I try to keep my heart fixed on Christ, and one practical way I do that is by using visual reminders. In fact, I’d love to take you on a tour of my home. In lieu of a YouTube video, please join me on a “blog post tour” and use your imagination as you “drop by” for a visit!
My friend, Andrea Salzman, is a whiz when it comes to eliminating
clutter. In fact, she’s come up with a way to make de-cluttering a daily
lifestyle rather than an all-day de-cluttering binge.
Does anyone else out there feel the crush of stuff? Maybe it’s
overflowing dressers, hampers, and closets; a towering pile of bills
stacked precariously on your counter; or just a general sense that if
you don’t maintain control at all moments, your whole world could come
crashing down.
When everything in my feminine heart yearns to be deeply rooted and
secure . . . I can be. Not in my cute home on the corner, but in Him—in
the One who gives me life, the One who is my life.
I’d been having a really bad day. You know, the kind of day where everything that possibly can go wrong, does. My toddler had thrown one too many fits, my baby needed a little too much of my attention, lunch was burning on the stove, and my house looked like a toy bomb had gone off . . .
It's easy to cast ourselves among the few who, like Mary Magdalene, were truly appalled by the cross, isn't it? But C.J. Mahaney makes a compelling case otherwise.
I have a problem. I like to snack. No . . . I think I need to snack. I think it all started when I was a teen. Lovely summer afternoons were spent on my bed with a couple fiction books and a two-pound bag of Wildberry Skittles . . .
In the movie Return to Me (one of my favorites), a main character is asked by his granddaughter if he needs some help with cleaning up. His response, "No, no. I've been blessed with work." I don't know about you, but I don't always feel that way . . .
Have you ever noticed that it’s the simplest, most unassuming things that often have the most worth and value? It’s the things that seem on the surface, so very ordinary, that are often the most profound.
The miscarriage came in the early morning hours the day after the doctor’s visit. A womb emptied its treasure far too early, a daughter delved into pain deeper than she’s ever known, and questions fill the empty spaces.
It's easy to be afraid today, hearing news reports of wars and bombings, listening to dire financial predictions, and seeing corruption all around us. But God does not want His children to struggle with fear. His message throughout Scripture is “fear not.”
While the progressive instrumental version of "Joy to the World" blasted overhead, I observed grumbling store clerks, worn out children screaming with gusto, couples arguing, and pushy shoppers shoving. No, it was not Black Friday; this was just a typical shopping day during the holiday season. "Joy to the World" was lost in the Christmas crush. Out of desperation to bring Christ into the picture, a few years ago I started my own shopping tradition.
Amidst the busyness of Christmas, I want to pause and reflect more deeply upon the Christmas story. And this year God has brought to mind two women who played a major role—two women who I think are true examples of biblical womanhood.
A real turning point during the Christmas season came for me when I changed the word "holiday" into "holy-day." When I remember that Christmas is the day Jesus broke through the barrier that separates heaven and earth to create a bridge for us to have eternal life, it doesn't remove the busyness of the season, but it does restore perspective.
Each Christmas I struggle with how we can make this time more about celebrating Jesus than about presents, decorations, and all the rest of the trappings.
Beautifying our homes conveys some of the more creative qualities of the God we serve. If we want homes that display His glory by reflecting His character, then it helps to become students of beauty and creativity.
Conversation is often an easy, pleasurable experience—with those you connect with—but when conversation doesn’t come naturally, are you prepared to work at it?
Your floors can be sparkling, the windows shining, the aromas wafting, but if you don’t know how to connect with your guest . . . well, it’s a flop! Here are a few simple do’s and dont’s I’ve learned along the way.
Oakley concluded that women needed to be educated about how bitter and demeaning housework and caring for children really was, and to be convinced to reject this traditional woman’s role . . .
What I saw stopped me dead in my tracks. The aisle had been transformed. From top to bottom, beginning to end, it was stocked full of colorful balls of yarn. I stood there gawking in amazement.
I actually found it to be packed with intriguing questions that made me realize how much I still have to learn! (And by the way, do you think you could set up a household overseas?)
Through a repentant heart and a teachable, humble spirit, all of us can learn to acquire those skills and disciplines we need in order to be the women God wants us to be.
Your good works ought to first be done at home, ministering to the
needs of your family. Then as God gives you time, opportunity,
available resources—or in a different season of life—take those gifts
and abilities and expand them.
