Our Joyful Living

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

On our knees

"I have been driven many times to my knees by the

overwhelming conviction

that I had absolutely no other place to go".

~Abraham Lincoln

Monday, January 30, 2012

The Family Illustrated Bible Review

The Family Illustrated Bible is a great resource for any family.

This book is very interesting and can be used as a Family Devotion tool, a storybook for children or just a book for children to read themselves.

This book contains beautifully illustrated pictures with lots of color.

I notice that this book has some stories in it that some of our other Bible Story books do not have such as Naboths Vineyard, the story of Hezekiah and others as well.

Here is an excerpt from the a Story called “King Solomon's Wisdom”

After fourty years reigning over Isreal, David lay dying. He gave his son Solomon some advice. “Be strong” he told him. “Show yourself to be a man and observe what the Lord requires. Walk in His ways and keep His decreed and commands, His laws and requirements. As written in the Law of Moses.”

This book is not just about the stories this book also has a lot of History, facts, and charts in it as well.

Dislike:

I am not a Theologian but there is some question about some of the Theological content of this book.

This book is to be for children but some of it is more advanced then for a child.

Check it out for yourself.

Note: I received this book free from the publisher for my honest review.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Quiet Times

Quiet times are not always easy with young children.
My ideal of a quiet time is getting "alone" with the Lord for an extended period of time.
This is not always able to be the situation with young children.

Duck and Cover for Quiet Time

The idea of a personal quiet time often feels impossible to moms. How can we carve out daily time to be with the Lord when we can’t even go to the bathroom by ourselves?

When I attend conferences or retreats where personal quiet time is emphasized, I conjure visions of myself sitting serenely with my Bible open for hours and make personal resolutions that “I WILL find more time to pray and read my Bible.”

Then . . . life hits. My children wake up hungry or cranky or sick. Kool-Aid gets spilled on my Bible or I rush through the day without finding time to pray anything more than, “Jesus, help me to survive!”

Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating. There are times when I manage to carve out a niche of time to pray and read the Bible, and I’ve seen what a difference it makes. But it’s just a plain ole’ fact of life that during this season when I am home with small children, personal growth of any kind—including spiritual growth—is tough and requires attention and tenacity on my part.

A couple months ago, I wrote a post about Susannah Wesley. That girl certainly knew plenty about the demands of motherhood—she had ninteen children! I doubt Susannah had the luxury of personal space or long, lingering quiet times with the Lord. But, Susannah knew better than to try to mother in her own strength. When she needed time alone, Susannah was known to pull her apron over her head. It was her clear cue to her children to “leave mom alone.” Susannah wasn’t hiding under her smock for “me time,” she ducked and covered to pray for herself and her family. Those prayers, uttered in desperation under an apron, bore fruit in the lives of her children and multiplied to impact millions.

God’s Word never mandates that we spend an hour every day reading our Bible, praying, and journaling the Psalms. Here’s what the Bible does say:

“Be still and know that I am God.” (Ps. 46:10)

“But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.” (Ps. 1:2)

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matt. 6:33)

Be still . . .
Meditate on His law . . .
Seek God’s Kingdom first . . .

These instructions are critical, even for busy moms. It will take effort, but it’s so important that we find ways to be still and pursue God amidst the chaos of our day. Here are seven tips to grab quiet moments with the Lord as you mother:

Read a Proverb a day – Thirty-one Proverbs, thirty-one days in most months. Every day, read the Proverb that corresponds to the date on the calendar. This exercise should take you less than ten minutes a day.

Maximize meal times – Bring your Bible to the breakfast table and read out loud or quietly to yourself. Or, replace a routine prayer by asking each family member to recite a Bible verse.

Prayer walk – Kiddos love to take walks. Plop them in the stroller or bundle them up and let them walk beside you and use the time when you’re walking to pray for your neighbors and family.

Create a signal – Create a signal that shows your kids, “mommy is praying right now, she will attend to you soon.” You could hang a sign on your bedroom door, pick a prayer spot in your house, or follow Susannah’s example and just throw an apron over your head.

Delegate – I know we moms tend to like to do things ourselves, but the bottom line is that prayer and Bible study matter more than loading the dishwasher yourself. Is there one chore a week you could delegate to your family members? Replace that chore this week with prayer or Bible study.

Get technical – Technology has its perks. One that I am loving is the ability to load my Bible right onto my smartphone or Kindle for easy reading anywhere. Download a favorite version of the Bible and read up while you are waiting at doctor’s appointments, the carpool line, or outside your child’s classroom.

Make it happen – There will always be things to do. Your children are never going to say, “You go read your Bible, Mom, we can handle things for a while.” But they need you to be connected to the Vine just as much as you do. So, put them in a room with some safe toys (or in their crib if they are babies) and say, “Mommy will be back in ten minutes.” Then, go spend time with Jesus.

The little years won’t last forever. Which means, eventually we will have more time for personal quiet time. In the meantime, we must fit the practices of being still, learning God’s Word, and seeking Him first into the nooks and crannies of our day. It may not look like having an hour-long Bible study while sipping from a steaming cup of coffee. But daily time with the Lord can happen, even if you must duck and cover under your apron.

You can find the whole Article here.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

A Mile in His Shoes GIVEAWAY

A Mile High in His Shoes

A Tomas Kinkade Presentation

Like:

This was an inspiring movie that shows us the power of love, loyalty, trust, and commitment. Coach Arthur Murphy accidentally happens upon a young farm boy with an unruly ability to pitch a ball.

Through nurturing and special care for the young boys handicap, he hones the boys pitching talents into a powerful ability to pitch for his baseball team. As everyone on the team learns to adjust to his needs, they soon build an unstoppable team based on their loyalty and commitment to each other.

Despite the objections from his parents and betrayal by a jealous team mate, love shines through and his overly skeptical father finally gives his son the chance to prove himself and their relationship deepens as a result.

This movie was a perfect example of learning to understand the challenges that others face and building relationships from it.

Dislike:

The only thing that I personally did not like in this movie is that the ball players have a party and also the one ball player telling the Main character that he would show him how to be a “player.”

Disclaimer: I received this DVD free in return for my honest opinion

Find out more about this Film Here

You can find a Preview of this Movie Here

You can find a review from Dove Foundation Here

I have the opportunity of giving away a copy of this DVD Free to one of my blog readers.

To enter:

Leave a comment How you teach your children to be kind and show love to each other.

If you do not have children leave a comment how you think you would.

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Linked to:
Deep Roots at Home
Far Above Rubies
Raising Homemakers
The Better Mom
Time Warp WIfe
Women Living Well
Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Growing Home
We are that Family
Holy Spirit Led Homeschooling

Monday, January 16, 2012

Words

“Be careful for the words you say;

Keep them soft and sweet.

You never know from day to day,

Which ones you’ll have to eat!”

~Author Unknown

Our words can build up or tear down.

As a mother of small children it can be so easy to say things that sharp or abrupt.

A soft answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.

A gentle tongue is a tree of life,
but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

Proverbs 15: 1 & 4

Are we teaching our children to be kind to each other and use kind words when talking to each other?

Do we as mothers practice kindness to our children in the words and the tone of voice we use when we talk to them and even when we correct them?

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
Psalm 19:14

Lord, help me to use soft words to my children today.

Friday, January 13, 2012

100 indoor Activities for Kids... FREE ebook

Do you ever run out of ideas of things to do with your children?
Check out this free ebook.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Dishes

Thank God for dirty dishes,
They have a tale to tell;
While others may go hungry
We’re eating very well.
With home, health, and happiness,
... I shouldn’t want to fuss;
By the stack of evidence,
God’s been very good to us!
~ Anonymous ~