Paul David Tripp is an amazing man of God with tremendous insight. In his books War of Words
and Age of Opportunity(parenting teens), he is painfully transparent; He shares his own
shortcomings as they are measured by the Word of God. He uses the Word to teach along
with personal, practical applications.
The website of John Piper, Desiring God/ Live will host Paul Tripp on Tuesday, May 10, 7:00 PM (EDT) to discuss the content of a new DVD resource, Getting to the Heart of Parenting.This DVD consists of ten 25-minute teaching sessions by Paul Tripp recorded at a parenting conference.
Tripp explains that parenting is all about the exposure and change of the child's heart. Join them Tuesday for a practical discussion on what this way of parenting looks like whether your children are toddlers or teens.
In my post Motherhood Stands Alone, I had said that I would follow-up with some
encouraging resources. I hope you find them to be helpful.
Being a mother is a privilege and very rewarding. It is a God-created and honored role according to His Word. There is an indescribable joy that is birthed in the heart of a
mother as she realizes the beauty and wonder of motherhood according to God's design.
Though our culture changes with the times, our values and beliefs must remain aligned with what God says in His Word. It is sometimes difficult to throw off the
views and criticisms of those who believe that motherhood is somehow less than
successful, important or influential.
But even as David had to encourage himself, we also must work at building ourselves up as we
face the battle of deception and de-generation. We want to keep ourselves strong and focused;
It's important to be able to encourage others as well as ourselves.
The first obvious place to do find truth is in the Bible.
You Are Captivating celebrates the glorious design and beauty of a mother released to be all she was meant to be.
100 Powerful and Challenging Devotions to Strengthen, Encourage and
Inspire You in Your Divine Calling as a Wife and Mother. 100Days of Blessing
The ministry of Nancy Leigh DeMoss is called Revive Our Hearts. This is a powerful
ministry for women looking for encouragement in the truth of God's Word.
Dear Mothers, draw close to Him. He is the source. Trust Him to lead you and guide you.
Your Heavenly Father rejoices over you with singing;
He will shine His light on the path that is right for you
and your family.Grow in the gifts and talents that He has
given you. Remember, you are unique!
There many other resources available; If you have a favorite,
please share it with us and how it has encouraged you~ We need each other.
Thank you!
While considering the upcoming day of honoring Mothers, this thought came to my mind.
Motherhood stands alone. Just as a priceless jewel; a diamond needs nothing
to make it sparkle and shine.
Nothing needs to be added to Motherhood to maintain it's value. We need not make
any excuses or apologies. The more we try to justify the position, it seems the less
it is respected.
There are many different kinds of mothers. Each on of you is special; You are unique!
A treasure. We will not all look the same or have the same gifts and skills. (God has given
you special abilities to bless your family and to contribute to the body of Christ.)
Do we allow ourselves to be pressured by our culture's expectations?
Worse yet, is this what we believe ourselves? Do we approach our days with the hopes
of achieving these expectations?
Learning to be a mother is a process. Guard your homes and hearts against the
deceptions and expectations of this world.
As you begin or continue your journey:
*Renew your mind in the Word (find out what God's words teaches about motherhood)
*Learn to discern your Heavenly Father's voice above the clatter of expectations and criticisms
*Be in regular fellowship with people who encourage you
*Don't compare yourself with others
*Pray for wisdom and guidance
*Don't strive, but rest in Him
*Set your standards high but allow grace for mistakes
*Be organized and diligent but allow God to do the work
*Let go of past mistakes..learn from them and move on
*Talk and pray with your husband often concerning your role
*Keep your days simple and God-focused (don't over-commit)
*Focus on your God-given strengths and passions
*Understand your weaknesses and don't allow them to cripple you
*Remember, it is only with His help that we can be the mothers that we desire to be
Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. Psalm 127:1
Here are some encouraging words by Voddie Baucham.
Being a mother is beautiful. The position needs no qualifiers or clarifiers. Oh, sweet mothers, if you could understand the thoughts that He has toward you and how precious you are in
His sight. Cease to strive and allow His work to be fully accomplished in your heart and home.
I wish to remember those of you who have never birthed a child. You are a treasure as well
for you have given your hearts, homes and love. You have nurtured and mentored
and sacrificed. A mother is not only someone who has brought a child into the world.
There are some encouraging resources that I would like to share. However, because of the
length of this article, I will save the information for the next post. I hope you can join me.
Happy Mother's Day, precious friends. May you feel honored and blessed in the sweet place of Motherhood~
Though Mother's Day has passed, it is never too late or too early to honor the sacred role.
If you are interested, the follow-up article is entitled: Encouragement For Mothers.
It is spring. The change of any season inspires me. (Do you feel that way?) All throughout
the year, I try to create an interesting, inviting entrance to our home. Greeting friends and
family at the door with something that speaks of the season is special, fun and fulfilling.
Make it personal. We all have different tastes and that is ok; Your family is unique, so let it
show! One of the wonderful things about visiting another's home is that it is fresh and
inspiring. Be creative in reflecting the heart of your family. I love seeing the talents and gifts;
If someone offers me a tour inside or out, I eagerly accept.
***************
If this is something new to you, here are some suggestions to help you get started.
1) Ask your family if they'd like to get involved. (This is a great opportunity for training young homemakers and training young men to have an eye for details.)
2) Decide on the theme of your (we'll call it) presentation.
3) Establish a budget (cash and time) if needed. (This does NOT need to be costly or elaborate. You may not want to investa lot of cash or time.)
4) Work on your plan. (If you get stuck, your local library most likely has books/magazines that can help get your creativity flowing. You will be amazed at how many ideas you have once you get started.)
5) Consider the tools you will need from start to finish.
6) Make a few lists: A. Materials needed B. What you may already have on hand C. Possible resources for making your purchases
7) Plan an outing to gather your materials.
8) Before you begin, you will want to clean the area thoroughly.(see list below)
9) Agree on a time to begin and have fun! (Remember, a project ususally takes more time to complete than one anticipates.)
10) Clean-up. (It took me awhile to learn to allow time for this.)
11) Stand back and ENJOY your handiwork!
If you already have the presentation of your home established, you may want to take
a close look at it. As I get involved with other projects, I tend to overlook
things that need attention.
Here are a few details to consider when assessing your clean-up needs.
1) Sweep up (or rake) all that the wind has blown in.
2) Have there been neighborhood animals visiting? (The neighborhood tomcat visits our house on a regular basis...and he marks HIS territory.{ SORRY} If you have greasy looking dirt marks running up your siding, that's what it's from. {I know.. disgusting!} It wipes away with any household cleaner or soapy water. We also have DOGS that stop by. We keep kitty litter scoopers in various places around the flower beds to SCOOP when necessary. {SORRY again...}
3) Clean up anything else that you can with cleaners. (Wiping muddy pawprints off of doors or washing storm window doors, spider webs etc..(Jeff and I have always felt that a home with a neat, clean appearance was a good testimony to the Lord.)
4) Put away any items left over from the previous season. (We still have sleds under our mudroom porch that need to be stored away.)
5) Touch up any paint that's showing wear.
6)Replace broken items.
7) Consider freshening the presentation with one new item.
A simple going over about once a week will help keep this area ready to receive guests (in season and out of season) and welcome your family back home after an outing.
I am sure that you all have many of your own ideas of what and how to clean up and add charm to the presentation of your home. Comments are welcome or even drop us an e-mail. If you are so inclined, we would be pleased to see pictures of your presentation. Thank you for stopping by. We hope this has been helpful~
