert seamstresses, but in context of the previous verses it is telling us to get to work. We should be actually "working" to take care of our families.

Uggh, why'd I have to write that? I really dislike working around the home (so glad I don't have a web-cam or you could see what an obvious statement that is!) It can be pretty boring to do dishes, laundry, and cleaning all day. Yet, this is a good reminder to have a good attitude while accomplishing these mundane tasks that we are called to do in order to care for our family.

We've seen this Proverbs 31 woman selecting wool and flax, working vigorously with eager hands, shopping in the markets for imported foods, getting up before the family to prepare for the day, delegating tasks, and building a home-based business! Who knew you could find all that in just a few verses from the Bible?!

Now we see her spinning yarn and later we will see her making items for her family, to give to the needy and to sell at the market. She's quite an amazing woman, isn't she?

Sometimes it is hard for us as women to compare ourselves to the Proverbs 31 woman. It can be a little overwhelming to see what this ancient woman was able to accomplish in comparison to what we may do as modern women. I think the general gist that we are to take away from this, is to be creative in how we care for our family.

Do what you can do. Look at the talents God has blessed you with and consider how you can use them to bless your family. It may just be planting a few tomatoes in your backyard, selling some items on e-bay, cleaning out the closet to donate items or listening to Hubby when he tells you to actually spend the grocery money on groceries this time. (I'm still trying to figure out why he keeps telling me that every week...!)

So, keep your hands to the distaff and start spinning, ladies!

Rainy days and Mondays. . .

I knew I was in for an emotionally unstable kinda day when I woke on the verge of tears lamenting the fact that my kids don't take bubble baths anymore. C'mon, what's that all about?!

It seems I'm having one of those "rainy days and Mondays always gets me down" kind of days, only it's not raining...yet. It's been raining off and on for the past few days and it seems that it may continue for a few more. This morning seemed to be promising sunshine, but now it's a bit cold and cloudy and the forecast is calling for scattered showers.

For some odd reason, I just can't stop breaking into tears today. Nothing's wrong. The kids are healthy, Hubby's great, I'm feeling healthy, but I guess I'm just feeling old. When I found myself crying in my coffee this morning because my kids are growing up and no longer playing with all their bath toys, I decided to attempt to escape my doldrums with my usual Monday routine at the gym. I mean, come on, what did I expect? The cubs are 10 & 12! I don't think they've played with bath toys for years - at least not Darlin', Buddy just graduated to showers this year.

As the conversations surrounding me at the gym revolved over discussions of children, babies to sweet sixteen, I naturally found myself crying in my please-pick-me-up-Starbucks-non-fat-decaf-cappuccino on the ride home. Being that it is lacking the all important pick-me-up ingredients ... it didn't do the trick.

Recently someone was telling me how they went through a period of grieving when they realized they weren't going to be having any more children. She said she kept crying over all the old baby and toddler pictures, because she would no longer be that kind of Mommy any more. I suppose that's how I'm feeling today, as I choke back the tears yet again this morning. It's tough to accept not being that kind of Mommy anymore sometimes. I just need to focus on being a new kind of Mommy, where we play basketball instead of swing at the park, or Risk instead of Monopoly Jr., or be amazed at their classical pieces instead of twinkle twinkle variations, or women's size 6 1/2 hot pink heels instead of Disney Princess sandals.

Home alone, my mind is flooding with all the cute little memories of the cubs growing up. Dance recitals and pink tutus for Darlin' at 2, jumping up and down on stage and clapping for herself when she finished performing for the first time! Little Buddy at 2 crying in the parking lot because he bit his tongue. Me standing there laughing, because he stuck it out and asked me to kiss it to make it better! Piano performances at the mall where passersby would stop to stare at the adorable little boy (4) who would continue to play as he turned and smiled at the audience every few seconds. Darlin' (4) who pulled out all her toys and stuck them by the front door when I told her we were going to look for a new house. When we pulled up to the first place to look at she asked, "Is this the house store?"

Ahh, now I finally have a smile on my face this morning.

Philippians 1:3 - I thank my God every time I remember you.

Making Mother's Day Memories

Hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day! Mine was a weekend extravaganza, so I thought I would take some time to recap for posterity's sake.

Friday we had a nice family movie night. We watched A Kid in King Arthur's Court. It's a cute movie and is a perfect renter for a family night. The most well known actors in it are Kate Winslet and Daniel Craig, before they had mastered the art of acting. Despite it's predictability, it was a fun film to watch with the cubs. It was quite humorous to realize that it was not at all predictable for them! Precisely why it is a kids movie.

Saturday we enjoyed a breakfast out for McD's hotcakes - a family favorite. Then we headed to Home Depot for my Mother's Day gift: flowers. We ended up with way more than flowers! Hubby decided that it was a good time to yank the dying shrubbery lining our front walk. So we picked up 4 beautiful pink azalea bushes for the front of the house, a pretty pink hydrangea bush for me that was planted under our blossoming cherry tree and a striped hosta that we put near the front stoop.

After dragging the cubs around the outdoor nursery in the chilly air for a couple hours, we took them out for pizza. This was a nice reward for their patience while we were debating over various forms of foliage.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent weeding and planting. Everyone chipped in and the place looks much better now. I can't believe that I forgot to get a before and after shot! I'll have to check the photo archives to see if I can find something to show you all for Wordless Wednesday.

The kids even got to get ice cream from the ice cream truck when it made its way through our neighborhood. Usually the answer is a big N O. They certainly deserved every little treat they got this weekend and they both put in hours of hard work. Of course, Daddy deserves the biggest thanks of all for purchasing everything, pulling up stubborn shrubs, digging holes and planting bushes til after dark! He apparently kept going after Darlin' and I headed out around 5:30 p.m. for a Junior High Youth event at our church.

Saturday evening Darlin' and I had a blast at the Fast Food Frenzy with the youth group. I drove a van full of ladies (3 adults and 3 pre-teens) through this fast food relay race. Despite our best efforts at downing particular fast food items as fast as possible, we still came in last. It was a lot of fun, though, and we look forward to doing it again in the future.

Mother's Day arrived on Sunday morning with a beautiful breakfast in bed! Eggs, toast, juice, tea and strawberries were served on a tray adorned with Buddy's homemade Mother's Day flower pot from school. I received adorable cards, my very own Webkin Himalayan kitty (which I named Hugs) and a picture compendium to the new Prince Caspian movie which premieres this week!

Our church service was wonderful with a sermon based on passages in 2 Timothy. It was a great reminder of the honor of being a mother and the importance of godly mothers in the lives of our covenant children. At one point our pastor was prompting the mothers in the congregation to ask ourselves if we are praying for our kids, teaching our kids and passing on to them the truths of Scripture. Sitting next to me, Little Buddy, having failed to catch that it was a rhetorical question, looked up at me with puppy dog eyes and whispered, "Are you?" He then broke in to a big smile and gave me a hug, which I can only assume meant that he felt that he would've answered yes. (Sniff, sniff. He was listening to the sermon and he thinks I'm a great mom! Sniff, sniff.)

I thought that it would be nice to choose one of the verses from Sunday for the memory verse for this week.

2 Timothy 3:14-15 - But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

After church we headed to Outback Steakhouse for an extraordinarily delicious meal. My mouth is watering just thinking about it right now! Once we had indulged ourselves to our satisfaction, we returned home. Daddy took a well deserved nap while the cubs and I continued to work outside. I supervised and cleaned up while the kids planted the impatiens that we received at church earlier that morning (each Mother's Day they give out little plants to all the women in the church.) The benefit of attending the later service is that there is always a huge amount of flowers leftover, so the past two years we've been able to plant a pretty little Mother's Day garden. It's amazing how many impatiens grow from just a few little plants!

For those of you who know how athletic I am NOT, this next event may come as quite a shock. Are you ready? The four of us played basketball the rest of the afternoon. Shockingly, it was pretty funny! Instead of playing PIG we played MOM and, appropriately, I won. Then we played 2 on 2 and whichever team had Dad, who stands at 6'2", easily won.

In the evening we enjoyed relaxing as a family with C.S. Lewis. First we finished reading Prince Caspian. We wanted to get that done before opening night on Friday. Check out my sidebar for an official countdown! In preparation for the new movie, I thought that the perfect way to close Mother's Day would be for us to watch the first Chronicles of Narnia movie, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. We had a blast seeing it again and it got us all psyched for the premiere of Prince Caspian this week.

All in all, it was a great day. To quote Hubby, "I think that was the funnest Mother's Day we've ever had!" I think I quite agree.

The Ol' Bartering System is Back

This week we'll return to our study of Proverbs 31. In verse 18 we see a description of a business woman.

Proverbs 31:18 - She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.

Now, I don't have much of a business mind, but I've dabbled in a few projects since we've been married. For the first few years I ran a little craft business. Going to craft shows, baking goodies and making fun things occupied a lot of my time while we were living in VA, far away from family and friends. After we had our daughter, I sold Discovery Toys for a few years. Both of these ventures were quite fun and helped our family's needs at the time (occupying my time in VA and providing AWESOME toys for our new child), but they were certainly not profitable! Oh, well.

Eventually, I was able to help out in the home finance department, as well as actually use some of my degrees (imagine that!), by serving as Director of Senior High Youth Ministries at our church.

Of course, looking at the text, it isn't necessarily referring to earning money. It just states that her "trading was profitable." This makes me think of the bartering system. For many of us, this may be how we help our family the most. Do you swap babysitting duties with neighbors or friends? Saves on paying a babysitter. Do you exchange coupons with someone else? Do you have a skill that your neighbor doesn't or vice versa?

My hubby is a computer geek, as I've mentioned before. Our neighbor is not. However, he is skilled in all the plumbing, yard and handy man things you can imagine. When one of our appliances brakes, we call John. It never seems to fail that he is excited about our plight as he responds eagerly, "Great! I've got a computer problem I need fixed!" And thus our friendly neighborhood bartering system continues to this day!

A few years back I babysat my Physical Therapist's newborn. And each week I'd get some great massages and continued PT. Another time I taught Biblical Hebrew to one of the homeschoolers in our church in exchange for babysitting. The opportunities are endless if you just allow yourself to be a little imaginative.

So maybe you're like me - lacking in the business mind department. Be creative with the skills, talents and gifts with which God has blessed you and your family. Could be your neighbor has something to offer you too!

How shall I serve the Lord?

Last weekend I attended a women's retreat with the ladies in our church. I really enjoyed the speaker who was inspirational, knowledgeable, understandable, humorous, witty and personable.

By the end of the weekend I kept getting this nudge in my heart and head, "I think I'd like to do that." It's been a couple years out of ministry due to health reasons and now I'm beginning to consider how I can serve God in a way that works with my own limitations.

Of course, after awhile of actually considering being a women's conference speaker, I stopped myself short. WHAT AM I THINKING? Every single women's speaker I've heard seems to have a life full of tragedy. Not your everyday-broke-a-nail kind of "tragedy", but pretty much catastrophic-change-your-life tragedy. Apparently, that is what makes these women so interesting to listen to. We sit amazed, in awe of how they rely on the Lord through each devastation. Why in the world would I want a job with such a prerequisite?!

I doubt my minor trials, although they always seem devastating to me each time, would qualify me to teach hundreds of women how to grow closer to the Lord. I think I'll leave that to the experts and plan on going back to teaching our women's Bible study. The Lord opened the door for me to get back in to that in the fall and that seems to be the perfect fit for the gifts He has granted to me.

Psalm 136:1 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good. His love endures forever!

During the retreat we were asked to write a prayer based on scripture. Here is mine in a pattern of Psalm 136.

Give thanks to the LORD.
His love endures forever.

The Creator of the universe.
His love endures forever.

The Giver of all life.
His love endures forever.

Who promised a Savior in the garden
His love endures forever.

Who rescued Noah from the flood.
His love endures forever.

Who blessed Abraham with His Seed.
His love endures forever.

The Son of David who delivered me.
His love endures forever.

The Holy Spirit who called me.
His love endures forever.

The Father who continues to love me.
His love endures forever.

All praise to the great I AM.
His love endures forever.

To Christ the Word.
His love endures forever.

To the Spirit who comforts.
His love endures forever.

To the LORD who heals.
His love endures forever.

Who sustains me through each trial.
His love endures forever.

Who calms the storm within my spirit.
His love endures forever.

And quiets the raging waters all around me.
His love endures forever.

LORD grant me peace.
His love endures forever.

Led by the Spirit

I'm back and refreshed from our church ladies retreat! The weekend focused on prayer and already I've begun to implement some of what was discussed. For instance, praying continually by having a constant conversation with God throughout the day. This, combined with last night's small group lesson in which we talked about glorifying God in everything we do, enabled me to avoid Dunkin' Donuts this morning.

Here's how it went down inside my depraved little mind. Mmmm, I could really go for a donut and a cup of coffee for breakfast. Considering that I didn't gain any weight over the weekend with all the scrumptious food I ate, I do believe I can justify said donut as my reward. Besides, I'll be working it off at the gym this morning and afterward, I'll be reaaalllly strict for my Weight Watchers weigh in on Wednesday morning.

About half way to Dunkin' Donuts a little question pops into my head. Would I be glorifying God by eating that donut? Sing a song, hum a little tune, try to distract myself from the answer that keeps nagging me. I finally submitted to the Lord's leading and decided against that tempting donut. In my circumstances, with all the health issues linked to an unhealthy diet and the fact that I'm paying good money to attend Weight Watchers, eating a donut would certainly not glorify God. So I pulled over and ate a Weight Watchers granola bar that I happened to have in my purse.

One little victory for the Holy Spirit in my life today!

1 Thessalonians 5: 17 - Pray continually!

With Vigor!

I've got my workout clothes on and I'm heading to the gym. Today I was planning to focus on my arms, before I even looked at this next verse in Proverbs 31.

Proverbs 31:17 She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.

How appropriate is that? I was already planning to make my arms stronger. Now I've got to work on the "vigorously" part. I'm not one to do anything with much vigor, except perhaps getting up in front of people and embarrassing myself (and my daughter) for entertainment's sake. Anything for a good laugh right?

Last month I attended a school retreat with Darlin'. Each of the parents had to participate in a skit. Ours happened to be the only one with a song: R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Well, the other mothers and I attacked that with much vigor, to the chagrin of our kids, who I might add were all smiles amidst their red cheeks! One of the dads even called me the Redheaded Aretha!

So maybe if I put on some mo-town and sweep my hair up into an explosive beehive of curls I may just be able to attack my household chores with as much gusto. Here's to working vigorously!

A Business Savvy Wife

Lookin' at Proverbs 31:16 we see a description of a business savvy wife. Check it out:

She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

Not only is this woman accomplishing the tasks of wife, mother, and homemaker (which I've got to add - was much more rigorous in Old Testament times. I mean, c'mon, when have I ever had to spin yarn or kill our animals for food?!), but now she has started her very own home-based business.

Now, I've tried several times to have my own little business going. I sold crafts, candies and baked goods for a year or so and later moved on to selling Discovery Toys for a couple of years. Unfortunately, I'm not as business savvy as the Proverbs 31 woman seems to be. As my husband put it, I ran a very nice charity!

Perhaps, we can look at this another way. Are we helping or hindering our home finances? Those times where I attempted my own business, may have been questionable if I was helping at all, but that was my intent. Working as the Senior High Youth Director for a few years, was probably my biggest contribution during our marriage.

The current season of life in which I find myself is not at all conducive to contributing to the household funds. So how can I be "business savvy" without really being involved in any kind of business?

I was reading a book called The Coupon Mom and she helped me understand how. By viewing my home as my business I can contribute to helping our financial situation by focusing on saving money. I've definitely been doing better at this: making hubby lunch most days, trying not to eat out myself as often as I did before, and trying to implement a coupon system when I do grocery shopping. In essence I'm attempting to be more business savvy and in so doing, emulating the Proverbs 31 woman to a small degree. As a firm believer in being a stay at home Mom, I find this most encouraging!

Are you a morning Mom?

This week, I'm back to memorizing Proverbs 31 and today's verse is a doozy for me.

Proverbs 31: 14 - She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls.

Hmmm. I'm definitely not a morning person. Gotta work on that one. Do ya think getting the kids their breakfast and packing lunches in the morning counts? I think I'm gonna go with that one here. Seems like the context is focused on buying groceries (v.14), getting up when needed and providing for the family. I definitely need to work on the "getting up when needed" part!

Well, my "servant girls", Gen E. and May Tag, are waiting for me to give them their daily assignments of laundry and dishes.

May you have a productive Proverbs 31 Woman day!

Happy Easter!

We interrupt the regularly scheduled Proverbs 31 memory verse to bring you 1 Corinthians 15: 3-4:

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.

Hope you all had a wonderful resurrection day celebrating the new life we have in Christ!

The Life of a Housewife

Monday. Time to go grocery shopping. . .again. It seems as if all I do is shop, wash dishes, and do laundry. It's just an endless cycle in the life of a housewife. Ho - hum.

Last night I pushed through the dreary routine to complete loading the dishes and shining my sink before I crashed with Hubby to enjoy an old episode of Seinfeld. (Ahh, nothing like a good laugh at the expense of poppy seed muffins!)

Of course this morning I'm struck with the words of Proverbs 31: 13&14:

She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.

Eager hands. I need to work on that one, as I usually just feel like I'm going through the motions. Eager is definitely not the word I would use to describe my homemaking. I need to replace the idea of drudgery with eagerness. God's the only one that can do that in my life, so that is what I'll be praying for this week.

Look at what else is keeping the Proverbs 31 woman busy: grocery shopping! Pretty apropos for me today when it's time to clip those coupons and hit the nearest Giant. I feel encouraged as I plan to get the best deals I can sailing around in Hubby's Hyundai (my boat's in the shop), picking up fruits and veggies from far off lands like California and Florida!

I feel a little better now about my goals for the day: shopping, dishes and laundry. It helps to put them in a better context - a Biblical perspective!

Have a great homemaking day!

The Good Wife

This week my Monday Morning Memory verse is Proverbs 31:12 - She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.

I just added this one one to verse 11 on the side bar because it is easier to remember the two together. Just makes more sense.

The reason the husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value, is because his wife is good to him and does not harm him. The rest of the passage goes into detail on what that looks like.

To sum it up, the Proverbs 31 woman looks out for her man and treats him well.

Hmmm, so the focus for this week is. . . be nice!

A Fortunate Man

I had the honor this weekend to do a short devotional at a friend's bridal shower (one of "my girls" from youth group, all grown up and getting married. . .sniff, sniff. . . I'm getting old!)

If you haven't guessed by now, I decided to speak on Proverbs 31. I was amazed while reading this chapter how many characteristics of the Proverbs 31 woman Amber already possessed. (I only wish I had such a head start entering my marriage 15 plus years ago!)

She is:

• a gem
• organized
• hard-working
• business savvy
• physically fit & strong
• a keen shopper
• optimistic (no whining allowed!)
• instructive
• able to manage and delegate
• not lazy or idle
• fears the Lord
• even knows how to farm!

Pretty impressive, huh?

My hope at the shower was to encourage Amber to continue to cultivate those Proverbs 31 qualities that are already evident in her. What a great way to enter marriage.

It was also a great reminder to me, and hopefully the other women present, to examine ourselves to see what Proverbs 31 qualities we already possess. Too often we view the Proverbs 31 woman as an unattainable woman that is beyond our grasp. This list of qualities should encourage, and at times, challenge and convict us to strive for excellence in our life, marriage and family.

What I love about Proverbs 31 is that it is a list of character traits for a young prince (v.1) given by his mother in alphabetical (Hebrew) order to help him find a wife. Here God provides the guys with a list of qualities to look for as they search for a marriage partner.

This reminds me of the many girl retreats I have led over the years (Amber was at the very first one!) At some point the girls take the time to think and pray about a list of qualities they want to have in their future husband. When I hear about them dating seriously, one of the first questions I ask them is, "Does he fit your list?" They proudly state, "Yes, he does!" (Come to think of it, I don't believe anyone has ever answered "no.")

What a privilege, we as mothers (or even mentors!), have to prepare our sons and daughters for marriage. Helping them to develop Biblically based lists of qualities and characteristics that the Lord finds pleasing for their future mate.

Amber is on her way to fulfilling the list God has given in Proverbs 31. Her husband will be a fortunate man, because he has found a Proverbs 31 wife!

Proverbs 31:11 - Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.

From the Mouths of Babes

This morning my dear cub was dressed a bit like a character out of Oliver. Tattered sweatshirt that was 2 inches too small in the arms, sweat pants that were two sizes too short and sticky-uppy hair in all directions (drat! I neglected to fix that one - hopefully the spiked hair will be cool today!)

I asked Buddy to change and handed him a pile of clean clothes from which to choose (and hopefully also put away!) He just looked at me, smiled and sighed, "Thank you, dearest Mother."

This remark brightened my groggy-still-waking-up-mood and warmed me heart. Yes, he said this sincerely and without a hint of sarcasm. . .imagine that. Of course, this sincerity probably stems from the fact that most of the family is usually searching for clean clothes nearly every morning, because the gazillion loads of laundry that I seem to do constantly are always the wrong piles and he was just glad to have some clean clothes that actually fit him! It's a never ending saga - laundry is my nemesis. Deep breath. Right now, however, I will choose to put that negativity behind me while I throw another load of laundry in and enjoy the appreciative comment from my adorable cub!

That moment with my son made me think of Proverbs 31:28, where it states: "Her children arise and call her blessed...." It's nice to see a glimpse of the Proverbs 31 woman in my life as I feel that I am daily failing miserably at achieving the character described in that pericope. Also, I am reminded of the fact that I want to commit Proverbs 31 to memory this year. So, as I've previously done verses 1-9, I'll start with verse 10:

A wife of noble character, who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.

Mmmm, wonder how much I'm worth?

Repairing My Walls

As I struggle to incorporate the character traits of the Proverbs 31 woman into my own heart, the greatest hindrance I find is lack of self-control. Yeah, yeah, I know I'm a red-headed Irish lass and sometimes I feel like the very essence of my being is working against me here, but still it is no excuse for a short fuse!

At times I've had my cubs memorize the following Proverb when they have struggled with the sin of anger and a lack of self-control.

Proverbs 25:28 Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.

The metaphor of a city wall is quite interesting. Here, it is our self-control that protects and defends our heart against the invasion of the enemy, just like the city walls of ancient Jerusalem. But if we let our wall crumble and fall, then we give Satan an entry point to attack and wreak havoc in our lives.

I think it's high time I commit this Proverb to memory myself, so the Holy Spirit can use that to convict my heart before I am teetering on the brink of hot-headed emotionalism!

So this week, before I burst out in frustration, I will count to 10, recite this Proverb and pray.

Back To Blogging!

I'm back! Did ya miss me?! Thanks to my loyal followers who checked the blog daily over the last week to see if I was doing anything. Sorry to disappoint. Good news though, I have now officially returned from the recliner!

No, I wasn't off enjoyin' a bit of R&R to watch a movie marathon from the comfort of my favorite chair. Believe me, that would have been fun and this bit o' time off was anything but! I had the misfortune of being struck with a double whammy: influenza with a side of kidney stones!

Whew! Glad that is over. Now that the fever is gone, I'm able to get back to the computer. Housecleaning may have to wait a bit longer though (aw, shucks!) as my legs still feel like JELLO when I walk.

During this time I was able to see God's providential hand in the life of my family and our church family. It all comes down to timing, and that my friends, is never a coincidence but more accurately a "God - cidence"!

Friends of ours lost their house to fire last week. The same week other friends moved, leaving an empty home ready to be occupied by the now homeless family! One college student chose to stay home this semester, enabling her to call 911, helping to assist her sister and prevent greater loss and tragedy for their family and neighbors!

In our family, Hubby was home this week and able to take over my duties with the kids and help care for me while I was down for the count!

From the mundane to the tragic, God's hand is evident as He orchestrates what we sometimes flippantly refer to as LIFE! This brought to my mind a memory verse for this week, Romans 8: 28-30:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

Monday Morning Memory Verse

Today's verse, 1 Timothy 6: 20 & 21, reads:

Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith. Grace be with you.

I've been quite sick the past few days, so I just picked another verse from 1 Timothy. It happens to sum up the theme of the book. Paul spends the letter instructing Timothy on how to guard the gospel.

Hopefully, once my eyes stop burning after a minute at the computer, I'll be able to post again in the next day or so. Just wanted to let you know that I'm still alive. Sick as a dog, yes, but still breathing, well not through my nose as I would like to, but we'll call it breathing just the same!

Monday Morning Memory Verse

Yesterday our sermon and small group study was on 1Timothy 6:11-16 again. This time the focus was on verse 12 where Paul instructs Timothy "to take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession."

As our two cubs begin their communicant member class at our church, it is a reminder to me of the importance of being a member in "good standing." That's what our Pastor says every time he administers the sacrament of communion - all are invited to partake as long as they are members in good standing at an evangelical, Bible believing church.

Why? Because that is what Scripture tells us to do. Not only are we to believe in our heart, but we are to act on that belief by making our "good confession in the presence of many witnesses (v.12)." By being a member of a church, we are publicly acknowledging our belief in Christ and our membership in the body of believers. By being a member in good standing, we are actually attending church more than the obligatory Christmas and Easter appearances. Also, we are participating in the ministries of the church by using the gifts and talents God has given each one of us. This may be as simple as sending cards of encouragement to shut-ins or more involved like teaching Sunday school.

The important thing to remember is to be involved in the life of the covenant community. As we are reminded in our memory verse this week:

Hebrews 10: 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

***Check out my bloggy giveaway. I'll keep a link to it in all my new posts for the week.***