Listings 1/23/12

23 Jan posted by

Listings: Recommended Listing of Links How to Develop Poise
I enjoyed this article so much. As a woman, it can be hard not to think with my emotions or allow them to control my actions. This is also important as a Christian, to believe the Word, not my feelings. “Poise is not something that one can demand of you. It must be your willingness and your choice. It’s an attribute that will flow from your heart–coming from your inward thoughts and transcending into your actions. I believe the most essential element to perfect composure is for one to have the control over her emotions. Take the most elegant, sophisticated woman endowed with grace and dignity but who’s emotions are not restrained? I’m afraid all the former attributes are wasted.” (HT: A Quiet Gracious Life)

How We Paid Cash for Our First Home
Crystal, from MoneySavingMom.com shares in detail how she and her husband paid cash for their first home. I’ll be honest–as a single mother, there is no way I could do this. I prefer to rent because a landlord can repair things for me that I definitely could never afford to do. (We are so blessed with a kind, generous landlord!) I still love to read articles like these; they encourage me to dream big and work hard!

Public Schools Promoting a Religion
“Christians need to understand that if a curriculum is not for Christ, it is against. If the teacher’s worldview is not for Christ, it is against Christ.”

Jesus Isn’t Safe: An Appeal To Christian Radio And Its Listeners
Great article on modern “Christian” radio. Part 2–Jesus Isn’t Safe: Meet The Golden Calf Of Christian Radio (HT: Challies)

Cakes Throughout U.S. History
Very interesting infographic on different cakes in our history.

5 Tips for Living in a Small Space {Embrace your space!}
“Don’t compare your home to other homes. You will only be jealous if you want what other people have! Concentrate on what you have, not what others have.”

Make Money Selling Books
Here is an idea for you single moms needing more income.

It’s a Girl! Documentary Film–Official Website
As a mother of 3 girls, I cannot imagine girls not being wanted. Be sure to watch the trailer for this film. “These are the three deadliest words in the world. . . The ‘It’s a Girl!’ documentary film explores the question of why are 200 million girls missing? In India, China and many other parts of the world today, girls are killed, aborted and abandoned simply because they are girls. This so-called ‘gendercide’ is the topic of Shadowline Film’s first feature length documentary film, currently in post-production.

The Stalking of the President
Very interesting details on what really killed President James A. Garfield. (HT: Challies)

Homemade Laundry Soap
I’ve seen many recipes for homemade laundry soaps, but this one looks VERY simple. I would like to try it! (HT: A Dusty Frame)

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Filed Under: Christian Life, Frugality, History, Home Business, Homemaking, Homeschooling, Listings, Single Mothers

A Titus 2 Sermon

16 Jan posted by
World's View vs. God's View

Last night our pastor preached an excellent sermon on Titus 2. He shared a quote by John MacArthur similar to this.

“It is tragic that many young mothers are forced to hold outside jobs because their husbands have died, been imprisoned, or have left them and pay no child support, or because they have never been married and their own families are unable, or unwilling, to help. It is also tragic that many churches and Christian friends forsake their obligation to help young women who find themselves in such straits. And when the mother is away from home, younger children most often are cared for away from home. They need to be at home as much as possible and not be deprived of their mother’s companionship and instruction.

“…The point is not so much that a woman’s place is in the home as that her responsibility is for the home.”
–John MacArthur

Our pastor also shared the following.

World's View vs. God's View
Source: Dr. Constable’s Expository (Bible Study) Notes

(If you’d like to hear the sermon, please let me know and I’ll send you the link.)

I’m so thankful that God has allowed me, one way or another, to be at home with my girls all these years I’ve been single. I believe it’s made a huge difference in our home and family. I’m so thankful for those who have come along beside me to help me fulfill my obligation to my daughters.

Do you know any mothers in tragic circumstances (like above) who need help to be home with their children?

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Filed Under: Christian Life, Encouraging Quotes, Homemaking, Marriage, Mothers, Single Mothers

Wherever You Are

10 Jan posted by

Hydrangeas

“Wherever you are, be all there.
Live to the hilt every situation
you believe to be the will of God.”
–Jim Elliot

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Filed Under: Christian Life, Encouraging Quotes

Listings 1/9/12

9 Jan posted by

Listings: Recommended Listing of Links
Painted Treasure Boxes
I just love these painted cardboard boxes by Karla Dornacher, one of my favorite artists! I wish I could make one.:)

Sixteen Ways to Improve Your Relationship With Your Parents
Lies Young Women Believe is an excellent website for teen girls, and is based on the book by the same title. The site, as well as the book, does discuss mature topics at times, so you may want to be careful which posts or parts of the book your daughter reads. (We have read the book together as a family; it’s solid on Bible principles, while being compassionate and truthful.) This post lists 16 resolutions for teenagers by John Piper.

The Ecuadorian Martyrs
Tim Challies has a great article on “the 56th anniversary of the deaths of the missionary martyrs to Ecuador: Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Peter Fleming, Ed McCully, and Roger Youderian.” Jim Elliot was the husband of Elisabeth Elliot, my favorite Christian author and female speaker. You can read transcripts of her radio program, Gateway to Joy here. Elisabeth’s website is here, where you can find wonderful devotions to enjoy daily, as well as other resources to help you as a Christian lady, no matter your walk in life.

Life . . . Your Way Printables
This website has tons of printables-even ones I’ve never thought of. I definitely will be using this site! (HT: THE KING’S OASIS)

Great (Homeschool) Expectations
Many homeschoolers think that their children will turn out godly just because they are homeschooling or because they are doing “everything right”. This great article addresses this issue. “But the fact is that there are no guarantees. And to those who point fingers and say, ‘Well, if you just do it right, your kids will turn out right,’ I say ‘Beans!’ I realize there’s no question that my husband and I made mistakes. All parents do. But when I think of how the Israelites treated God (see Exodus), why did I expect that none of my children would rebel or go in a different direction from the way we pointed them? Clearly each person must make their own way in life (and hopefully toward God). Not even the love of a homeschooling parent can overcome the effects of sin in the world. . .We tried our best, but we’re learning that ultimately, our adult children’s lives are between them and God.” Be sure to read the whole article.

Charles Stanley on Public Education
Here’s a great clip warning parents about the dangers of public education.

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Filed Under: Christian Life, Homemaking, Homeschooling, Listings, Recommended Books

Day by Day

8 Jan posted by

One of my favorite hymns.

Day by day, and with each passing moment,
Strength I find, to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.
He Whose heart is kind beyond all measure
Gives unto each day what He deems best–
Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.

Every day, the Lord Himself is near me
With a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares He fain would bear, and cheer me,
He Whose Name is Counselor and Pow’r.
The protection of His child and treasure
Is a charge that on Himself He laid;
“As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,”
This the pledge to me He made.

Help me then in every tribulation
So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,
That I lose not faith’s sweet consolation
Offered me within Thy holy Word.
Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,
E’er to take, as from a father’s hand,
One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,
Till I reach the promised land.

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Filed Under: Christian Life, Recommended Music

There is none beside Thee to help

5 Jan posted by

Then Asa called to the LORD his God and said, “LORD, there is no one besides You to help in the battle between the powerful and those who have no strength; so help us, O LORD our God, for we trust in You, and in Your name have come against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God; let not man prevail against You.” (emphasis mine)
2 Chronicles 14:11

Faith

Remind God of His entire responsibility. “There is none beside thee to help” . . .

Put God between yourself and the foe . . .

Our God is Jehovah of hosts, who can summon unexpected reinforcements at any moment to aid His people. Believe that He is there between you and your difficulty, and what baffles you will flee before Him, as clouds before the gale.
–F. B. Meyer

From today’s Streams in the Desert devotional.

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Filed Under: Christian Life, Recommended Reading

Listings 1/5/12

5 Jan posted by

Listings: Recommended Listing of Links
A Forgotten Text? Why is that, I wonder? (HT: Challies)
Very thought-provoking post on Ephesians 5:12. “For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.”

Family Photo Album Tips {Photography Project}
This is a great article on organizing your photos to create a printed photo album at the end of the year. This is good for those who don’t get into journaling with scrapbooking. The time to get started is now!

Making Things Pretty with Pallets
I love these ideas for making furniture using pallets. My favorite is the bookshelf!

The Joy of Quiet (HT: Challies)
This post was very interesting on how much we need quiet, but discovering it nearly impossible to find with all our machines. “In barely one generation we’ve moved from exulting in the time-saving devices that have so expanded our lives to trying to get away from them–often in order to make more time. The more ways we have to connect, the more many of us seem desperate to unplug. Like teenagers, we appear to have gone from knowing nothing about the world to knowing too much all but overnight.”

AlbertMohler.com – Podcast
Every weekday, Dr. Albert Mohler gives a 15-minute podcast called “The Briefing”. It is current news from a Christian perspective and provokes Christians to approach our age from a biblical perspective.

Bob Ross: Painting Mountains
One of my best friends, Bobbie, and I used to watch Bob Ross on PBS (before we got very busy with families–smile). We each actually have a couple of paintings that we did while following his tutorials. Very fond memories!

T h e * H o t * C h o c o l a t e * S t a t i o n
I liked this idea for a Hot Chocolate Station. Aren’t the marshmallows so pretty in the jar?

Free Downloads on christianaudio
Each month, christianaudio.com has a free audio download. This month’s freebie is Knowing God by J.I. Packer. I’ve not listened yet, but this comes with many recommendations.

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Filed Under: Christian Life, Current Events, Homemaking, Listings, Photography

New Year Greeting

4 Jan posted by

My, it’s been so long since I posted! I have meant to post every day, but life got in the way! I had so much I wanted to share in December regarding Christmas.:(

Snowman Couple
My favorite ornaments!

We had a very good Christmas. We are most thankful that we were not sick this year! For many years, we have all been sick during Christmas, and the flu delayed our Christmas celebrations with our family last year. This season, I was very purposely about saying “no” to as many things as I could, even though it almost seemed impossible to avoid them. I made sure we got plenty of rest and took our Influenza Drops from our health food store. Ultimately it was the Lord Who kept us well this year!

This was the first year we had a real Christmas tree! I had put it off so many years because I wanted things to be perfect–me married and us going as a family to get our tree. I finally decided that we need to enjoy life now, and that there will be plenty of first times to enjoy when I get married.:)

Christmas Tree

After much reading on Money Saving Mom, I have been working on new goals for this year. I am not calling them resolutions, so as hopefully not to discourage myself when I miss them. Here are some personal goals I’ve written down.

  • Read 1 chapter of the Bible daily, in addition to personal devotions, family devotions, and couple reading with my Sweetheart.
  • Read 1 chapter of fiction.
  • Read 1 chapter of nonfiction.
  • Eat healthy – choose healthy snacks like nuts and fruit, drink more water, eat slow, and make wise choices.
  • Exercise daily.
  • Get plenty of rest.
  • Blog daily.

Yes, I have already messed up on all these, but knowing that they are goals, not resolutions, is helping me to keep trying. I also have a list of business goals. I probably need to write some homeschooling goals as well.:)

Camellias

Our dryer is out, so we are hanging clothes on the line this week. It’s been mighty cold out, but it’s been good for us. The fresh, brisk air and the exercise energizes us, although the girls hate “crunchy” towels and clothes, as they call it. We hang the linens on the line, and hang regular clothes in the bathrooms to dry overnight. So far, this system is working well for us. Not having a dryer really makes me have to keep the laundry up. It’s not fun to hang clothes on the line in the dark, and I’ve got to be sure we have what we need when we need it.:)

We have had some conflicts with others in the last week. Oh, it’s been so very hard to the point of physical sickness for me and others! The first situation was caused by certain Christian beliefs that someone could not accept. The situation caused us deep hurt. The Lord gave me a couple of verses that greatly helped me. “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth” (2 Timothy 2:25-26). Although these verses are directed to pastors dealing with lost people, I felt God was telling me that I need to meekly explain my position, and then be quiet and let God bring about the change of heart, if a change is needed. This dear one did not mean to hurt us, but was trying to uphold convictions that they had. After a good, calm, gracious conversation, we both felt so much better. I better understood this dear one, even though we still could not agree.

The second situation was definitely caused by me jumping to conclusions and misjudging a sister in Christ. I didn’t do what a former pastor told me years ago–when you hear or read something that upsets you, ask that person what they meant. If I had done that I would have saved us all a lot of worry and pain. Things on the computer just don’t convey the same as they do in person. I hope I will remember this from here on out!

Due to the problems mentioned above, we could not handle things we needed to last week. We have been working on them the last few days and have gotten a lot accomplished. Now we can start our homeschooling back next week, Lord willing.:)

How was your Christmas? How is your new year starting out?

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Filed Under: Christian Life, Christmas, Home Business, Homemaking, Life at Hidden Pines, New Year's

It is Not Death to Die

6 Dec posted by

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”
Revelation 21:4

I had intended on posting something every day, or at least every other day, but since my last post, we have had 2 deaths in our church family, both on the same day. Mrs. M, who I mentioned in the last post, went to be with the Lord with her dear husband holding her in the early morning hours. In the late evening, we got word that Mr. M (no relation to Mrs. M above) had suddenly passed. The news left us all pretty shaken in our small church. As our pastor said, we are shaken, but we are not moved. We have been so busy ministering to these families as best we can. We are tired and are trying to rest.

Mr. M was a loving, kind, and gentle man. Like the other couple, he had a close, beautiful relationship with his wife, and often teased back and forth with her. He was so faithful and true as a Christian, and he chose to magnify the Lord Jesus Christ during his funeral, rather than having someone talk about himself. His wife was a close friend of my mom as teenagers, and Mr. M was a close friend to my dad. It is a great loss to their family and to our church.

Our pastor’s wife testified that both of the couples were what God intended marriage to be. They loved each other, depended on each other, and were proud to have the other as their spouse. Their hearts are indeed broken, as the other half of their heart is now gone.

At our Ladies Conference a few months ago, I heard this beautiful song, “It is Not Death to Die” by Sovereign Grace Music. It’s a favorite, and I’d like it to be sung at my funeral.

It is not death to hear
The key unlock the door
That sets us free from mortal years
To praise You evermore

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Filed Under: Christian Life, Encouraging Quotes, My Life, Recommended Music

Courageous: Honor Begins at Home

13 Oct posted by

Have you seen the movie Courageous yet? If not, I urge you to see it today! Courageous is made by Sherwood Pictures, the same people who made Fireproof. I didn’t think they could outdo Fireproof, but they knocked it way out of the park! I have seen it 3 times already. I have bawled, laughed, and been encouraged and inspired. We sat with our pastor and his wife this week to see it again, and he is now recommending it to everyone. God is doing something awesome with this movie, and you don’t want to miss it!

I know firsthand how much the absence of fathers doing the right thing hurts children. As a single mother, I’ve seen the hurt of my children. Whether you are a father or not, there is someone in your life that needs you to be a man or woman of courage, to show them the way.

“If fathers just did what they’re supposed to do, half the junk we face on the streets wouldn’t exist” (Nathan Hayes, Sheriff’s Deputy in Courageous). The movie’s tagline is “Honor Begins at Home.” What men do in their homes affects our churches and our nation. When Christian men do not lead their children right, they are destroying generations to come and are causing the Word of God to be blasphemed.

Nancy Leigh DeMoss, from Revive Our Hearts, said on her Twitter page, “1st time I have publicly recommended a movie. Pls go see Courageous. Pray for a mighty moving of God among men/in homes.”

Visit the movie’s website at www.courageousthemovie.com. There you will find movie clips and many other resources.

Family Life Today recently interviewed the Kendrick brothers in 3 different broadcasts. It is a blessing to hear how the Lord gave them the idea and all resources to make Courageous.
      Getting Personal
      Being Courageous Where It Matters Most
      A Godly Objective

Have you seen the movie? Are you planning to see it soon? I believe you’ll regret it if you wait to see it on DVD.:)

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Filed Under: Christian Life, Family, Recommended Movies, Single Mothers
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