How To Make Your Home Sing!

Last week we had a two-fold challenge, "light a candle and every time you see the glimmer of it pray for peace in your home". I want to encourage you to keep your candles and prayers going.

This week's challenge is two-fold also: Play soft music everyday in your home. Choose worship, classical or another form of peaceful music that the family enjoys. Focus on using peaceful words and maintaining peaceful relationships. Remind your family to avoid seething anger, tattling, criticism or back talk. Role model gentleness this week.

Let's start with your music choice. If you need suggestions for music here are a few:

1. If you know how to play an instrument, play it this week! In our home, when I sit down to the piano to play, the atmosphere completely changes. All whining and complaining disappears and dancing and singing begins. This is what the book of Psalms is all about - making a joyful noise unto the Lord! So pull out your dusty instruments and start playing!

2. Sing or hum in the kitchen while you cook, in the bathrooms while you clean, or while you drive in the car. Force yourself to open your mouth and let your joy of the Lord be heard by your family. It will be contagious!

3. I like to listen to George Winston - my favorite CD is titled December. I have listened to it for 15 years. In college, it really helped me shut out the dorm noises and focus to study. Since then, this CD remains in the CD player ready to go at all times. Sometimes I put it on repeat mode and it will go for 10 hours straight! I love it! Here's a sample:

4. I like David Nevue - I discovered his music on the blog A Holy Experience. His music is similar to George Winston's in that it is classical piano music. To hear his music visit her site and while you are there - hang around a while and I think you will find inspiration. (I regularly open her website and let the music play while I hop around on facebook or write blog posts.)

5. I like Worship and Contemporary Christian Music - the sky is the limit on this - from hymns to Casting Crowns to the oldies like Michael Card. All of this music fills our family's hearts and mind with God's truth.

It doesn't all have to be slow. Music with a beat can lift spirits and add zest to a boring day. Pick a style that fits your mood and family and get that music going. Once you've determined your music and have it going - it's time to work on ourselves.

1. When you feel tempted to raise your voice, use a child's name in a snarl, furrow your brow into a scowl or speak rapidly in anger...purposely lower your voice to just above a whisper. Proverbs 15:1 says "A gentle answer turns away wrath but a harsh word stirs up anger." Focus on gentle words, facial expressions, and touches.

2. Purpose to not let someone else's anger make you angry. Many times as a wife and mom I find myself responding to other's emotions. Someone in the family is grumpy and two minutes later I'm grumpy too. Someone in the family is speaking harshly and two minutes later I'm speaking harshly too. Purpose to stay in control of your emotions and not let the other members of your family dictate your mood.

3. Yelling at a bud won't make it bloom. Your home will not blossom into a haven if you are not controlling your temper.

4. Continue to pray for peace in your home. Persevere in prayer for your family. James 5:16b says, "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

If you are participating in this challenge leave a comment below with how it's going - if you are a blogger copy this button into your blog post, write about how it's going and link up below! Thank you all so much for your accountability. I so appreciate you joining me on this journey!!! We are in it together!

Walk with the King!

I am linking up here :

I Wish I Had a Counseling Degree

There are times I receive emails from my dear readers that contain questions far too difficult for me to answer. When the questions are beyond my experience or studies I often say "I'm sorry I am not a counselor. You need to seek out a pastor, trusted Godly friend or call Focus on the Family's 1-800 number (1-800-232-6459). I deeply regret this is beyond my expertise."


There are moments I feel inept to write on this blog because I am not a counselor - I just don't know all the answers and I so wish I did!~


Thankfully there is a counsellor all believers have access to who supersedes all counseling degrees - the Holy Spirit! Jesus says in John 14: 16-17 "I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever - the Spirit of truth."


Anne Graham Lotz says:

"Jesus described the Holy Spirit as "Another." The Greek word actually means "another who is exactly the same." So although the Holy Spirit is a distinct person, He is exactly the same as Jesus, but without the physical body. He has been described as Jesus without skin. Or, like an FBI agent, He is Jesus undercover."


Dear hurting Christian sister, you may feel all alone in your trials and difficulties. But you are not. Jesus has sent "another" counselor with the same mind, emotions, intellect and wisdom into our hearts to guide, comfort, direct, and help us manage our way through life.


Have you yielded to this Counselor the Holy Spirit? You must first be in his word, in prayer and in stillness - to sense his clear leading, comfort and guidance.


If you are hurting today - practice the presence of God in your life. Psalm 139:7-10 says:

"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast."

Know that he is always with you. Surrender your will to him. Be still - listen - move forward in peace.


Walk with the King!

If anyone knows of any other organizations with toll free numbers for readers who need a counselor can you please leave it in the comment section. I will use it as a resource for ladies who are hurting. Thank you for your help.

The Christmas Version of I Corinthians 13

I came across this Christmas poem about I Corinthians 13 - the Love Passage. For me, the week of Christmas can be the busiest week of my entire year. And though I am trying to make it special and meaningful for the family, I often feel like a failure when my patience is short or things don't go as I envisioned. This poem reminds me of what really matters and what really lasts...Love.

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen,baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime: but do not show love to my family, I'm just another cook.

If I work at a soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home, and give all that I have to charity; but do not show love to my family, it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angelsand crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir's cantata but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child.

Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the spouse.

Love is kind, though harried and tired.

Love does not envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.

Love does not yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way.

Love does not give only to those who are able to give in return; but rejoices in giving to those who cannot.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.

Love never fails.

Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust; but giving the gift of love will endure.

---Sharon Jaynes, Celebrating a Christ Centered Christmas

Take some time to meditate on I Corinthians 13 today. If we all would simply apply this passage of scripture - our homes would be a happier place and we would shine like bright stars in a dark world. "They will know we are Christians by our Love." John 13:35

Walk with the King!

3 Ways to Put "Merry" in "Merry Christmas"

The word “merry” means cheerful, joyous, and lighthearted. We all want to create a “Merry” Christmas for our families – but is our family experiencing a wife and mommy who is “merry”? Are you smiling at home? Who you are at home, is who you really are. You can smile at church, smile at your neighbors, smile at strangers in the grocery store – but if you aren’t smiling at home – then that’s who you really are.

For the past 12 years of marriage, Christmas has been the season where being "merry" in the midst of the stress from my huge to do list has been a struggle. There’s cookies to bake, parties to attend, presents to wrap and messes from the kids to stay on top of! How can we honor God and not let our stress steal the word “merry” from our Christmas?

1. Tend to your Spiritual needs - Do NOT neglect your time in the word and prayer. If all you can do is read one verse – write it out on a post-it note and carry it with you all day long. Squeeze all the nourishment you can from that one verse through out the day!

I recommend meditating on Galatians 5:22 & 23 which says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” We must be walking in the spirit to have a merry heart!

2. Tend to your Emotional needs - Light a candle and put on classical music (or Christmas music) – it will have a calming effect on the entire family! If you are not able to smile in the midst of your busyness…your inner soul is not at peace.

The Proverbs 31 woman – smiled. Peace comes through prayer. The way to worry about nothing is to pray about everything.

3. Tend to your Physical needs – Get your rest. Studies show that we need at least 7 hours of sleep at night. It is difficult to be pleasant to our husbands and children when we are exhausted. Take a 15 minute bubble bath as soon as all the kids are in bed. The relaxation benefits will far exceed watching television! Extend the bath to 30 minutes and read a good book! Get a little exercise. Studies show even 10 minutes a day up your energy and mood.

Only you can take care of your deep spiritual, emotional and physical needs. No one else can do the list above for you. Use these as tools to help you accomplish all that is piled on your plate this Christmas. May this Christmas be your merriest Christmas ever.

Walk with the King!

Dealing With Loss During the Holidays

For some, you will experience your first Christmas without a loved one. Whether through death, divorce or distance you are dealing with loss. I want you to know that you are not alone.

I am reminded of the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow who on Christmas day, 1864, received word that his son, a soldier in the Civil War, had been wounded. Just two years before, Henry had lost his wife in a fire. As this devout Christian man sat alone with his grief, on the most joyful of Holy Days, he penned words of hope to challenge his own despair. He called his composition Christmas Bells. Little did he know that those words would someday be set to music and become a blessing to millions of people around the world.

If you are struggling to find peace in the midst of the holidays this song below and my dear friend Kelly's story may comfort you.

Kelly lost her father at the tender age of 10. Following his loss she went through a long journey of pain, sadness and depression. None of us are immune from life's tragedies and Kelly's story of hope and strength in God - is a source of inspiration to me. Read it here!

Walk with the King!

Will You Choose Joy or Defeat?

Little eyes stare up at me, her head is hot and feverish and she's thirsty. With her lamby lovie in one arm and her purple blanket in the other she heads to the couch to get some rest and drink from her sippie. I lay a cold wash cloth on her head and the dimple gleams for a moment "thank you mommy." She chooses joy.

Little eyes stare up at me as he begs to play monopoly. Exhausted I answer, "Not tonight dear". Son's countenance falls...my heart feels heavy too - "go get the game." We play, we laugh, we love. We choose joy.

Leader husband is weary...problems, troubles, burdens and cares bring hardship in his work. We cannot lift his burdens for him - he must carry them on his own. But he is not alone. Little hugs and kisses, cuddles and cards are made - he chooses joy.

How do we stand the hardships of life? How do we as weary moms and wives help those in our home as they face their own hardships? We have weary pilgrims in our house who need comfort, rest, love and a replenishing of spirits. We must role model defiant joy! We must choose joy and smile despite our feelings of defeat at times..

We have the power to bring joy to our entire family.

As I walked along outside in the cold last week - something beautiful caught my eye. My hydrangea was blooming - yes, it was nearly December in Ohio and one little bloom was fighting to survive. As a matter of fact it seemed defiant. In the midst of hardship, even snow - that bloom smiled and glistened in the November chill! Oh to be strong like this bloom. To be able to smile in the face of hardship.

We do have a choice - will you choose joy or defeat? On our own - we will be defeated. But when we walk with the King - Romans 8:37 tells us: "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."


As I grabbed my camera to capture this bloom with definat joy - it winked at me and whispered, "see me, I can rise up and sparkle in the sunshine despite the fact that I am surrounded by trouble and death. You can too!"


Walk with the King,

I Was a Recipient...

I was a recipient...of a random act of kindness!

Yesterday I was grocery shopping in Aldi with both kids. We were in the meat department and the children were buzzing around this poor woman like bees swarming a hive! I asked the children to please stand by the cart - so they did.

The woman smiled and said "it's okay, I have 3 of my own, I know how hard it is." I apologized and said "well, you are here without them so you deserve a moment of silence and not my kids bothering you. Enjoy your moment." We both laughed and smiled and then I finished my grocery shopping.

When we got in line there was long row of poinsettas by the cash register being sold. This same woman happened to be in line in front of us and she continued to watch my interactions with the children and smile at me. And I watched her as she picked up one poinsetta after another. I admired them and said how beautiful they are.

She checked out. I checked out. And as I began to bag my groceries...she walked up to me with a poinsetta in hand and said "this poinsetta is for you. I can see that you sacrifice a lot for your children, you need to do more for yourself. You deserve this."

I was floored, surprised and overwhelmed. A stranger is giving me this beautiful flower for no reason! I didn't deserve it. I hadn't done anything special to receive it. And there I stood holding a poinsetta - humbled by her words of praise.

I wanted to give her something in return - but I had nothing to give her (offering her some bagels or green beans didn't seem appropriate! lol!) So I received her gift and out the door she went and the children began asking 100 questions: "Why did she give it? Do you know her? What did she say?..." I just smiled from ear to ear and said, "She's a kind woman, we need to be like her."

When Jesus sent his disciples out in Matthew 10:8 he commanded them "Freely you have received, now freely give." This poinsetta whispers this verse to me. I did nothing to receive it. I received it freely.

This holiday season, you have received the love of Jesus freely. Now we must give it away. It starts with a smile, a kind word, a hug, maybe even a gift. Not just to those you truly do love in your family and friends - but even to strangers. Freely give the love of Jesus to everyone around you!

Hebrews 13:1,2 says "Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it."

Give a random act of kindness today! Who knows as Hebrews 13: 2 says, you may even bless an angel!

Walk with the King!

Video Blog: How To Deal With Difficult People

Don't forget to pause the music on the sidebar!

"You learn to speak by speaking, to study by studying, to run by running, to work by working; and just so, you learn to love by loving. All those who think to learn in any other way deceive themselves." - Saint Francis de Sales


Walk with the King!

Mailbag Question: Smiling At Home

My mailbag is PACKED full!!! And this question was asked a lot so I thought I'd start here:



Here's an email from Jamie: "I am a stay at home mom of a 3 and 5 yr old. i would love to be like you for my husband but I just can't seem to keep my house clean, clothes washed and still find time for myself. How do you do it and still keep a cheery face on?"

The video above answers "how I stay happy in the home" - but in regards to how I do it all...I use a daily/weekly schedule. It will not work for every personality type. But for me a schedule works. Some of my old schedules are posted, so browse through them if you think they could be helpful. When I went back to reread my fall schedule, I see that I have already changed a few things that weren't working for me. But you will have an idea of my goals.

Please feel free to offer advice in the comment section if you have found something that works for you! My way is certainly not the only way and we can all learn from each other.

Walk with the King!

Praying for Your Children

Last night some friends were over and we made "Prayer Cards" for our children. Aren't their cards adorable! I love them and am so excited to begin to implement them today!! I posted this list of prayers for children last month - but I thought I'd list them again for anyone who missed them.


Parenting is a challenge and we must not try to do it alone! Remember we have access to the God of the universe and we must never fail to pray for our children. Every phase of life has it's challenges with our children. It seems that as soon as my children are trained in one area they begin to fail in another - or often times I am disciplining them over and over in the same area - and I wonder "will they ever get it?".


Remember that God is at work in your life as much as he is at work in your child's life. He is purifying you both through this process. Through our children, our weaknesses (and sinfulness) are revealed. I never realized how selfish, short-tempered and inpatient I was until I had kids! And those are some very ugly character qualities that I must not accept into my life.


So, as I battle my flesh I must walk closely with God - pray hard - call on his name in times of trouble and temptation and model for my children a mom who is loving, kind, patient, joyful, at peace, gentle, and self-controlled. None of these qualities come naturally in our flesh - they come by walking in the Spirit and through prayer and God's word we draw close to God and he enables us to walk in the Spirit. So as this holiday weekend is upon us, I encourage you to get on your knees and pray for your children. If you don't, who will?



Here are some verses you can pray over them:

1. When they wake up: "Let the morning bring (child's name) word of your unfailing love, for she has put her trust in You. Show (her/him) the way (she/he) should go, for to you (he/she) lifts up her soul." (Adapted from Psalm 143:8)


2. When they are getting dressed: "Therefore, as God's chosen child, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Lord, help (him/her) bear with others and forgive whatever grievances (he/she) has against others. Help (him/her) forgive as the Lord forgave (him/her). And over all these virtues, help (him/her) put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." (Adapted from Colossians 3:12-14)


3. While they are eating: "Teach (child's name) the secret of being content in any and every situation whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. Teach (him/her) that (he/she) can do everything through him who gives (him/her) strength." (Adapted from Philippians 4:12-13)



4. When they go out of the house: "(Name of child), do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-His good, pleasing and perfect will." (Adapted from Romans 12:2)


5. While they are taking a bath: Lord, give (name of child) clean hands and a pure heart, and let (him/her) not lift (his/her) soul to an idol or swear by what is false. Let (him/her) receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God (his/her) Savior. Let (him/her) be part of the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob. (Adapted from Psalm 24:4-6)


6. When they are going to bed: "The Lord Your God is with you; he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, be will rejoice over you with singing." (Zephaniah 3:17)



7. While they are sleeping: "I pray that (name of child) will do everything without complaining or arguing, so that he/she may become blameless and pure, a child of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which he/she shines like a star in the universe as he/she holds out the word of life-in order that he/she may boast on the day of Christ that he/she did not run or labor for nothing." (Adapted from Philippians 2:14-16)


Walk with the King!

www.womenlivingwell.org

Weight Loss: Self- Control vs. Gluttony

Proverbs 23:20, 21 say “Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor and drowsiness clothes them in rags.” Gluttony is eating without restraint. I have never been drunk but I see the correlation between the two. They both cause drowsiness and essentially ineffectiveness for God’s kingdom.

Proverbs 28:7 declares, “He who keeps the law is a discerning son, but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father.” And Proverbs 23:2 says, “Put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony.” That's pretty harsh isn't it? But those are God's words not mine! The ability to say “no” to anything in excess is self-control (a fruit of the Spirit - Gal. 5:22). Gluttony is the opposite of self-control.


Think for a moment - If you saw a friend getting drunk you might have a talk with her. But if your friend orders an appetizer, dinner, AND dessert I doubt anyone would say anything about that. It’s the norm. If I complained I was so full that I felt sick – I don’t think anyone would be offended.

Gluttony destroys the body and is careless Christian living. In America, many diseases are on the rise as a result of gluttony. The rampant obesity in our culture is a result of gluttony (in most cases) and many people are reaping the harsh consequences of this sin that is rarely discussed in church yet is prevalent.

Food is a gift - obsessing over every little bite we take and worrying that we might gain a pound is not appreciating the gift of food that God has given us. But likewise, indulging in food to the point of gluttony is abusing the gift of food.

In Bible times people ate to sustain life - excess was only available to the wealthy. Women had to sweat a bit more doing their household tasks - they did not have washing machines, dish washers and cars to carry their groceries in. The Proverbs 31 woman had "arms strong for the task" and it wasn't from lifting weights - but from doing her daily work. She was not tempted to eat a big mac, fries, soda and ice cream.

Times really have changed and that is why the Bible seems silent on exercise and weight loss. The disciples would probably laugh if they saw the treadmills we run on. The Proverbs 31 lady might find our pilates exercises a bit strange and unnessary. We live in different times - but God's word was applicable yesterday, today and will be tomorrow. The principles of Proverbs stand and we must live by them.

If you are guilty of gluttony - that is you lack self-control with food and over-indulgulge yourself regularly - then the first step toward weight loss is to call gluttony what it is - sin. Repent of your sin.

Remember - on one end of the spectrum is obssession over every bite - that is not living freely. On the other end is gluttony - which imprisons you. In the middle is self-control, balance and freedom. Be free!

Walk with the King!

http://www.womenlivingwell.org/

Are You Gentle?

On April 24th I shared with you all that I had begun a " 30 Day Gentleness Challenge". For the last 18 days, 4 moms and I have been keeping each other accountable as we work on displaying the fruit of the Spirit - gentleness - our goal was to work on not raising our voices or speaking harsh words to our children. So every morning we report to each other how we did the previous day.

We want to abide by Proverbs 15:1 "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger" and Proverbs 31:26 "She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue." It seems that with our children - the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

So you wanna know how I'm doing??? Hmmmm...should I tell the truth??? The good news is I have not raised my voice to the children in 18 days - that is a victory - does that sound terrible to admit that I do raise my voice at them from time to time?

But in the area of keeping my words wise and gentle - rather than harsh and critical - I have failed... well a number of times. One day I thought I had done quite well being patient with my son, who was refusing to clean his room. He gave me a bit of attitude and lip about it. Rather than giving him a consequence and then walking away - I instead chose a choice lecture. After the long winded lecture - I realized - wow - that wasn't gentle speech. I was completely convicted and realized that I give "harsh lectures" from time to time that need to be ejected from my life! I quickly apologized to him and sought out his forgiveness.

The best part of this challenge is that God's word and Spirit are shining light on dark areas of my life. There are things that in "secret" no one sees - but God is bringing light to those dark areas and because I have humbled myself to the conviction of the Spirit, I am being freed from Satan's grip.

It has been refreshing to realize that the other 4 moms struggle too - I am not alone. There has been no room for pride - we have all been open and honest with our failings and as a result I feel like real change and transformation has come to our homes! Thank you Jesus for freeing us!

Join me in my freedom - and pursue gentleness in your life. Pursue it not just in parenting but in all your relationships - as you deal with your husband, extended family members, co-workers and fellow Christian friends.

Romans 8:37 says "In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." There are 12 days left in this challenge...We cannot do this in our flesh - we must walk in the Spirit if we want to be conquerors. Are you gentle?

Walk with the King!

http://www.womenlivingwell.org/

We Reap What We Sow

Exactly 2 weeks ago we planted sunflower seeds in a pot. I was surprised when just 4 days later the stems broke through the dirt! And now 2 weeks later we have begun to reap what we have sown! The children are so excited!


This makes me think about Galatians 6:7-10 "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows."

Sometimes I am foolish and I forget that God cannot be deceived - he can see the temper that flares when my children make me angry - or the bitterness I feel in my heart when my husband offends me.


When you sow seeds of anger and bitterness - you reap a bouquet full of weeds and ugliness that no one wants to be near. What type of seeds are you sowing in your life? Are you sowing seeds of love, joy, peace and patience or are you sowing seeds of bitterness, anger, discontentment and frustration?

"The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction."

Everything our selfish heart desires will deceive us into believing that these teeny tiny seeds are little and acceptable. But like the sunflower seed that is teeny tiny - but one day will be a HUGE plant - so are our "small sins" - once they take root and grow - they become huge and reap destruction!

"the one who sows to please the Spirit, from that Spirit will reap eternal life."

When we live a life - yielded to the Holy Spirit and we sow seeds from the Spirit like kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control - we reap eternal rewards!

So..."Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

If you are feeling weary as a wife, mother, friend and homemaker - do not give up. Continue to yield yourself to the Spirit and discipline yourself to deny your selfish nature. In no time at all, tiny sprouts of inner beauty will be born - and you will mature into a beautiful Godly virtuous woman! We reap what we sow.

Walk with the King!

http://www.womenlivingwell.org/

The 30 Day Gentleness Challenge

This past Tuesday in my women's Bible study we had a long discussion about one specific fruit of the Spirit that convicted me deeply: gentleness. Most of the women in our study are moms of little ones and we all agreed that in the midst of the chaos in our homes it is difficult to handle every situation in a gentle manner.

I just finished reading Michelle Duggar's book (a mother of 18 children) and one of the things that I had journaled from the book was how she remains gentle despite 18 reasons to lose her temper! She said she follows Proverbs 15:1 "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." When Michelle feels tempted to yell she purposely takes her voice down to almost a whisper. She has also given her children permission to correct her when she starts to raise her voice.

Out of this discussion the "30 Day Gentleness Challenge" was born amidst my accountability group - the "Good Morning Girls." We all agree that we struggle regularly with raising our voices to be heard by our little ones! Between the 5 of us we have 15 children and one in the womb and we really need accountability in this area.

So for the next 30 days we are daily reporting to each other whether we had victory or defeat each day via email. We are tallying the days and the mommy who has the most days of gentleness will win a little prize!

So I told the children yesterday what mommy is doing and my sweet son said to his sister "this means we have to behave so mommy can win!" That's my boy!!!! I'm loving the support! Then I told the children they have my permission to correct me when they see me starting to not act in a gentle manner - you should have heard the giggles - they loved that idea!

So I'm off -today is day 3 of the "Gentleness Challenge" - so far - so good (and I have one child sitting in time out beside me at the moment - I'm being tested!) - but I know that Satan has some schemes up his sleeve - so I'm walking in the Spirit and praying my way through the month!

If there are any older mommies out there who have some words of wisdom for us send them my way! Or if you are a mother who struggles in this area and you'd like to join me for the 30 day challenge - leave me your email address (or email me) and I will hold you accountable once a week for the next 4 weeks via email!

Remember Proverbs 31:26 says "She speaks with wisdom and faithful instruction is on her tongue." And yelling at a bud won't make it bloom!!!

Walk with the King!

Don't foget to enter the giveaway for the children's Bible today!

http://www.womenlivingwell.org/

Being a Good Friend

God created women to be awesome companions. Do you remember when you were a little girl at recess? We‘d giggle with the other girls, hold hands, write notes, and have pretend clubs. I wore a necklace that was half of a heart – my best friend wore the other half. But there was a dark side to this, you see unlike the little boys who were throwing punches and wrestling on the playground – we girls were slinging verbal punches.

Remember the pretend club you couldn’t get into because the little girls didn’t accept you? Or the clique of girls that ignored you, or the girl who was your best friend one day and someone else’s the very next day? Then we grew up and it was the sorority you couldn’t get into or the clique of girls at church who ignored you or the girl who was your best friend the one day and didn’t return your calls or email the next. If you are a human – you’ve suffered a wounded friendship. I've been there - I have had a few friendships over the years that have soured and I can't describe in words the deep pain that I have experienced and wrestled with.

Yesterday I scratched the surface of the first fruit of the Spirit - Love. Today I want to move into the application of living out love in our friendships with women.

Think about one strand of spaghetti. Alone it is very weak – easy to snap in half. But when you grab a big hand full of spaghetti and you try to break the whole group in half, it's difficult. They strengthen each other. That’s what we can do for one other.


Romans 15:1-3 says, “We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me”.

In our friendships we should seek to build our sister up for her own good. When she is weak - you can make her strong. And when you are weak - a good friend will make you strong.


Verse 3 says to look at Christ, he is your example, he did not please himself. As a matter of fact, when someone insults one of his children, he takes it personally – it’s as if they have insulted him. Do you insult and gossip and criticize your sister in Christ? If you do, it’s as if you criticized Christ!

Hallmark and American Greetings card lines know how vital women friendships are. They have a card to say how much you mean to me, encourage you when you’re down, a special thank you, congratulations, or a precious goodbye. Do they have friendship cards geared at men? No - it’d be a financial disaster! God designed women to be awesome companions. It’s a gift from God. Be what God has designed you to be – a good friend!

Tell your friends you love them - don't be shy, hug them, cry with them, write them encouraging notes, point out their strengths, listen to their heart, pray for them, forgive them when they have a bad day and are thoughtless, be loyal, and love them like Jesus does. Not only will you receive unconditional love in return but you will be teaching the next generation how to build strong Godly friendships - this is vital in the body of Christ.

The first fruit of the Spirit is love. Be a good friend today!

Walk with the King!

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