To be dramatic is to over exaggerate. Many of us over the years have at some point been involved in either being in a church Christmas play or being part of directing one. We all know when we are practicing, we are trying to get the kids to over express or emphasize their actions or their words. This is exactly where drama should be used, to get the point across as they are acting. Key word here is acting. It is not real life. When working with the children involved in the play, typically it is harder to get them to be dramatic, because everyone is watching.
Read MoreRecently, my family and I were at Cracker Barrel, a restaurant that I love, and we were talking about some old memories from years gone by. Some pictures had come up on my Facebook page from when my kids were little. This caused us to talk about old times, and in the conversation, my sons started telling us some funny stories, which involved some of the rules that I had when they were little. And looking back, fifteen-plus years later, I can laugh and say I did have some funny rules for my kids, especially my oldest.
Read MoreHave you ever heard the phrase said before - "Timing is everything"? Well, there is a lot of truth to that statement when the timing is God's timing. We are told from the Scriptures that waiting on God's timing makes things beautiful (Ecclesiastes 3:11), while rushing ahead or lagging behind according to our timing turns things into a mess. Too early and too soon - both bring about disaster!
Read MoreBe willing to let go of what could have been. My dad gave up a job where he could have been making more money and we would have definitely lived a comfortable lifestyle but that was not God’s plan and I’m so thankful God had a different plan. God has blessed our family so much!
One of my favorite possessions is my little peach tree in my back yard. Some of you, who know me, are nodding your heads up and down and smiling, as you have an extensive collection of pictures that I have sent you of my tree as it has grown over the years. Proud mammas always share pictures of their babies! My oldest son took special interest in my little tree. He helped me pick out the best spot to plant it, helped me dig the hole, and dutifully read the instructions tag about how to care for the tree. He even volunteered to water it every day for me.
Read MoreWe may have a shared or common calling for ministry, but the way we carry it out may look different, based on the story God gave us personally.
God called me to be a wife, homemaker, friend, encourager, conference speaker, and Sunday school teacher. Daily, He is molding me in each of these areas.
Read MoreAs Christian ladies, I know each one of us would like to hear the Lord say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” I wanted to encourage you today to stay faithful in these areas that I believe are important to the Lord, and also under so much attack from the devil in our current day and age. May I encourage you to:
Read MoreIt was September 26, 1987 when a 39 - week stillborn baby was delivered by a 19 year old married young woman. This was her first child and the baby’s name would have been Philip Thomas. She had thanked the Lord every doctor’s appointment for the opportunity to have the child and had already given him to God for whatever His will might be for this boy. Now all her and her husband would be able to do would be to grieve for and bury him. But they were able to do so because God is good. Fast forward 27 years and her second child, Norman Daniel, would pass away as the result of an accident he had while serving the Lord as a missionary in foreign country.
Read MoreMan’s opinions of what is acceptable have changed. The world once validated a women who was the keeper of the home, had moral purity, and upheld other things that Christians also valued. The world tells us we need to be one way while the word of God tells us to be another way. This is true from our gender to our demeanor. The opinions of man change, laws of what is acceptable change, and what is expected of people change. That's why I must have validation from the Lord.
Read MoreThe place in our homes where family and friends love to gather. Through the the centuries the style of the kitchen has changed but the one furnishing of the kitchen that has remained constant is the TABLE . The importance of the table is mentioned in Exodus when God said the table of shewbread was to be a remembrance of how He always provided and protected His people.
Read MoreJust as we need to clean our homes, we need to keep our “temples” clean! The Bible says, “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” 1 Corinthians 6:19.
Read MoreBees have a (mostly) good reputation—they work really hard, ensure our veggies and flowers reproduce, and honey bees provide tasty honey. Women are also known for (mostly) being hard workers, ensuring future generations, and we can provide a certain level of sweetness to our homes. However, just like a bee can sting and cause pain, so can we ladies if we do things we shouldn’t.
Read MoreI remember the days as a teenager when my friends and I would be dreaming of our someday prince charmings and pinterest weddings. I remember feeling as if my prince would never come. I thought I would never get to do all the fun wedding things. People would always tell me “Katelyn just wait on the Lord”. I remember thinking to myself “Okay once I get married I’ll never have to wait on the Lord again”. I laugh at myself now because boy was I wrong. If we really think about it. We are all in some kind of season of waiting right now. You may be waiting for the Lord to bring you a spouse, waiting to find that perfect home for you and your family, waiting for a ministry opportunity you feel called to, waiting for God to give you children, or waiting for your loved one to be healed from a disease. These are just a few things you could be waiting on. These are all things I have personally had to wait on.
Read MoreIn order for us to grow in Christ; we need to
G- Get
R- Rid
O- Of Old
W-Ways and put into practice new ways!
Read MoreThere is usually more than one reason for why we do things. These reasons can be like building blocks upon each other, but we must not misplace our motive in the wrong building block as the foundation of our decisions. Ultimately, the Bible says our purpose is to bring glory to God, and making decisions in accordance with His Word is how this is accomplished.
Read MoreMy dad is a whistler. There isn’t a day that goes by that you will hear a tune or two while he works. He always seems to have a song in his heart. When my husband and I first started in the ministry, the pastor that we worked under was always humming a song. We often joked, because, even while eating at the table, if he was enjoying his meal, he hummed while he ate! 🥰😂 Again, he always had a song in his heart. I have a best friend that constantly wakes up with a song in her heart. Even before she asks the Lord for it, He has already given it to her! 🤪 She has a song in her heart!!!
Read MoreHowever, there are some responsibilities that come with this job. Not to burst your bubble, but a real princess here on earth does not get to lounge around and be pampered all day (though that would be really nice!). Nope, an earthly princess has appointments, school, planned-out schedules, friends that must go through background checks; and above all, they have a reputation to keep. This is a reputation that needs to be protected and clean just like we all have.
Read MoreWomen in the Bible can offer us deep meaning and teach us! These women can teach us so much about-facing brokenness and hopelessness with courage even TODAY! They probably do not show up in VBS songs, or many Sunday School lessons. These women even today can teach us to live courageously, through difficult or even dangerous situations!
Read MoreThis year the town that I live in started a gleaning program. People could sign up to go and pick the leftover fruit and produce that was still left on the plants in the farmers’ fields. The free program allowed you to pick as much as you wanted and share with family and friends, but you were not allowed to sell what you picked. I had never heard of this kind of program before and I was a little skeptical at first, but when I went with some of my kids and a lady from our church, I was blown away by the bounty we could pick! While speaking to the farmer, he explained that the harvest was so large this year that he did not have the laborers to keep up with it. He decided to donate the rest so the harvest would not go to waste. As he walked away to answer someone else’s questions, I could only stare out at the field. There were 20 gleaners and three strawberry fields; we did not even put a dent into the harvest.
Read MoreHis name is Joseph. I first saw him walking through our quaint downtown square with a bundle of blankets tucked under his arm . He was obviously malnourished. His hair and beard were unkempt and his skin bore the marks of weathering both the physical and spiritual storms of life. In my mind’s eye I immediately saw him as someone’s son, someone’s brother, perhaps, someone’s husband or father. My heart hurt for him. It was a short and simple prayer that I prayed that day, “Lord, show me how I could help someone like that.” The light turned green and I drove on.
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