Building Healthy Family Culture

I am so excited to see this brand new resource to help us build up strong homes:

To Survive and Prosper: It’s Time to Think Strategically
About Your Children, Your Household, and Your Family Culture!

strat-e-gies: The art of devising or employing plans or stratagems toward a goal.

If you are a Christian parent living in the twenty-first century, you need to think strategically about your family. Settling for the priorities and practices of the world is a proven formula for disaster. As parents, we must do more than settle. We must self-consciously choose. This requires strategic biblical thinking. It means self-consciously building your family culture. And whether the subject is entertainment choices, home décor, travel, music in the home, or dealing with antagonistic relatives, it means that wise, Scripturally-informed parents must think creatively as they aggressively engage impediments and obstacles to success.

A 20-Week Energy Boost of Strategic Thinking and Encouragement from Doug and Beall Phillips

Family Strategies: An Invitation from Doug and Beall from Douglas Phillips on Vimeo.

These are the weekly messages from Doug and Beall that are included:

1. How to Organize Your Home to Promote Family Unity
2. How to Cultivate a Love of Reading with Your Children
3. How to Make Mealtime Meaningful
4. How to Prepare for a Year of Home Education
5. How to Take Children Safely Through an Airport
6. How to Involve the Whole Family in Family Worship
7. How to Address the Plague of “Jive Talk” in Your Home
8. How to Encourage Masculinity in Sons
9. How to Encourage Femininity in Daughters
10. How to Handle a Social Worker Visit
11. How to Wage War on Sibling Rivalry
12. How to Use Household Decorations to Teach Character
13. How to Talk to Your Children about Miscarriage
14. How to Involve the Whole Family in Hospitality
15. How to Build an Entrepreneurial Spirit in Your Children
16. How to Watch a Movie As a Family
17. How to Cultivate a Love of Meaningful Poetry with Your Children, and Why Doing So Is Important
18. How to Prepare Your Children to Listen to a Symphony
19. How to Take a Road Trip with Your Family
20. How to Select the Best Locations for Family Vacations

As the parents of eight children and the founders of Vision Forum Ministries, Doug and Beall Phillips have spent the last decade collecting and implementing helpful strategies for building a strong, safe, and visionary family culture.

Now, beginning Tuesday, February 28, they will be sharing some of the most practical and proven strategies for building a vibrant family culture through their new 20-week, 30-minute episodes audio series called Family Strategies. 

Listen to the new Audio Samples here.

If you order by February 28 you will save $10, plus receive two bonus messages as a free gift.
This is a 20-message series sent directly to your inbox each week for less than $5 per message. But make sure you order by February 28, as that price will go up! With your order confirmation email, they will also send you coupons to download two important, family-affirming bonus messages for FREE:

Victories: Moments Small and Large Which Define Christian Parenting,
and How to Evaluate a Suitor.


For about the price of a fancy cup of coffee, you can get real, weekly encouragement  from Doug and Beall in which they share their favorite and best strategies for building family unity.

Click here to order Family Strategies.


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Dear Readers, it is an honor to share valuable resources on this blog to help you build stronger homes to the glory of God!  I thought I would also mention that Vision Forum also has godly resources for children:

V is for Von Trapp: A Musical Family Alphabet

and
Teach Them to Your Children: An Alphabet of Biblical Poems, Verses and Stories

Priced at $17.00 but is now on sale at only $8.50
and you can click here to browse more.

Defending Biblical Truths in the Face of Adversity and Titus 2 Link-Up

Defending biblical truths are mandatory for this day and age--there is a surreal amount of pressure to walk away from or make light of the scriptures. Titus 2 clearly states that older women are to teach the younger women to love their husbands, love their children, be self controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind and be subjects of their husband so that no one will malign the word of God. The Bible warns that there will be those who will come and teach things that our 'itching' ears want to hear, but we must resist and stand firm on the foundation that will not be shaken.

My favorite mentors have always been the ones who were bold and  unafraid. They were usually the ones who were saying things that were not always 'politically correct', although they were biblically correct and did not try to blend in with what everyone else was doing. They were like trumpets sounding their truths from the rooftops. The voice of truth in the wild jungle of falsehood shining light in the empty darkness. They knew from wisdom what the word of God said and knew we needed to hear it in order for real change to occur in our lives. Sometimes sharing that truth brought a price--but like great heroes of the past, they plowed forth with all their might, their faith unwaivering.

This blog has always been a place that has defended biblical womanhood, taught on the glories of motherhood and encouraged the role of helpmeet and homemaker. I believe it was God using His word, mentors, and even blogs that had sound teaching that helped me to be a better Christian, wife and mother. We need to test all things (1 Thess 5:21) and make sure we are not like infants that are tossed to and fro (Eph 4:14). We will continue to do that zealously for the Lord, and by His grace we will not compromise His Word to fall into the fleeting pressure to conform to the world.

People might not understand why we do these things---sometimes these well-meaning people might be our very own brothers and sisters in Christ, who might also need to hear the truth themselves. Dear friends, while this can be discouraging, I encourage you not to lose heart and cling fast to what you know is true. The truth of God will prevail and will stand even after this world is gone and the scorner and mockers have passed.

Now if you believe in defending biblical truths (in mercy, humility, and in love) and are not afraid or ashamed to stand up for them, please link up below and share a post. You can post about anything regarding biblical womanhood, blessed motherhood, being a helpmeet or homemaker---this is a Titus 2 link up, where we would like to share, defend, encourage the biblical truths on roles regarding women and the Christian family. So please join in and share with thousands of women around the world who desperately need to hear the glories and beauty of Titus 2! I am looking forward to reading your posts!

Inward Appearance

I've been thinking a lot about the inward appearance of a woman. Often times we get caught up in legalism and performance, and forget that which is most valuable and eternal to God.

What are you wearing today? Is it anger, unforgiveness, bitterness, gossip, rebellion, or hate?

While you put on your pretty dress, is there resentment disfiguring your body? As you line your lips with gloss, does your mouth dabble in curses and gossip? Your hand automatically covers your eye with shadow to bring out those beautiful baby blues, but what are those baby blues coveting?

Look in the mirror today, but instead of your usual morning routine cry out to God and ask Him to give you that which is most precious in His sight - a gentle and quiet spirit.

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.

I Peter 3:3-4





This encouraging post is by Jasmine of Far Above Rubies~
Thanks so much for sharing!





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If you are looking resources to help you with the above, you might want to consider the Godly Woman's Adornment Collection-a four  book set or Putting On a Gentle And Quiet Spirit: 1 Peter (A Woman After God's Own Heart).

When We Fail

Oh dear mothers-----we certainly have our days, don't we?

We wake up, we have our grand plans and as soon as we step out of our beds the day seems to spiral out of control.

The children aren't being good, the house needs cleaning and our mood switched from Proverbs 31 to the grumpy, grumbling mother in 10 seconds flat.

Or maybe you have prayed for patience. Yes, you prayed. Maybe that you wouldn't get mad at the children, or that  you would respond gently and that only lasted up until the latest sibling outbreak in your home. Then you asked yourself  "What happened, Lord? Didn't I pray and ask for help in this area?'

Mothers, don't be discouraged. The Lord IS working powerfully in your life. He is allowing you to see  your weakness and in that weakness His power is being perfected. (2 Corinthian 12:9)

I remember as a young mother, when I would fail and just feeling like running away. I believed my failings would influence my children and tarnish them for life----wouldn't they be better off without me?

What a lie! Satan was trying to drive me from my home---the very place I belonged.

Without me, this home would have fallen apart and as a young mom I was naive and gullible in even entertaining these false ideas for even a second. Thankfully, the Lord was with me and strengthened and encouraged my frame. He was my help and my deliverer and focused me to see clearly through the hazy thoughts, pressure from the outside and the lies that threatened to tear down my home.

So if  you are going through these things, dear mothers, know that you are not alone.

Know that you are not the only one who has felt that way--mothers everywhere have gone through this and more.

Know that God is right beside you gently guiding you through the wretched crooked paths and bringing you home.

Trust in Him,and not yourself, and let Him lead the way.

Don't give up--there is too much at stake--generations will be affected for the decisions you make today.

And continue to PERSEVERE because you know that this is His MIGHTY WORK He has laid out for you

and that He will be glorified through it as you faithfully lay your life down at His feet.

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Please know that He cares for you and loves you:

"He tends his flock like a shepherd: 

He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; 

he gently leads those that have young."

-Isaiah 40:11



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Discouraging Younger Women

Ladies Against Feminism has a great article called

Discouraging Younger Women

that every women should read. 

Enjoy!

Are You A Busybody?

Are you being a busy body?

Are you going to around prying into or meddling into the affairs of others?

We might think that in real life we never are, but how about when we blog or leave comments?

We need to be careful about going from blog to blog leaving unsolicited anonymous comments and meddling into affairs of that which we know nothing of. We need to NOT be busybodies. If you would not say what you wrote in person then do not leave it anonymously on someone's blog. Leaving a comment anonymously shows  that you did not even  have enough courage to put your name to it and also does not allow room for others to respond to you personally which is only right and the mature thing to do.

A godly person should be focused upon the things of the Lord. Helping their family and and minding their own business and doing the Lord's work. If you find yourself doing the opposite you need to reevaluate your priorities and focus. My prayer is that all of us---bloggers included, would be wise in how we act---online and off.

Remember that we are always accountable to God in all that we say, do and even what we blog and comment about. Let us always do all things with integrity knowing that we represent Him and will answer to Him one day.

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The Controlled Mother

Be gentle. That does not mean to spiritless. It means to be the opposite of violent, irritable, ill-tempered, and moody. Study to be so, for your own soul's sake, and as if you lived in God's presence, always keeping down every movement of anger, irritability, ill-temper, or moodiness. And be gentle,--precisely because you have much to do, much to bear, many cares to burden you, many things which continually try your temper.

Be low voiced. It is wonderful what effect a mother's gentle manner and low voice---when she teaches, or corrects, or praises--will have on a band of children. Take a school-room filled with very young boys or girls. Let their teacher be nervous, fidgety, and irritable; you will see all theses little ones thrown into a ferment and fever and agitation, which is nothing more than a kind of disorder which they catch from the teacher's manner. Let her be loud-voiced, teaching or speaking in loud, quick, nervous tones, and it is ten to one but you will see within a few minutes all these children will become restless, talkative, inattentive, and ungovernable. Now, let some quiet, gentle, calm-mannered and low-voiced person come in, and all the children will become quieted, will listen, and be ready to give their whole attention to what is said. And they will work steadily as long as the calm eye is on them and the gentle, low voice is directing them.

You will spare yourselves and your dear ones much trouble and much unhappiness by laying this lesson to heart. You can do what you like with them---if you are perfectly self-controlled. Besides, what a service you do them; and how they will bless their mother in afterlife for having taught them this gentleness!

Be patient--not only when you are suffering from aching limbs and head and heart, but when you do not succeed in making your dear ones all that you would wish. They will learn more than you think. They profit much more than you can see by your lessons, and especially by your example. Even should son or daughter of yours turn out to be every thing but what you trained them to be, the memory of their gentle, patient, loving mother will remain in their souls to their dying day, like a silent voice from the past bidding them return to God and to the the paths of their childhood.

Some say that steel beaten into its proper form and given a keen edge while cold, is more apt to preserve both form and edge forever. So is it with the temper your patient gentleness will impart to your children's souls. And this firmness, which is only one of the most precious dispositions of true manhood and womanhood, will be both of infinite value to them and of indispensable necessity.

-An excerpt from Daughters of Destiny by Noelle Wheeler