Revive Our Hearts with Nancy Leigh DeMoss is doing a series this week called “How God Overcomes Failure in Your Family” with Bro. Voddie Baucham. You’ll not want to miss this! If you have never heard Bro. Voddie, you are in for a treat! Prepare to be convicted and encouraged by this great man of God who was raised in less than ideal circumstances. God is God over all our situations, and He can redeem each and every one of them!

“Here’s what you need to know: I didn’t grow up with godly manhood in my life. I did not grow up with godly examples in my life.

“I just came back from Los Angeles, and, in God’s providence, last weekend I had a conference in the LA area. I grew up in Los Angeles. I grew up in drug-invested, gang-invested, south central Los Angeles, California. I was raised by a single, teenage, Buddhist mother. I never heard the gospel until my freshman year in college. I grew up with my mother, so I didn’t have much connection with my father’s side of the family.

“God’s bigger than the failures in your families. My wife Bridget and I, of the last two generations of both sides of our families, 25 marriages, 22 divorces. That’s our legacy.

“Here’s what I want you to know: God is able, and He is sufficient.”

Read the transcripts or listen to the series here: ROH Radio :: How God Overcomes Failure in Your Family (Voddie Baucham)

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. ~Psalms 19:14

Posted under Godly Womanhood, Marriage, Mothers, Recommended Listening, Single Mothers
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I didn’t get to read this until after Christmas, but this devotional really comforted me. I printed it up and placed in my Bible to read often. Being a mother is very demanding and stressful at times—even more so when she is single—but motherhood is the most rewarding job in the world. Read God With Us, a Christmas devotional by Nancy Campbell from Above Rubies.

Note: You can receive the Above Rubies magazine delivered FREE to your home by visiting the Above Rubies website. It is wonderfully encouraging—I highly recommend it!

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. ~Psalms 19:14

Posted under Mothers, Recommended Reading, Single Mothers
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My yellow roses blooming in winter.

“God is at work in response to our prayers, whether we see something happening or not. If we are truly praying, ‘Thy will be done,’ forces are at work beyond our comprehension – and often, beyond our vision. But they are working just the same.”
—David Jeremiah

In my last post, I spoke about how hard the Christmas season has been for me over the years as a single mother. Sallie at A Quiet Simple Life reposted one of her classic posts, Merry Christmas, Darling. I remember how much it spoke to me when I first read it a few years ago. It still makes me cry, because I really long to be married and not be apart any longer from the one I love. The quote at the bottom of the post really, really spoke to my heart as I reread the post. I’m planning to make some bookmarks with the quote on it—lots for myself and some for others.

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. ~Psalms 19:14

Posted under Christmas, Encouraging Quotes, Recommended Reading, Single Mothers
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“What really does work to increase the feeling of having a home and its comforts is housekeeping. Housekeeping creates cleanliness, order, regularity, beauty, the conditions for health and safety, and a good place to do and feel all the things you wish and need to do and feel in your home.

“Whether you live alone or with a spouse, parents, and ten children, it is your housekeeping that makes your home alive, that turns it into a small society in its own right, a vital place with its own ways and rhythms, the place where you can be more yourself than you can be anywhere else.”
—Cheryl Mendelson, Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House

I found the above quote at Morning Cuppas With Glenys. Glenys is a Titus 2 woman who truly understand the biblical calling of women to their families and homes. I always find encouragement, refreshment, and grounding when I visit her blog.

I have very frustrated lately with trying to balance homemaking and a home business. Even though I’m a single mother, I feel very strongly that my first obligation is to my girls and my home as a homemaker. A homemaker is just that—she makes a home for her family. She is not a maid or a slave to her family. But she serves her family with love and attends to their needs selflessly. She is there for whatever they need.

This year has been one of the worst years for our finances and for my business. Medical bills and the economic situation have taken a toll. When the recession began, I chuckled at folks who were upset that they couldn’t eat out or have the luxuries that they were accustomed to, because I’ve lived like this my whole life. It is nothing new to me! (Like my aunt says, we don’t have far to fall! ) I honestly didn’t think that the recession could touch us, because we were used to doing without what everyone else considered necessary. I also thought that a website designing business would still profit, since we are living in the technology age, and having a website is extremely important for businesses. But the requests did not come, even though my prices are much more moderate than other designers. There have been quite a few inquiries lately, but so many business owners are saying they don’t have the money right now. That is quite frightening to me!

I’ve had the temptation to pour hours into my business in an effort to provide for my family, but I got off balance. I was extremely unhappy, and my efforts did nothing. I’ve had to step back and go back to the beginning, to the Bible, to see what God says. God still says my priority is to be a keeper at home. God still says for me to trust in Him to provide. He still says “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). I want to be like the Proverbs 31 lady who had a home business, but spent most of her time on her family and home. That’s where her focus was.

Because I also must work, I’ve developed a strategy to help me wear all my hats. I get extremely frustrated that I can’t be just a mom and homemaker. I’m afraid I’ve spun my wheels so many times over the years and didn’t accomplish as much as I needed to. I’ve had to find a way to allow me to mentally and peacefully handle everything. I find I have to focus on one thing at a time or I just go crazy. I conduct our homeschooling in the mornings, where all my attention is on the girls and their schooling. In the afternoons is time for my housework, rest, exercise, preparing supper, etc., while the girls complete any schoolwork they need to do on their own. If they need help, I give it, but if it’s an extended problem, it has to wait until the next morning. After supper is my business time, where I devote all my attention to my clients. Sometimes I get frustrated that I can’t just watch TV in the evenings like most people do, but I do work better in the evenings, and I’ve given myself permission to do it occasionally. I don’t usually attend events at night during the week. I am trying to have a specific cut off time to shower, relax, and read until bedtime, but sometimes I don’t get nothing but the shower.:)

I need a lot of motivation. To motivate me for homeschooling, I enjoy reading homeschooling websites. To motivate me for work, I like to read computer blogs and newsletters. After work, I like to read homemaking websites and blogs that help me resettle into my job as mother, and motivate me to get up the next day to tackle it all again.:) Cooking shows on the Food Network really help me get excited about cooking when I lose interest.

My daughters help me tremendously. They have a lot of chores to do each day. They are surprised when they hear of kids who don’t know how to work. (We find our days go better when chores are done before homeschooling starts.) I do not allow my girls to do everything here, because I don’t want them to resent me or the housework. I still feel the house is my responsibility. But since I have so much on me, I have determined the following are the most important for me to handle, while the girls fill in much of the rest: good, nutritious meals, quality homeschooling, and my website designing work. I do keep my own room and bathroom clean, and supervise the girls with all their chores. I organize things that need it, and help my 2 oldest keep the yards mowed during the growing season. I also spend a good bit of time preparing my coupons and grocery shopping weekly. The girls help me by cutting out the coupons. The girls do cook a lot, but I try not to ask them to do it unless I really need their help.

I must admit, I still flounder and fail, and stay exhausted. I really struggle getting everything done everyday. I’m still trying to keep everything balanced. Financially we are struggling hard, but it has been worse. If it was not for my sweetheart Tim and my father helping us with finances and needs, and multiple car repairs, I don’t know where we’d be! Hopefully, 2010 will be a much better year for everyone. I keep praying that God will allow His people to prosper in a special way as a testimony to the world, just as He allowed the Israelites to flourish even while captive in Egypt.

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. ~Psalms 19:14

Posted under Encouraging Quotes, Homemaking, Homeschooling, Mothers, Single Mothers
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“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).

It’s my final day of A Month of Thanksgiving posts. I can’t believe I didn’t miss a day!

I am so grateful that heaven awaits for those saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. In heaven we will be with our Lord and all our brothers and sisters in Christ. There are so many joys there that we cannot even imagine.

There are a lot of things that will not exist any more. I will list some things that directly relate to single mothers, of which I have experienced much.

No more single mothers, overwhelmed and trying to make it on their own No more divorce No more divorced people being judged and misunderstood by others No more children abandoned by fathers No more poverty No more sickness or disease No more problems with no solutions No more dying No more disappointment and/or depression No more loneliness No more tears No more goodbyes.

Perhaps one reason God allows us all our struggles is to make us long for home more. “Heaven is not here, it’s There. If we were given all we wanted here, our hearts would settle for this world rather than the next. God is forever luring us up and away from this one, wooing us to Himself and His still invisible Kingdom, where we will certainly find what we so keenly long for.”
—Elisabeth Elliot

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. ~Psalms 19:14

Posted under A Month of Thanksgiving, Christian Life, Encouraging Quotes, Single Mothers
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“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth” (3 John 1:4).

The Lord has blessed me with three beautiful daughters. I am so proud of each of them. They are each so different, but so very precious to me. They all are so sweet, and tender in their own ways. They all love the Lord, church, and God’s Word, which is more important than anything in this world. They are caring and compassionate, funny and fun to be with. They are real and loyal and grounded. They are polite and well-behaved. They love their father and treat him with the utmost respect and love no matter what he does. They are not perfect, but they are very sweet, good girls.

I get a lot of compliments on my girls from all sorts of people. I have to give the glory to God, because I’ve failed over and over, and have not been able to give my children what I had hoped for. God has done it all despite our situation, which according to statistics, should lead to their delinquent lives. I do believe though that they would not be who they are today if I had not stayed home with them and homeschooled them all these years. I have a dear friend who has shared with me that her children would not have ended up where they are today had she’d only been able to stay home with them even as a single mother. We really need to help single mothers stay home with their children, no matter how old the kids are.

I don’t know what the future holds, but I do know my daughters will all make mistakes. God will never fail them though. My prayer is that they’ll always serve Him and find Him as faithful to them as He has been to me.

Would you like to join me?

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. ~Psalms 19:14

Posted under A Month of Thanksgiving, Encouraging Quotes, Single Mothers
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“Gratitude is born in hearts that take time to count up past mercies.”
—Charles E. Jefferson

Today has not been a good day, and I’ve felt stressed to the point of having chest pains. Several things happened that had to do with not having enough money, plus other things went on that are overwhelming as a single mother with enough on her plate already. I call this Single Mom Syndrome—when a single mother is so upset that she feels overwhelmed, vulnerable, unprotected, not provided for, and, many times, hopeless. In the past I would say to the Lord, “You could have stopped this—why didn’t You?”, but I’m determined not to do that now. I’m determined to trust the Lord despite the circumstances. It’s so hard. It seems every time I say something about thanksgiving or trust, the devil really lets me have it.:) Today (and for the last few weeks) I kept reminding God of His promises to take care of me and the children. Reminding Him reminds me.:)

I’ve been learning how much it helps when things go wrong to start counting your blessings. I made it a point to thank the Lord for all the good things that happened today. This truly helps my perspective. (A good nap, some southern ice sweet tea, and some chocolate doesn’t hurt either.:) ) It helps also to go back and remember harder times and how God brought us through them.

God was so good in telling us to offer Him the sacrifice of thanksgiving. He did it for Himself and, maybe, even more so, for ourselves.

“Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High: And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me” (Psalm 50:14-15).

Would you like to join me?

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. ~Psalms 19:14

Posted under A Month of Thanksgiving, Christian Life, Encouraging Quotes, Single Mothers
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This afternoon as my middle daughter and I were walking back from checking the mailbox, which is a good walk from our house, I saw that the school bus was just dropping off the neighborhood children. I told my daughter that if she was in a public school (or even a private one), she’d just be getting home, and would still have another 2-3 hours of homework to do. My girls were enjoying the afternoon playing, working in the yard, and enjoying the animals, because their lessons were done.

I’m so thankful that I’ve been able to homeschool my daughters from the beginning, even though it’s been hard at times. During those difficult seasons, I’ve tried to remind myself that it could be so much harder if I didn’t homeschool, with the running around and leaving the house daily, and the helping with homework at night. I’ve also been here to see everything my girls have accomplished and have struggled with. Being able to continuing homeschooling after the divorce was so important for the healing and the wellbeing of my daughters. It was so important to stay together as a family so that we all could get through it. They did not need another abrupt change in their lives.

“But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.”
—Psalm 5:11-12 KJV

(This verse is the theme verse of our homeschool, Joyful Christian Academy for Girls. I’ve always wanted our home to be joyful, and we have seen our God defend us and shield us over and over again.)

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. ~Psalms 19:14

Posted under A Month of Thanksgiving, Homeschooling, Single Mothers
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Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. ~Psalms 19:14

Posted under Christian Life, Homeschooling, Single Mothers
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I recently rediscovered a beloved blog writer, who had closed her previous blog. I have been just delighted as I’ve read her entries. Morning Cuppas With Glenys is written by a true older Titus 2 lady. Each post is written in gentleness and genuine love, while still telling the truth from the Word of God. Both my mom and I have been loving perusing her blog entries—getting homemaking encouragement that is hard to find—and viewing the beautiful pictures.

I’ve been going through a hard, exhausting time lately, trying to make things balance as a Christian mother who truly just wants to be a Proverbs 31/Titus 2 woman, while struggling as I handle life as a single mother. Many blog posts have meant a lot to me, especially the following.

Let’s be gracious to single mothers: As a single mother, I’ve experienced many of the things Glenys describes. I know other single moms who’ve been there as well.

Recognising False Guilt: Although I am not dealing with chronic illness, I struggle feeling like I ought to be doing more in the way of my home keeping, even though I have my home business and homeschooling that take up the vast majority of my time and energy. This post was comforting to me. My thoughts are also with my oldest daughter’s future as she is still experiencing chronic physical problems, even more than previously thought.

Investing in Eternal Treasures: This post reminds me that even in my situation, God still expects me to be the keeper of my home. I’ve recently felt the pinch of the economic situation and felt I should spend more time on my computer to bring in money. This post reminded me of what I’ve always believed—as I keep my priorities in order, He will provide for us, just as He always has. Our situation has been much bleaker than it is now, and I must not stop trusting in Him as our provider. I should do what I can to bring in an income; however, my priorities must be right. Our situation does not negate the need to rear my daughters for the Lord and teach them all the skills they will need as adult women.

There Is No Better Place Than Home: I especially love this quote, “The homemaker is a servant who is ministering for the LORD as much as any preacher or evangelist- the future of her family and therefore, society does indeed rest in her hands and the results will be eternal.”

The Fairy Godmother’s Not Coming!: This post really inspired me to quit thinking things to death and just do them!

There are many other posts that I dearly love, but these are some of my favorites. I encourage you to visit Morning Cuppas With Glenys often to be encouraged and refreshed by a godly older sister in Christ who has been there.

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. ~Psalms 19:14

Posted under Encouraging Quotes, Godly Womanhood, Homemaking, Mothers, Single Mothers
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