The Devestation is Heartbreaking!

If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 1 John 3:17

 The Tom Lee Family

 

My heart aches for the devastation in Alabama. Now is the time brothers and sisters to help. Now is the time that we see our brothers in need. Many of us have read and enjoyed the writings of the Crawford Family. And now they are left homeless with aching hearts for friends that were lost.

The Lee family has suffered great tragedy since this devastation. Tom Lee was tragically killed after he threw himself over his children one of which included his oldest son, Jordan. Jordan witnessed his fathers mouth fill with blood and heard his last words as he cried out to our Father in heaven to protect his family. God heard his cry and spared his families lives. This family is left homeless and fatherless with no time to grieve within the wreckage they are left in.

Dear brothers and sisters, now is the time for us to come together as members of Christ's family and lift the burden that has descended down on these families! May the world see us all Praising Him through this storm and may He be glorified!!

If you can give any amount here is a place where you can give directly to these families through a church. They need time to grieve let us lift the burdens that we can!
Providence Church tornado relief fund

31 Days to Clean E-book!

From the moment I saw this e-book I was super excited about it! I love practical help books! Here is a fabulous opportunity to pick up this e-book for free! But you better hurry! It ends at midnight tonight (EST)!!

I have yet to read something from Sarah Mae that I didn't love so hurry and get your copy! Even if you don't get a free copy I will be blogging a review of the book after I read it and I'm sure it will be worth the $4.99 to buy your own copy! 

Head on over to "Like a Warm Cup of Coffee" Now and get all the details!

Give Away! Family life presents: A weekend to remember!

My husband and I went to this conference and let me tell you what, it is fabulous!  This is not for troubled marriages, this is for all marriages or soon to be marriages! Luke and I still refer back to this conference. It was a wonderful experience that we learned a great deal from.
So that being said I want to tell you that first and foremost you will not be seeing anyone in "spandex jumping around talking about feelings and crying." That is a direct quote from Luke when I asked him to go. He was less than thrilled with the idea, to say the least. He envisioned something much different!  Now? He talks about it all the time and how much it helped him!

Here is what Family Life has to say about it...

WHAT CAN I EXPECT?

Weekend to Remember is not a large counseling session, and you will not be asked to participate in small groups. Rather, you will receive marriage-changing principles that you can take home and apply to your daily lives that will strengthen your marriage. Whether you are newly engaged or have been married for 50 years, you will find value in the tools provided at the getaway.

The Giveaway

Tickets to the conference for 1 couple. 

This does not include hotel but there is usually a pretty good discount at the hotel. We HIGHLY recommend going for the weekend and not just going home each night. There is so much benefit to taking a whole weekend away from the normal to focus on your marriage! 

Where And When?

Locally it is coming to Pasco on May 13-15. At the Red Lion Hotel in Pasco.
But there are conferences all over the United States.
Click on the link above and check to see if there is one within your area and when it is before entering.

How to enter? 

Leave me a comment telling me you want to go. 

Blog about it and add a link back to the giveaway.

Facebook about it with a link to this giveaway.

Leave me separate comments for each thing you do and I will choose the winner  using Random.org. Be sure and leave me a link to your blog or an e-mail address so I can get a hold of you if you win!

This giveaway is for U.S. residents.

This give away ends May 2nd, 2011.

This giveaway has ended. Thank you to all who entered! I will post winners soon! 

 

Give away! Home made living...The whole series!!

 

I am so super excited about this giveaway! I am going to be starting some fun giveaways really soon, including a big one coming up this week, to help promote traffic to my blog! So keep an eye out and tell your friends! But this is not my giveaway but one I really want to win! But, if I do not win, I hope you do, so head on over to Homestead Revival and enter to win this fabulous series!

All in a Day: Investing Time With Hubby

Our men have been on my heart so heavily lately I was especially excited when I saw this subject on the "All in a day" blog list. 

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” ~Ephesians 5:31

My husband is so precious to me I get frustrated easily if I do not get the time I desire with him. As you can probably imagine with four small children and being pregnant, time is always something that has to managed well or none of us get our desired family time. I'm so very passionate about how important marriage is and how we should hold strong to our marriage above all other earthly blessings. Today it has become very popular and has been deemed necessary to place your children above all else including your spouse. The Word of God is clear that this is not what He has called us to. It seems such an odd concept to me, if your marriage fails it does nothing productive for your children. It has a lifelong negative impact in fact. My husband is my very best friend and God has greatly blessed our marriage for holding strong to His word in Ephesians 5:31. 

 Life can be so very busy with little ones in tow but we must take the time to strengthen and nourish the foundation that those sweet little lives have come from.  

 Now onto some practical advice for investing the time needed with your love...

1: One thing my husband and I always try to do even when money is tight is when we receive unexpected money or if he has more earnings come in then usual,  we always try to use a small amount of that  to go and have a date night. Sometimes that consists of nothing more than a coffee stop and sitting down by the river alone for a while. Other times we get to go to dinner and a movie. We try very hard to save money for hard times and we want always be good stewards of what God has blessed us with. However, there was a time when that overtook our need for time spent together having fun. 

2: At least once a year we try to spend at least one night away by ourselves on a special date. We started this a couple of years ago when we attended Family Life's A Weekend To Remember marriage conference. They greatly encouraged us to stay at the hotel and really spend the weekend together without children. We did and what a difference it made! We had the time we really needed to remember why we fell in love! 

3: Take advantage of  every moment you can. If your children are off playing or sleeping don't go off and do your own thing, spend that time laughing about something that you both find funny, watching a movie, or just discussing your day. Luke and I both enjoy chit chatting about what we heard on the news or a funny happening of the day. If your marriage is already strained from lack of time spent together start small. Instead of trying to all of a sudden make that special night together happen, try getting back to looking to your spouse for your conversational needs. Be your husbands friend! 
 

4: And my final piece of advice is, in my opinion, the most important. As tired and un-sexy as you may feel, make love to your husband! I know, I know, it is simple and to the point but it is so very important. God has given us this amazing gift to connect with our husbands! Nothing makes me feel closer to my husband then when we are truly focused on nothing more than each other. 
  

The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. ~1 Corinthians 7:4

When it really comes down to it, just remember that our marriage is not just a covenant between our husbands and ourselves, but a covenant between our husbands, ourselves, AND our God!  It is a sacred union! Nourish it. It should be at the top of your priority list. 

Head on over and check out what some other ladies have to say about this! I'm sure you'll enjoy it! 

Carrie @ Our Full House
Christi @ Where the Creek Meets the Lake
Elizabeth @ Yes They’re All Ours
Kathy @ Kathy Mom of Many 
Kristy @ Homemaker's Cottage 
Lori @ Happy Busy Mama
Monica @ Natural Mama
Renee @ Bakers Dozen

If they fail... We fail! What are we doing to our men?

    As I watched this video my heart hurt as I pondered on the failure rate of our men....

 Why do we continue to encourage failure ladies? 

 We all want to be beautiful, yes? But what does the 

Word say about beauty?

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
   but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.  Proverbs 31:30

She is clothed with strength and dignity;
   she can laugh at the days to come. Proverbs 31:25

Strength and dignity! When you imagine a 

women who is clothed in dignity 

do you think of the average young lady you see today?

I don't.

I see beautiful young ladies who have

been fooled by the world to think that they must 

dress to show in order 

to be beautiful and desired. 

And so now I go back to the heart ache I feel for our men.

They are failing in their walk with the Lord. They are in a constant battle with their own minds.

Again I say, we are called to be their helpers. 

Are we helping them be the men of honor God has called them to? 

I will step out on a whim and say that the majority of women,

especially Christian women with a heart

after the Lord's,

get married hoping that now that they

are married their husband will stay strong and

be men of valor and virtue.

But is that what we are helping them to?

A wife of noble character who can find?
   She is worth far more than rubies.
 Her husband has full confidence in her
   and lacks nothing of value.
 She brings him good, not harm,
   all the days of her life.

Proverbs 31:10-12

Her husband is respected at the city gate,
   where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. Proverbs 31:23

What is God telling us here in Proverbs 31? There is 

a pattern we see.

Again God is telling us that our virtue,

our honor, is what will encourage our husbands to

be strong and make it through

their life with strength and serving the Lord until

the their ending day.

I have point to everything I have said here. My point is this; Don't compromise yourself because you think that is what it takes to be beautiful and for men to want you. Honor the Lord and the wisdom He gives you in Proverbs 31. He has a plan for you, He has the perfect mate selected for you. When you are waiting for His perfect will remember that He will bless you as you follow Him. 

Do you want to be married to the man that will *stay* strong

and live for the Lord all of his days? The one that will not

waiver and fall when times

get hard? 

Be a women of virtue and honor and wait for that

man who sees the beauty of a women of virtue. He will be respected at the city gates!

Remember, God is a God of wisdom! He doesn't lie,

He will never leave nor forsake you!

What If Our Goal is Different?

1 Cor. 11:8  For man does not originate from woman, but woman from man;  for indeed man was not created for the woman's sake, but woman for the man's sake.

 I've been stirring on this entry for some time now. I've put a lot of thought into this because it is so important for us, as wives, to understand...

 Do you know that the odds are that only one in ten men will finish strong in their Christian faith? Is there scriptural backup for this number? No, not directly. But there is scriptural backup for two in twelve...

 God is about to hand over the promised land to Israel, He instructs Moses to pick a *leader* from each of the twelve tribes. It is important here to realize that God didn't instruct Moses to pick just any old guys to go check out the land, but LEADERS. These were the men of great promise. The ones you would put your money on to be great Godly leaders, the ones you would look to as an example. Do you know the names of these twelve men? I am guessing no. I would however guess that you know the names of two of them. Do you know why? Because only two of those twelve very promising, Godly young men finished and had the courage to do what God had asked. Those two men were Joshua and Caleb. The rest were all too scared to do God's work. They feared men more then they feared God whom they had seen perform incredible miracles since their deliverance from Egypt. As a result they had to wait 40 long, hard years before they would get to the promised land.

 It was happening then, it is happening now. When I say one in ten men, I am not talking your run of the mill men. I am speaking of the best and the brightest. Those that have completely 100% committed their lives to Jesus Christ and his work. Those men we look to as great spiritual leaders.

 I read a story recently about the year 1945 and how three great evangelists emerged that year. One was Billy Graham. You probably know who he is but do you know who Chuck Templeton or Bron Clifford is? You may or may not, but I would guess that the majority have never heard of the latter two. Why do you suppose that is?  All three were packing the house preaching the good news. As a matter of fact the latter two were considered more prominent than Billy Graham at the time.  In 1946 the National Association of Evangelicals published an article about men who were "best used of God". Billy Graham was not even mentioned. Templeton was the highlighted man. Clifford set more attendance records than any other clergyman his age in American history!
 So why is it that Billy Graham is the only one that you still hear of? All three were on fire for the Lord's work! All three started strong.
 In just 5 years time Templeton left the ministry to become a radio and television commentator and eventually denounce the name of Jesus Christ all together.
Clifford? By 1954 he had lost his family, ministry, and eventually his life. He left his wife and two son's , whom had down syndrome. He died alone in a hotel of cirrhosis of the liver. He was an alcoholic.

 Ladies, of the three most prominent young men in the work of Jesus Christ of that time only one made it. One!

There are many more stories I can give you all of which paint the same story. Sadly, most men will not make it to the finish line strong.


Proverbs 14:1 The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.

 A very wise women, whom I greatly admire for her wisdom said something to me once that I will likely never forget. She said "What if when we stand before our  great and mighty God we are judged on nothing more than how we helped our husbands serve Him?"

 What a  thought! I've pondered on this thought for a great deal of time now. God's Word tells us that we were made for man's sake. Everywhere God speaks to us as wives in the bible it is ALWAYS telling us how we can serve our husbands, and what He expects us to do as wives for our husbands. What if the reason that so many women were horribly miserable in their marriage is because they were so caught up in what their husbands should be doing for them instead of what they should be caught up with; What they can do for their husbands.

 Ladies, nine times out of ten when the enemy goes on attack with your family he will go straight for the foundation; Your husband. And I use the word *when* very deliberately. It's not if Satan attacks your family, it's when.  If he can destroy your husband with one of many of his great lies he can destroy your entire family. Your children have a minuscule chance of surviving his attacks without their father. Your marriage is done without him. 

 Our God in His infinite wisdom has given us these words as wives for a reason. Great Christian men who start so strong are failing daily. They need us as wives to help them get to the finish line strong.

The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." Genesis 2:18

God calls us "Helper". He said "It is not good for man to be alone". This is the God of  the universe. His wisdom is unsurpassed.  We were made to help our husbands. If this is true then it is time that we see that if our men are failing at such horrible rates that means that WE are failing as his helper.

Let's take a look at what God has to say to us as wives.




 ~Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. Ephesians 5:22

 ~Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. 1 Peter 3:1-2

 ~For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Ephesians 5:23-24 

 ~Let the wife see that she respects her husband. Ephesians 5:33

 ~For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror.  1 Peter 3:5-6

 ~"The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed."~Titus 2:3-5~

 ~Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.1 Peter 3:7

  ~To be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. ~Titus 2:5

 How to the point our God has been with us! 1 Peter 3: 1-2 is so clear on the subject! If they are failing let us by our conduct bring them back to grace!

  I write this with tears in my eyes. Our husbands are loosing the battle. WE are loosing the battle. If they fail, we fail. Simple as that. We were made to help them. God tells us that our own behavior can bring them back to Him. What an honor that is! What an honor!

 Are you miserable in your marriage? My prayer for marriage today is that wives will return to what God has called them to. Help their husband's not just finish but finish STRONG! If you are miserable in your marriage look to the word of God. Start asking yourself what can I do to help my husband, I was made to help him.

 Our Dear Father God, I lift up each married 

Man and women to You today.

Lord bring them back to Your ways. 

Strengthen  them so that they may each 

Finish strong in this race. 

Give them the courage to live outside

Of the worlds ways. To follow You and Your

Ways even when it is the 

Harder choice.  Lord, give us wisdom

To discern what is right, follow You, 

And never waiver. 

Lord help us all finish strong!

In Jesus Name, Amen.

***Thank you to Steve Farrar. for the great information and inspiration I received from his writings.***