Our most Important Priority

I am constantly aware of how good our God is! The older I get the more thankful and grateful I become. Everyday and every breath is a gift from God. I am also reminded that we are only left here to serve and love and glorify Him with all our might. I'm saddened at how I allow this world and the ruler of this world to distract me from what is truly important.
When was the last time we shared a gospel track or invited someone to church or prayed for a stranger. I love to prayer walk. I pray for each of my neighbors as I pass their homes. I pray for their eternal security and or needs of which I know nothing about, but the God who created them does.
I am often convicted of the time I spend shopping , cleaning the house or reading a book when there are so many needing to hear about our Wondrous Savior! Oh Lord ,forgive us for losing site of you and making so many other things seem so important that we pass a lost and dying world by. Break our hearts Lord for those around us and may we make sharing you our priority each and everyday. I am thankful for a my earthy father who lived this out in front of me day in and day out. How important it is that our children see this lived out in us!

Beauty that Lasts

I had the pleasure of speaking to a group of Senior girls this past week from our local highschool. I was really stumped at first as to what to say to them and just began to pray that the Lord would lay on my heart what they needed to hear. Almost right away the thought of "lasting beauty" came to my mind. What truly does make us as girls and women beautiful in Gods eyes. I thought of my precious mother- in -law as she was getting ready to meet the Lord. Even though she had no makeup, her hair was matted against her head and she was very thin, all I could think of was how beautiful and peaceful she looked. What made her so beautiful even though her outward beauty had faded? She exuded a gentle and quiet spirit. She was gracious, always putting others needs before herself. She was quick to forgive and not harbor bitterness. I can't ever remember a time when I heard her involved in idle gossip or speaking unkind about anyone. This truly is the inner beauty God desires for each of us. As women of God, wives and mothers God has called us to live this out in a way that will bring Him honor and glory. We must remember we cannot do this in our own strength. He and He alone is the author of such beauty and it must first be the desire of our hearts to posses it. "Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain but a women who fears the Lord she shall be praised" Proverbs 30:31 Lord, Help us to first desire and then rely on you to live out this kind of beauty that truly lasts!

Set Apart Life

I want to encourage you to visit this site. It has been one of my favorite over the years and the books have been a great influence on my girls. I know you will be blessed and allow this ministry to help guide you as your raise your precious treasures!
http://www.setapartlife.com/ A Ministry of Eric and Leslie Ludy
PS. Make sure you read their love story.

Shepherding your Childs Heart Part 3

Our goal as mothers is not that out children be happy,fulfilled, and successful. Even though these are things every mother wants for her children, our highest objective should be that our children would repent from their sins , put their trust in Jesus Christ and reflect the gospel to the world around them. We should constantly ask ourselves in all we do "How is this going to affect their heart?" We cannot do this in our own strength we must rely on the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth of the gospel to them. However, our tender love can be an instrument in Gods Hands. No one has more potential to influence our child's hearts to receive and reflect the gospel than we do.
What greater privilege could we possibly have in all the world than to lead our children to the Lord? Today if you feel you missed opportunities to read Gods word to your children or pray with them, and even felt as if you were unkind and impatient remember ,2 Cor 12:9 " My grace is sufficient for you,my power is made perfect in your weakness" God will help us in our weakness, we cannot handle the task of mothering in this way if we do not draw on His strength and wisdom daily. God will provide all the grace we need to shepherd these precious hearts He has placed in our care.

Home Treasures Guest Blogger

Guest article by Pam:

Over the past weeks this blog has experienced some "cyber bugs" but we are on our way to working them out. Take a few minutes to catch up on some wonderful blog posts by Stacy that have been here all along but the blog updater was not notifying us that Stacy had updated with new posts. As I read and re-read these posts today, I smiled and thought about how even in this small way, God works in wonderful ways since this was the day that I was really needing some of these mothering messages. God is always on time even when man-made blog updaters are failing. I know that Stacy will love having you comment and it will be so encouraging to her as she begins this very worthwhile ministry focusing on the most important job in all of the world.

Shepherding your Childs Heart Part 2

So many times as moms we spend all day being reactive. Changing diapers, bathing, feeding, correcting, cleaning up, just to name a few. I truly feel that when the Lord asks us to "train up"a child it requires proactive action on our part. So many times I felt so overwhelmed by the urgent tasks at hand I couldn't imagine doing more. I will never forget the day when the Lord reminded me that when He created me as a mother He gave me everything I needed to complete the task. He would provide the time,wisdom and patience to accomplish that which He had called me to do. When we rely on His strength, not our own ,we can shepherd and train our child's heart in a way that honors Him. The creativeness and sweet opportunities He begins to provide are so special if we stay in tune to hear that still small voice. Guess what? the scary thing is that if we don't someone else will. We have to be the primary influence and closest thing to Gods heart to reach our children's heart. Will we fail? Yes, but the exciting thing is that "His mercies are NEW every morning". I claim that verse many nights when I feel I have failed as a mom and or wife that day. WOW! How sufficient Gods grace is! I always knew that no matter what ,if I did nothing else that day except take time to read Gods word to the children, God would fill in the blanks. Thank you Lord that when I am weak you are Strong!

Shepherding a Childs Heart Part 1

I don't know about you but I love being a Mom! How rewarding it is when you tuck your child in and he or she says "Mommy you are the best Mommy in the world" "Thank you for all you do mom" If you haven't heard those words yet they will come. One of our most important jobs is to Shepherd our child's heart. Instilling Gods word in a childs heart whenever you get a chance.
On of my favorite videos (Now in cd and dvd) when the kids were little was and still is Steve Greens "Hide em in your Heart" volume 1 and 2. It is children singing scripture. My children to this day know all of those songs by memory and I love when I hear them singing and applying them to daily life.
Another way to Shepherd their heart is to teach Godly character qualities. On the Duggar website (on my resource list) she has a character qualities list. I recommend printing it out and picking one each day to go over with your children. This is something you can do over and over for years to come till these qualities are planted in their hearts. What an awesome and exciting job we have.

Happy Mothers Day

Taxi driver, pharmacist, cook, dietitian, teacher,fashion coordinator and just to name a few,are some of the jobs we take on as mothers. A recent survey suggested that if you averaged out a mothers salary it would be around 136.000 a year. Quite impressive for a job where our rewards are limitless. Do you love your job? I hope so because if not you are missing out on the greatest blessing in the world. Molding and training a life for the cause of Christ is the greatest job in the world. Is is always easy? No, but if we embrace it with a joyful heart in obedience to our Lord ,He will equip us with all we need to complete the task.
Thank you Lord for allowing me to have the awesome privilege of training and guiding these precious lives for you. I know I will not always do things just right and forgive me when I fail to seek you each and every morning for guidance and strength. May I see motherhood as a process of sanctification in my own life and yield my all to you to be used for your glory and honor! Thank you for choosing me to be the mother of ____________.

Praising your children to success

What a difference it makes when we speak to our children in a positive manner. My goal was to always speak 3 positive statements to every 1 negative. When your children are small and you find yourself constantly saying "No" this is even more important or before long they will feel like they can never please you. Children ultimately want to please. It is our responsibility to give them that opportunity. Look for things in their character each day that you can praise. Some days it will be easier than others but there is always something positive if you just look for it.
It is harder to praise sometime than to correct them for their faults. This is why we must rely on the Lord to help us in this area. Children will rise to the standards you set for them. For example, "Thank you Sally for obeying mommy the first time." " That was a good choice to help your brother with his homework" "Thank you for being so considerate" " You were so kind to your sister and that pleases the Lord. He tells us in His word to "Be kind to one another" thank you for being obedient to Gods word" These are just a few examples but the more you do it the more natural it will become.