Valentine's Day is Around the Corner...

...have you gotten him anything yet?

Here's a great idea:

It has a nice Bible verse on the inside:

I found the one my heart loves.

Song of Solomon 3:4

and when he's done, this is what he gets to see each time---

what a lovely reminder!

Click here to view the entire

Mr. and Mrs. Love Collection

or

here for more ideas.

How do you like to celebrate Valentine's Day?

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Note: A reader just shared that you can get free shipping with a $25 purchase using shipping25 at checkout! Thanks, Jennifer!

Don't Be Robbed

Don't be robbed today of the simple joys of life...

Don't be robbed of your home---or angry with those in it, unhappy that things are not going your way or that your husband and children are not how you want them to be. Don't let Satan rob you of your happiness there, making you think that you don't have this or that. Don't compare yourself to others but be grateful for what you have and know they are a gift from the Almighty Himself.

Don't be robbed of your time---don't waste excessive hours with frivolous pursuits such as watching TV, being online, always being away from your home or other idleness that can spring up in a woman's life keeping her from truly caring for the very ones that you love. Guard your time carefully.

Don't be robbed by lies...the world will tell you that  you are wasting your time, that you need to look outside God and your home for true happiness. They will put you on 'their' path and lead you down the wrong paths. Keep yourself immersed in truth at all costs.

Love your children.....

Their smiles, their laughter, their questions, their hugs, their innocence, their smell, their thoughts, their health, their presence, their everything. They are God's gift to you. Care for them and educate them and raise them up in His ways. Enjoy life and share it with them, they are learning about the world through your eyes. What an honor we have been given! You are making memories today---rejoice in your special moments!

Love your husband...

Remember that he is not perfect, he is not  you and thinks differently than you do. He is God's gift to you. Love him in spite of his failings, love him wholeheartedly, extend to him the same measure of love, respect and forgiveness in the strength that has been given to you in Christ Jesus. Do something special for him today. A word of praise or encouragement, a massage, a gift, bake his favorite treat. Most men would die for their women, and we need to love them as our heroes (even when they might feel at their lowest). A noble wife rises up to the occasion to bless her husband with all her heart.

Care for your home...

Only a mother truly knows what is needed in the home. Perhaps the special meal, the socks that need darning, the gesture of love to cheer up a sad heart. Cleaning, decorating, planning, and reading to learn more about homemaking. Busy yourself with these things, and don't think that being home is boring!!!! There is so much to do and your are only limited by your own mind.

We have the blessed opportunity to start the day off as a clean white palette--new, fresh and clean, as we look forward to painting loveliness, creating order and putting our all into the our homes and our families. 

Guard yourselves, dear wives and mamas, 

from being robbed

and live your life serving

the Lord...





"I have come so that they may have life

and have it to the full."


John 10:10

Wise Planning for a New Week

I like to do my weekly planning for the week on Sunday night. Last night I was able to plan the entire week and even get some extra Bible reading time in which was the icing on the cake. I was thinking about how I used to plan when I was a younger wife, I would plan in many things that were unnecessary and by the end of the day I was exhausted. My husband would come home and I would have tears of frustration because I had too much on plate that day and he would wonder why. Well one look at my list and it was easy to see why!

Then I read a book about a wife who would try to structure her day around the Bible verse Titus 2:4-6. You know, love your husband, love your children, etc. She would get her planner out and ask God what he would have her to do that week and then write them in (ex: read her Bible daily), then she would think about what her husband would like her to do and she would write those things in  before she got to anything else. Usually our husbands do not demand too much of us. They are happy with the simple things such as a cooked meal, clean clothes and children that are alive when they get home from work! 

When I come to think of it, many godly women I know also do this. They put God first, and their husbands right after that, then  they tend to their children's needs, homeschooling, etc. I think this is wise, because it is so easy to ignore our husbands and have the house and children dominate our time and day if we are not careful to make sure we are tending to our husbands needs first.

I also think that planning that way helps us to respect our husbands more. It is reserving a special place for him in our hearts to serve him, this way we also know we are actually DOING it. We can have good intentions, but actually never really do anything with those intentions. So many times we can start the week off running and never think twice about how we can really help our husbands. Then little things might not get done such as ironing his shirts, making his lunch or preparing (timing) his coffee for him before he runs out the door.

Think back with me, ladies. What has your husband been suggesting to you? What things do you notice that you are not doing for him but he has been quietly not saying anything about? Let us tend to our husbands needs for this is how we love our husbands. If he requests nothing but taking care of the children and schooling them, then do it well. If he asks you to help run his business, then make that a priority in your life before everything else you would like to do, knowing that you are serving the Lord wholeheartedly.

Because at the end of the day you want to know you did everything you could to be the best wife possible with your priorities in order! (Well done good and faithful servant....Matt 25:23)

For those of you who are already implementing some of this--

how do you try make your husband a priority?





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Christmas Gifts for Godly Husbands To Lead Their Homes

All men are leaders of their homes. Some are doing it well, while others are not. Some are second generation Christians having had a rich legacy built into them from the time of childhood--while others are from broken homes, in many cases without fathers. In any situation, we need to be patient with our husbands and do our best to encourage them in their roles, just as we would want them to be patient us.

I  wanted to share with you some resources that have encouraged and helped our family in the past in understand the roles and positions of the this ever important role (you might want to consider tucking some of these under your Christmas tree!) :

  Family Man, Family Leader

Biblical Fatherhood as the Key to a Thriving Family

Save 30%--now only $10.50

What this country needs is a few good men — husbands and fathers who are willing to love and lead their households with manly resolve and godly vision. Family Man, Family Leader first presents the vision of biblical household leadership. Next, it addresses the many practical issues necessary for achieving victory as a man, from learning and acting upon God’s priorities, to decision-making as a father, to growing in oneness with your wife, to personal accountability before the Lord and victory over secret sins.

How to Disciple Your Family

A Plan for Generational Victory (Set of 10 DVD's )

An $82 value now only $42.50 (50% off)

Many Christian families suffer today because they fail to capture the hearts of their children. Too often they fail to communicate vision, convictions, and wisdom to their sons and daughters. In the battle between pagan culture and the Christian family culture, paganism often wins. The sad response is that too many Christian parents simply give up. Others set their goals so low that their best strategy is simply to see their children ‘survive‘ a little bit longer, or to lose the battle for the generations as slowly as possible. Douglas W. Phillips and Geoffrey Botkin gear these valuable teachings at equipping parents with helpful discipleship tools for passing on a legacy of godly experiences and wisdom to their children that they can build on as part of a long-term vision for generational success.
Watch video clips here.

 The Visionary Father's Role in Home Education-CD

Save 30% off now only $7

The Scriptures offer a powerful vision of what a father’s role is to be in discipling his children. Sadly, many men today are falling short in discharging their God-given duties as family shepherds. In this powerful message, Doug Phillips lays out seven critical components of a father’s role in home education. He is to be: 1) a vision communicator; 2) a Hebrew discipler; 3) a defender of the realm; 4) a household manager; 5) a discipline enforcer; 6) the family’s resident historian; 7) and the leader of family worship.
The Visionary Father’s Role in Home Education is a great primer for dads who want to faithfully lead their families with vision.
Listen to a sample here.

Building a Family That Will Stand- (Set of 7 CD's)

Blueprints for Biblical Fatherhood & Multigenerational Thinking

Now only $21 you save 30%

God appears to be touching the hearts of a growing number of Christian fathers with a hunger to learn more about biblical manhood. This quiet revival is taking place in homes where teary-eyed fathers are standing before their wives and children, repenting for their lack of vision and leadership, and recommitting themselves to God’s priorities for men. With this revival comes the awareness that Christian men need to make dramatic changes in their lives; changes which reflect a biblical re-examination of the way our fallen culture approaches family, work, finances, education, citizenship, etc. The goal of these conference tapes is to encourage men to see “the big picture” of biblical manhood.

 Listen to a sample here.

Father to Son

Manly Conversations That Can Change Culture (6 DVD's)

Save 30%--now only $42

Fathers need to begin speaking to their sons. But the conversation can’t be aimless or trivial. Fathers need to talk in manly and specific ways about the duties of Christian manhood. Enter Father to Son, a six-part DVD series designed to provide fathers and future fathers with simple examples of manly discussion. Where does a dad begin? With the pressing issues that weigh on young minds, these informal, unrehearsed conversations between Geoffrey Botkin and his five sons show how it can be done.
Watch the trailer here.

The Heroism of the Fathers is the Legacy of the Son-CD
now only $8.40
This one of my favorites that I always like listening to over and over!

What causes men to act with nobility and heroism? What is the link between fatherhood and leadership in times of crisis? In a never-to-be-repeated special evening dedicated to 150 years of heroic manhood, Doug Phillips answers these questions and presents the remarkable story of multi-generational fatherhood and Christian sacrifice from Teddy Roosevelt to Lord Baden Powell, from the Birkenhead to the Titanic, from 9-11 hero Todd Beamer to the remarkable story of home school heroes Joshua and Noelle Goforth.

Listen to sample. 

 iPod Nano: Fatherhood Collection

Regular price $386-now 40% off and only $231.60

An iPod just for dads! Encouragement, inspiration, and fun-filled messages covering all sorts of topics on fatherhood, leadership, and vision on one 6th generation iPod® nano.These include 40 powerful, life changing messages by Geoffrey Botkin, Doug Phillips, Voddie Baucham and more. This is great for husbands who love listening to messages and what a wonderful way to redeeming their driving time to and from work! There is also 5.57 GB of additional space! (8 GB total capacity). All pre-loaded iPod products come with back-up discs containing all of the available content. Click here to view some of the many titles it comes with.

 And until tomorrow they are having a flat shipping rate of only $5! They also have everything discounted in their store from 25%-60% off until the 17th. AND you will  receive a free $95 gift with your purchase of $150 or more — their special 2011 Homeschool Resource of the Year!

These are excellent products that have greatly enriched our home, and not only has my husband learned from them--but it has give ME the bigger picture of what the home and leadership looks like and has helped me immensely in helping my husband lead better.  The DVD sets are also wonderful because we were able to sit and watch it together as a family and it raised awesome discussion while mentoring my children--especially my young sons who will one day, God-willing, be dads themselves. I am so grateful to Vision Forum for carrying such high quality products for the family. Wives would be wise to invest in their family's this Christmas by purchasing resources that will strengthen their husbands in leading their homes!

So, dear readers, wherever your husband is at, I encourage you to love and respect him with all the strength that Jesus provides. Remember that he is a work in progress (just like you!) and pray that the Lord will do a mighty work in him and through him.


***************

Note: Dear readers,  I am affiliate for Vision Forum--if you decide to make a purchase from them please consider making them through this site through any of the links above or the catalog in the sidebar.  It would greatly bless our family and we would truly appreciate it! I love Vision Forum and am happy and honored to be able to introduce you to their fabulous resources! They also have sales everyday until Christmas!

The Wise Woman's Guide To Blessing Her Husband's Vision--Free Download!

Who is the wise woman?

She is the woman who will find out what her husband's vision is for their family and seeks to bless it!

Vision Forum is offering a FREE download of these powerful CD's--The Wise Woman's Guide to Blessing Her Husband's Vision, that offers wonderful teaching on being a wise helpmeet to your husband. All you need to do is click here to read how.

It is one of my favorites and even though I had bought it years ago I still try to listen to it occasionally to remind myself of what is important! Here is a description from their website:

"The Christian community is full of dear ladies discouraged because their husbands lack vision to lead the family with gusto. In some cases, the men are simply overwhelmed with present responsibilities. In other cases, they lack a biblical framework for household leadership. It certainly does not help when men have poor role models in their own lives, which is the case for a growing majority of husbands. Often wives cry out, “Help, my husband just doesn’t get it,” or, “I want more children, but my husband says ‘no,’” or even, “My husband is nervous about home schooling.” For more than ten years, Doug and Beall Phillips have spoken with hundreds who share these sentiments. But, too often, wives contribute to the problem through a wrong response. The great news is that the Bible anticipates this crisis of leadership in the home and provides crystal clear direction for wives. Wise women will desire to bless their husband’s vision by embracing the specific affirmative and negative biblical commands given to them for this very purpose. Those who do will become a sanctifying influence on their household, grow in spiritual maturity, and become God’s vehicle for their husband’s spiritual revival. This series is meant to encourage both wives and husbands with the principles and the practicalities for men and women growing in family vision for the Lord. "

Listen to a sample here.

If you enjoy it and would like to buy this encouraging teaching for a friend or family member as a gift for Christmas

you can purchase it here. 

It is 50% off now--so it is only $6.00 for the set of 2 CD's!

Have a blessed day!

*************

Love Your Husband

What things are drawing your heart away from loving your husband?

I mean REALLY loving your husband?

We can be so distracted by the meaningless. Thinking that these things matter but they really don't.

I was created to be my husband's helpmeet, but I need to constantly examine how I am doing in this area.

I need to look at my life through his eyes to see how I am doing.

I want to live a quiet life.

A simple life

and be busy with my hands.

And be busy with that which pleases the Lord.

I want to use my hands to build a home.

I want younger women to know that we can do many good things, many meaningful things--but we must do the FIRST things that God has called us to and that is to be a helpmeet and to love respect our husbands. It is so easy to get off track, myself included. The homeschooling, the children, the house, the list can be endless while our husbands quietly take a back seat out of love for us.
 

I want to bring him good and not harm all the days of his life.

Lord, help me to do just that.


************

Ask Your Husband

Many times, as women, we will have a 'problem' and then look everywhere to find a solution.

We will search high....

and low.

We will ask our girlfriends.

We will write complete strangers in magazines and newspapers.

We will even ask on other people's blogs.

or sometimes even on Facebook.

We might even do a google search...:)

And we forget to ask our husbands!

The very man that God has placed in our lives to give us wisdom and direction!

When I was a young Christian I was fortunate to have a mentor always ask me "have you asked your husband?" ...

At first, I thought it to be strange. Ask my husband? What does he have to do with it???

But she was right by always pointing me to him. And the great thing was that she would always tell me her stories about asking her husband--(yes, there are women that actually do this!) What an example!

So what did I do? Well, I started to ask my husband. And something special started to happen---I could tell that he felt more respected since I wanted his opinion. I didn't have to go to the Pastor, the pastor's wife or my Bible study leader...no, just Him. And the Lord used him mightily to give me the answers that I needed AND to teach me a thing or two about humility and deferring to him. The more questions I asked, the better he got at answering them too. He knew I valued his opinion and would try to answer the best that he could.


So next time---ask your husband!

And see what the Lord will do through him...





*********************

Note: I am not referring to those who occasionally ask for advice, as it is good to get wise counsel-- but to those that might always ask others or valuing their opinion more, never thinking twice of asking their husbands first.

The Mark of a Foolish Woman

She is not satisfied with the mate God has provided…

Rather than looking to God to fulfill the deepest needs and longings of her heart,

she focuses on what she does not have and looks to others to meet those needs.

Rather than pouring her love, attention, and devotion upon her husband, 

she invests her heart, energy, and efforts in another man, other vain pursuits and material things.

Do not follow the path of the foolish woman!!!!

But learn steadily and faithfully the marks of a wise woman.

And your efforts will be blessed!

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 -Thanks for visiting A Wise Woman Builds Her Home! If you enjoy and are challenged by what you read here you can get free updates sent to your email by subscribing and never miss a post.

She Delights Him

She brings him good, not harm all the days of her life. Proverbs 31:12

A lovely portrait of a true and noble wife:


"She delights him with her company and conversation,

sustains him with her strength,

stimulates and sharpens him with her wisdom and intelligence,

emboldens him with her praise,

bolsters him with her cheerfulness,

comforts him with her love,

and heartens him with her courage."

-The Botkin Sisters, Biblical Femininity




(The Botkin girls are a wonderful source of encouragement and have written the book So Much More. A sweet reader of mine, Stephanie, is having a giveaway of this wonderful book over at her blog.  Be sure to enter at My Way Home.)



******************

The King That Dwells Within

Good homemaking is an admirable virtue

but often times it can be overdone.

If we are creating and building up a home

it should not just be a mere showplace to impress others.

A good husband appreciates homemaking efforts made for his sake

but wouldn't want it to take priority over him--

or his children--

or the things he finds more important.


Woman would be wise to heed
these simple words of advice:



The castle is not more important
than the king that dwells within.

**********

Home is His Castle

*Home is His Castle*

The Godly wife sets the Atmosphere of the Home.

A wife is called upon to create the environment and right climate in which the tender plants of love and marriage can grow and flourish.



1. Think back through the past week:



* a. In the time shared with your husband before he left the house, what kind of atmosphere did you set for the day?



* b. When you greeted him upon returning home, what kind of atmosphere did you set for the remainder of the day or evening?



2. What principles for helping to set a good atmosphere in the home do you find in Ephesians 4:26-27, 29-32?



3. What do you think your own attitude and appearance have to do with setting the atmosphere?



4. What have you taught your children regarding how they can help set a good atmosphere when their daddy arrives home?





















(Hat tip to Practical Housewifery)

Searching The World

A man

travels the world

over in search

of what he needs

and returns home

to find it.


-George Moore

The Wise Woman and the Foolish Woman

I found this excellent article by Mercy King and thought I should share it:

This morning, I began to consider Proverbs 14:1 which says, “Every wise woman builds her house: but the foolish pluck it down with her hands.” And to reflect on the wise woman verses the foolish woman. This passage contrasts two women who were both “stay-at-home” types. However, only one is praised for her virtue.

The Wise Woman

First, the wise woman will build her home. She will garnish it with the grace of feminine beauty suitable to the admiration of both sexes. She will adorn it with the flowers of fair speech, kindly intuition, and gracious acts of mercy. She may not have much in terms of material possessions, but she is thrifty and builds upon what she already has. Or, if she is wealthy, she gives much of it away for the service of God and to be used to build His kingdom. She adds to the family economy by working “willingly with her hands.” She fixes mementos in her home by making memories out of her speech, which is “the law of kindness.” It is her portrait that is seen when a stray thought returns to her home. Her husband may be grand, or less esteemed in the world’s eyes, but she builds him up in love, respect, and affection, calling him lord. She shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of his house. Her society may be disagreeable or pleasurable, but she does all that she can to benefit the downtrodden and needy. She does not shame, but builds and restores that which is broken within and without. And, to all, she is careful not to show impatience or impolite behavior. The woman who builds her house lays it with her very life, her health, and her strength. She willingly lays down her life so that others around her may flourish. Her pleasure is gained by seeing others edified and cared for.

The Foolish Woman

In opposition, the foolish woman will be the one that pulls down with her hands what she does have. That which she alone has been entrusted with to cultivate, nurture, and beautify, she destroys. With crass words, complaining lips, and a murmuring spirit, she finds discontentment in everything. Her work is to chase vanity and to imitate vain people. Rather than work on her home (her very heart) she lets the thorns of bitterness encapsulate the life pulses of love and tenderness. Mark that woman! And, approach not unto her home to learn her ways. She will continue to sink lower and lower as her foundations crumble. Eventually, she will have nothing left. She who pulls it down, uses others to gratify her own desires. Her pleasure is mounted on the displeasures and discomforts of others.

Let us, as Reforming Women, strive to be those who build up their houses.

Repentance to God and man may be a daily thing as it is with me!

You may always wonder whether you will gain the mastery over your spirit.

You may cry every day “Help me God to do what’s right.”
God sees you and he knows you.

He will comfort you so that you can comfort others. Psalm 55:22 says, “Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”

A house is not built except one stone at a time.

Even what has been torn down can be rebuilt for service to God!

Let’s get building
the home God has given
each of us to cultivate!

The Nursery of the Nation

The home is the nursery of the nation,

and the deep and sacred love that binds into existence

the hearts and lives

of husband and wife

is the soul

of the home life.






-True Womanhood,
Pearables

Accolades!

Have I ever mentioned how great my husband is? He never ceases to amaze me! Not only is he a patient husband, gentle and fun-loving father but now he has an article published in Indiana's homeschool magazine, The Informer, in the May/June 2009 issue--here it is:

(If you click on the images below you will be able to read the article.)

(The below picture of us is an older picture, maybe 5 years ago)

Steve is a wonderful husband and what you might call a 'jack-of-all-trades'. Over the years he has blessed our whole family in several ways--most importantly washing his wife (me) with the Word, spending loving time as a dad mentoring and discipling our 8 children--his invaluable knowledge and skills around the home has saved us loads of money through the years and his ministries have encouraged many. Here are also some of the other things he has done in the past:

*led several Bible studies, including one for families
*headed up a Baptism ministry
*taught parenting classes
*preached regularly for a year and a half at the local prison in Northwest Indiana as a ministry
*men's conferences coordinator and speaker (and homeschool events/conferences)
*a Christian book distributor
*church website designer and technician
*main sound technician for a church
*headed up the church bulletin ministry
*had opportunities to preach at 2 churches
*homeschool graduation speaker
*created a homeschool organization/community online
*runs a blog for Christian men to encourage them in their walk

at home he:

*has built a deck
*landscapes
*finished part of the basement
*knows how to repair just about anything that breaks (how does he do that????)
*repairs cars, etc.
*leads our family in Bible study and worship
*is very hospitable and enjoys having huge get-togethers
*is currently working on our kitchen remodel
*has a crazy sense of humor that keep us all in stitches

Whew, what a list! Just looking at all that gets me tired and I'm sure I didn't even get it all in this one post--this doesn't even contain all the top secret stuff that I know he wants to do and we will be trying our hand at someday... :)

I just wanted to give honor where honor is due and let you see a glimpse of my husband and the things he has done over the years. I have been very blessed by the Lord and definitely see God's hand working in the life of my husband. I am looking forward to many more years with him and the adventures that will come our way.

I love you, Steve!

A Wife Clothed in Spiritual Beauty

The wife who would always hold in her husbands heart the place she held on her wedding day will never cease striving to be lovely. She will be as careful of her words and acts and her whole bearing toward him as she was before marriage. She will cultivate in her own life whatever is beautiful, whatever is winning, whatever is graceful. She will scrupulously avoid whatever is offensive or unwomanly. She will look well to her personal appearance; no woman can be careless in her dress, statternly and untidy, and long keep her place on the throne of her husband's life.


She will look well to her inner life. She must have mental attractiveness. She will seek to be clothed in spiritual beauty. Her husband must see in her ever-new loveliness at the years move on. As the charms of physical beauty may fade in the toils and vicissitude of life, there must be more and more beauty of soul to shine out to replace the attractions that are lost. It has been said that "the wife should always leave something to be revealed only to her husband, some modest charm, some secret grace, reserved solely for his delight and inspiration, like those flowers which give of their sweetness only to the hand that lovingly gathers them."



She should always care more to please him than any other person in the world. She should prize more highly a compliment from his lips than from any other human lips. Therefore she should reserve for him the sweetest charms; she should seek to bring ever to him so new surprise of loveliness; should should plan pleasures and delights for him. Instead of not caring how she looks or whether she is agreeable or not when no one but her husband is present, she should always be at her best for him.

Instead of being bright and lovely when there is company, then relapsing into languor and silence when the company is gone, she should seek always to be brightest and loveliest when only he and she sit together in the quiet of the home.

Both husband and wife should ever bring their best things to each other.

--JR Miller, a 19th century preacher, excerpt from The Family formerly titled Homemaking

Living In His Shadow

"And God's beautiful woman is pleased to be her husband's crown.

Shunning the spotlight, she gladly gives her life behind the scenes so that her husband may be noticed and honored. She is glad when he is the center of attention, when he excels, when he is recognized, when he rises to the top.

Indeed, she delights in living in his shadow.

His promotion is her greatest reward. She desires that her husband be highly respected and esteemed, so she contentedly offers the supreme sacrifice of herself for him."

---Elizabeth George, Beautiful in God's Eyes

The Perfect Christmas Gift

As we finish up the last few days of shopping, planning and creating for the Christmas season I thought I'd share my thoughts on what we could give others around us as THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS GIFT---yes, this sounds bold and somewhat impossible, but please read on:

OUR HUSBANDS:

Give him the gift of a submissive and respecting wife. From this day forth be loyal to him and committed to him in all your thoughts and actions. Be trustworthy with his finances and bring him good and not harm all the days of your life. Care for his home they way you would take care of the Lord's home, after all, it is all His anyways. Raise his children to love the Lord and honor him. Build him up with your words and vow to never tear him down again. Help him with his weak areas. Love your husband and forgive him of His shortcomings the way Christ has forgiven you. I don't think he'll want to return or exchange this kind of a gift!

OUR CHILDREN:

Show the gift of love to our children through our actions. Disciple them, shepherd them and teach them the Word of God so they will teach about Him to the next generation. Do not treat them as a burden that gets in your way because they are our true gifts from God that truly make our lives rich. In a spirit of kindness, meekness, patience and joy, spend time with them for this is really what they want--not that toy you fretted over purchasing that will sit in the corner untouched for much of the year. Imprint on their hearts righteousness as you will be helping to save their souls from wicked ways. Teach them not to be drunk on entertainment and pleasure as the world is, but teach them to serve the Lord with their lives---be committed to giving your whole life to raise to lovingly raise them, all these will be gifts that will last a lifetime and be passed onto our grandchildren and great grandchildren whom we might never see.

OUR PARENTS:

Give them the gift on honor and patience and kindness. Respect them and love them because of who they are and do not remind yourself of their failings. The mere fact that God has placed them as your parents in your life is enough to give them all the honor and respect due to them. Give them the gift of time as well because they won't be around forever. Love them unconditionally because they need Christ just as much as you do. (Imagine if they got saved by the fruit of our actions, wouldn't that be quite an 'eternal' gift?)

OURSELVES:

Give yourself the ultimate gift--- the Word of God.

Don't try to be who you're not or buy what you cannot afford. Give yourself the gift of rest that comes from bathing yourself in His priceless gift to you, His Word. Restore yourself, revive yourself in the richness of His wisdom and His merciful grace. Take time in it. Read. Relish. Treasure it in your heart. Connect with Him. Let Him speak to your heart--stop drowning out His voice with anxious thoughts, frivolous pursuits and empty gain. His Word is truly a precious treasure, more that any gift of diamonds or gold and will empower you to live the best life that you could have ever dreamed of or imagined.

OUR HEAVENLY FATHER:

We cannot forget the One for whom this whole season is about! Give Him the gift of a committed daughter----you!!! Commit yourself today to renew and strengthen your walk with Him, don't wait until you begin planning your New Year's goals to do this. Commit every area to him, especially those things you've been hanging onto like bad luggage..for example:

pride

that private sin no one knows about

your sinful thoughts about _________

and so forth...

The greatest thing about all these gifts is that they are for FREE....yes, I said free! In fact, I read the price tag myself and the only thing I saw enscribed on them was simply this:


LOVE.


Yes, love, after all, isn't that the price He paid for us???


(Now what are you waiting for, ladies? We've got to get busy wrapping up these gifts!)

Building A Good Marriage

A good marriage is the union of two forgivers.

--Ruth Graham

Purity

Impure images barrage America on a daily basis. Television overflows with scantily clad men and women and billboards attempt enticement likewise. We must be careful even as women to live pure lives. Here are some areas we need to protect ourselves and our families from:

1. Romance novels (even Christian novels)

2. Children novels that discuss unbiblical sex at an early age. Ex: Judy Blume

3. Impure television shows, movies, magazines with unacceptable pictures

4. Sales flyers (models in underwear), posters

5. Radio shows, music, friends or anything that has a low value of purity

6. Exercise videos (I realized this early on with little sons in the room) I make sure all the videos are now modest! (example: Stormie Omartian has great modest workout videos)

7. Internet (pornography is rampant, images are everywhere--from you tube to art stores--make sure you have controls!)

8. Suggestive clothing

Obviously this is not exhaustive--we want to protect ourselves and our sons and daughters from the assault on purity that is so prevalent today. We all know that once an image is branded in our minds, that it is there forever. We need to teach our children how to handle being bombarded with these sexual assaults.

I also think that it is important for those of us who have been defiled by the world (and honestly now, who hasn't?) that we make firm choices to think purely. "Be holy, for I am holy." exhorts the Lord. Yes, wrong thoughts or images can flash through our minds but we are the ones who controls what stays there. It is false to say that a man is more tempted than women are, I believe, unfortunately, we all are tempted in our own ways.

Wives, we need to protect the marriage bed from becoming defiled, this includes thinking wrong thoughts and/or thinking about others. We shouldn't be thinking about other men--period. That also includes men in novels, movies real life or fantasy. Just because you are thinking about it in your mind where no one knows about it, does not mean that it is not sin! It is just as dangerous and sinful.

Most importantly is to teach ourselves and our sons and daughters the tools of self-control against images seek to grasp their souls and rule them. Train them to look away, teach them to not pull up images in their minds, give them the weapons of warfare-- Scripture regarding impurity and holiness, talk to them about grace, mercy and compassion on those who are partaking in such things. Teach them what they should be looking for in a spouse (godliness, meekness, character, humble, etc). Point to living examples around you so they know godly people exist and that they can also live in a pure way. Pray together as a family for things you've seen and/or talk about what you have been exposed to in the day.

And before you train your children, be sure to train yourself first! Talk to your husband and share what you can do to make purity a priority in your family--for you are both their primary examples, what they see you both do, they will also do.

Be sure of it.