God So Loved the World

God So Loved the World

I don't profess to understand the level of love that sent Jesus. Nor do I understand the level of love that said, "Yes, I'll go."

But sure am thankful for that love. And I will celebrate that love, birth and salvation this season. Hope you will, too.

Photograph used by permission of Karli Bonnie Photography

Warren Baldwin

"Lead Me" - A Wife's Prayer

^"A wife of noble character who can find?  She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life." 

Proverbs 31:10-12

Click for Sanctus Real:  Lead Me

"Lead Me"
Prayer for Wives
(Inspired by the song "Lead Me" by Sanctus Real)

"Heavenly Father, You have called me to honor and serve my husband in grace, humility and love, and yet I so often let worry, insecurity and fear overshadow that calling.  Unburden my heart from worry and expectations.  Teach me to relinquish control of my life and marriage to You, for only You are strong enough to carry and sustain it.

Lead me to a place of deep trust and intimacy with You, so that I would seek no emotional fulfillment elsewhere, but would bring to my relationship with my husband a rich overflow of confidence and strength, making of our home and marriage a peaceful, restful haven.  Show me how best to love my husband, supporting and respecting him, praying for and trusting the work of Your Spirit in his heart and life.

Give me the wisdom to value what is eternal, so that I might be truly content with my present circumstances, and not fretful or anxious over family decisions and finances.  Teach me to be beautiful as You define beauty.  Let me be a creative and enjoyable friend and companion for my husband, gracious and kind, gentle in disagreement and quick to forgive.

Only as You lead me will I become the woman and wife that my husband needs.  So lead me, O Lord.  Amen."


Amen indeed.

Domestic Diva

I've never been good at "domestic" stuff. Cooking, cleaning, decorating, crafting....one can say I was challenged in these areas. So I decided to embrace my non-domestic ways. Me? Cook? Ha, never. I am woman, hear me roar! I became part of the feminist movement that says I don't have to do these things. Truth is, I was never trained. Growing up with a mentally ill mother left me challenged. But then something changed.

I joined a cooking co-op. If I would cook dinner just 1 night a week, for myself & three other families, then 3 nights a week I would have dinner delivered to me by another family. To someone who hated (aka can't!) cook this was a dream come true. What happened next was truly a surprise.

I had to meal plan. We set our co-op calendar 3 months at a time, so I had to pull out cookbooks and select meals. Once the calendar was set, grocery shopping was easier. And once I started putting some real effort into my cooking, the compliments (from my own families AND the other three families) started coming in! Soon I was buying fun kitchen gadgets (did I say fun and kitchen in the same sentence?)

I can honestly say now, I am a good cook. I can meal plan. I just had to learn how. I'm still not the best at decorating, but I am learning. Why is this important? Titus 2:3-5 says we older women are to teach the younger women to be "busy at home." That means cooking, cleaning, meal planning, decorating. I was never taught. But rather than carry on this omission, I am now teaching my children the JOYS of things like cooking.

Imagine my delight, when my then 4 year old came up to me with her baby doll and stroller in tow, and a backpack full of plastic food. She said, "It's my cooking co-op day." She's 6 now, and enjoys helping in the kitchen. She doesn't enjoy helping unload the dishwasher, but I am training her none-the-less, so she will never be domestically challenged.

What things are you challenged by? Instead of saying you'll never get there, why not put the effort into learning. Then you can train up those of the next generation. Now we're cooking!