womenNtune

There are so many beliefs out there in terms of what it "should" look like to be a Christian.  Some think Christians should be poor, some think Christians should be rich.  Some know that how much you have or don't have is no indication of where you are in your walk with God.  I was reading this scripture today (Philippians 4:12,13) and Paul said that he has learned to both abound and to suffer need and then he goes on to say that he can do all things through Christ who strengthens him.  This scripture really caught my attention because of the context in which it was used.  Did you ever think this scripture would be used in the context of when you're rich, rolling in the dough and you need Christ to strengthen you so you can do it.  I guess we do.  I guess when we abound, we need Christ to strengthen us against the temptations that come along with that, so we conduct ourselves properly in the Lord.  I imagine Christ can strengthen us so that we don...

It's funny how people will believe these author's of all these "Self-Help" books but won't believe what the bible says.  I know it's hard to believe someone that you can't see.  But God is more "real" then any person I've ever seen with the naked eye.  I would surely believe Him over anybody else.  Not only is He my Father, but my closest friend.  We live in a fallen world and it has invaded our family structure, so we don't always have good examples of what fathers should be to their children.  We do have a Father in heaven and if we let Him he will take authority over our lives and guide us along a path that will always lead to Him.  Everyday we can find comfort and peace in Him because it is His to give to us.  We can't find peace anywhere else.  Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace, you can't find it with anyone else.  Thank God that I am at peace with Him now and I am no longer at enmity with Him

Sometimes.............ok, I'm lying.............Many times, I wake up and I don't feel ready to face the day. My to-do lists along with my aspirations and desires seem to crush me before I can even get started. I get overwhelmed at the very thought of tackling the various things on my plate and on my mind. Then I freeze. You know like when a deer gets caught in front of the headlights of a car in the middle of the night; he freezes right in the middle of the road. Today I had that very situation. So I stopped and took a look at myself. These days I don't like to spend too much time concentrating on myself, because it's not very fruitful. I'd rather look at God. There are times where it is beneficial for me to stop and take a look at what's going on with me (my thoughts, my heart, etc.) I only take a pause.Today, I considered and I said to myself and maybe God was listening (wink) "Can I just take peek inside my life and look at what's going on o...

This blog is truly my space.  Once I've done my devotional and focused on what resonated with me, I feel focused and equipped to move on with my day.As I drove my 3 yr old daughter to her summer program today, it dawned on me that I had not brushed her teeth last night.  You see, she had fallen asleep on the couch and I didn't want to wake her.  So I put her right to bed.  Not to mention it gave me a little break from the bedtime stories, the back rub, and the "delay my bedtime" tactics.  As I thought about the fact I didn't brush her teeth, my mind drifted to the topic of fear & and all the little things we fear about when it comes to our kids.  When it comes to Noah, I want to be the perfect mom.  I don't want to miss a beat.  But while I believe I'm the perfect mom for my child, I know it's impossible to be perfect in any area concerning parenting our children.  Since it's impossible to be perfect, why not just relax and enjoy the ride...

I am thankful for so many things in my life. Noah's allergies were bothering her yesterday and the day before, but I'm thankful that God has given me the "know how" with my own child to help her get better and get over whatever is ailing her. I am thankful for my husband who is there for me in every way possible.  He builds my confidence and provides our family with a sense of security.  He leads me and guides me as I struggle with the mountains in my life.  He helps in all the areas of my role as a homemaker and mother.  He always bears me up when I need it.  He loves me like know other and has a sense of what I need, when I need it.  He is handsome, well built, smart, Godly, successful,  and ambitious.  He paves the way for our family to be able to live a peaceful, meaningful life I am so thankful for the home that we have.  We have a couple friends in our community,  not many but I'm grateful for the one's we have.  We have ...

When I begin my day with a fast pace and a mind to "get things done" it really never ends well.  I burn out pretty fast.  When I take a "rest stop" at the very beginning of my day with God and linger a little, the day always goes better.  Micah 7:7 says: Therefore I will look to the LORD;       I will wait for the God of my salvation;       My God will hear me.  It seems as if when I don't start my day with God a cycle of self-dependence starts and it never ends well.  When I start my day with God, dependence on Him starts my day and He reminds me during morning devotional time to lean on Him to get through the day.  It helps me to not get "caught up"  I pray that for today, that I don't get caught up.  Noah is home from school, not feeling very well.  I just want to lean on God and trust Him to bring her comfort and help her to heal today.  I'm praying that I to would...

Ephesians 3:20-21 New King James Version (NKJV) 20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. The above scripture was used in my devotional yesterday.  The devotional said that glorifying and enjoying God is a higher priority than maintaining a tidy, structured life.  "Give up your striving to keep everything under control-an impossible task and precious waste of energy". God provides unique guidance for each of His children because He has a unique plan for each of us.  The devotional really encourages me because it helps me to respect How God is teaching me to live this life He has for me.  It's different and unique and custom fitted to how He created me. This will help guard me from wanting what somebody else has and it will keep me from comparing myself to others.  It helps me to ...

Most people are searching for ways to be happy in their lives.  I am no different.  I try to live in a way that brings freedom, laughter and rest to myself and those around me.  But I have been wanting to grow in that area.  I want to enjoy life even more!  Some of the points mentioned in my devotional this morning were: Don't take yourself of your circumstances so seriously  When you desire God's will above all else, life becomes less threatening. Stop trying to monitor God's responsibilities (things beyond your control), find freedom by accepting the boundaries of your domain. God has designed us all to live life uniquely and we all have different domains and different boundaries.  One of the scriptures mentioned in this devotional was: Proverbs 17:22 New King James Version (NKJV) 22 A merry heart does good, like medicine, [ a ]       But a broken spirit dries the bones. This scripture is a reminder to guard y...

My husband and I love giving our daughter gifts that make her happy.  To be honest, she very rarely "deserves" these gifts.  We don't do it because she deserves it, we do it because we enjoy giving her good gifts.  As I read my devotional this morning the following scripture was mentioned: Micah 6:8 New King James Version (NKJV) 8 He has shown you, O man, what is good;       And what does the LORD require of you       But to do justly,       To love mercy,       And to walk humbly with your God? THe part that stood out to me was "To love mercy".  It has made me ask myself do I "resent" or do I "love" mercy.  Do I walk in the grace of God or do I walk with a striving spirit?  When doing things for Noah (my daughter),  her being deserving of it is rarely a factor in my decisions.  When I think about Noah's future a...

Colossians 2:6-7 (New King James Version) 6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it [ a ] with thanksgiving.  This scripture above made me remember what happened to my life when I met Jesus.  I was invited to church to see my best friend get baptized.  This friend had invited me to church several other times but I was too tired from drinking and hanging out the night before.  But this was special because she was getting baptized and I wanted to support her.  Well little did I know I would come in contact with the man that would become everything to me, the man that would become more of a friend to me then anybody could ever be.  After the sermon, I remember saying to myself "What I heard did not come from a man, that was from God"  I remember thinking that a man could never have wisdom like that, I knew it had to...

After almost 4 years of being a mom I can honestly make the following statements: I'm beautiful and I believe I get more and more beautiful everyday.  I love it!! I'm more "me" than I have ever been I really like myself a lot! Many of us have mastered the skills of being hard and critical on ourselves, as well as comparing ourselves to others.   I have been there and done that and it gets me nowhere.  That's it!

Hebrews 11:23-31 23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king's command. 24 By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, 25 choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26 esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward. 27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them. 29 By faith they passed ...

I have went from struggling with some specific things to praying about those things while still knowing it was going to take some time Now, God is changing these things and really has been all along.  Things are really looking up in our home.  Well, this blog was created for me to document my journey and struggles in making our home into the refuge that the Lord wants it to be for our whole family.  Well, today my daughter was home with a little stomach virus.  It turned out to be a very short bout and she was feeling better and eating pretty early in the day.  Well, that left me with an entire day with my schedule thrown off.  My daughter is usually in school on Tuesdays and I fully expected her to be today until she started spitting up last night.  I decided to spend the day doing the things I enjoy most - writing and playing my Sims game.  In the past I've felt like I've been in kind of a bondage to playing with my daughter.  Feeling...

I believe knowing our seasons and cycles is really important to our growth as individuals but our overall contentment with life.  As a stay-at-home mom I have a lot of control over my own environment and that can be a good thing and a bad thing.  A good thing if you can handle coming face to face with certain struggles you have, a bad thing if you don't know how to respond to those struggles.  I think in the hustle and bustle of "single" life there are a lot of things that you don't have to face about yourself and therefore do not deal with.  But when you start a family and life slows down that all changes.  Here it is Feb 10, 2011 and here is what I'm reporting: It's Thursday and one of the 2 days a week that my daughter is in school.  In the past I have destined the day for getting chores done around the house, cooking nourishing meals, errands, and so on..............however lately I have been feeling like I'm on a hamster wheel and it's taking aw...