Joyfull Living

The Titus 2 mandate is a familiar passage to many of us. As Christian women begin to mature in age and wisdom, the lessons learned through life and growing in God can be a blessing to younger woman - as God directed. Titus 2:3-5 "the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things, that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed." Many time we are eager to share lessons learned on how to keep the house, love the husbands and children. But every now and again a phrase pops out that demands closer examination. "To be discreet" would be one of those phrases that make us stop and contemplate. What exactly does being discreet mean? Is there a line between what is okay to talk about online and what is not okay? Where is that line? What does running ...

My husband's side of the family seems to grow and grow. During the Thanksgiving holiday when most of us were together, my sister in laws and I got the brilliant idea to take some family pictures. We felt like we had accomlished a great feat when everyone got together dressed alike and ready to pose - (well almost!). Here is the whole bunch (minus 2 families who live away) These are my wonderful in-laws... and their four sons... They had to wait until the four boys married to get some girls, but I think they are happy with their daughter in laws! This is me and my favorite of the guys!! We all did a family photo, this is me and my guys! And here are my nieces and nephews: In this family, the boys outnumber a bit, here are my nephews: Here are my sweet nieces! Just as soon as the pictures were taken, these girls got busy! Overall, the photo shoot went great! Don't tell Granpa, he's a bit particular about his hay, but the boys loved the hay barn! What a beautiful way to ...

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Do you ever wish that you could keep something in your house clean for more than 2 minutes? Do you ever wonder why the kids can't keep their sticky hands off of the walls or their muddy shoes off of your newly mopped floor? Are you ever incredulous as to why your husband has to rifle through the neatly organized sock drawer looking for a pair of socks that were on top to begin with? It is so easy as we attempt to keep our home to focus on the daily work that is there day in and day out. Today we are challenged to look beyond the chores that must be done around the house and look for the blessings and rewards of keeping a home. The woman of the home is usually responsible for the bulk of the household tasks, the cooking, cleaning and maintaining of the home. What a lot of work and what a lot of responsibility, but oh, what a great opportunity to minister to our family! How we view our daily chores can greatly affect our attitudes about our home. I know that no one "enjoys...

Forgive me, Father Ducking into confession with a turkey in his arms, Brian said, "Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. I stole this turkey to feed my family. Would you take it and assuage my guilt?" "Certainly not," said the priest. "As penance, you must return it to the one from whom you stole it." "I tried," Brian sobbed, "but he refused. Oh, Father, what should I do?" "If what you say is true, then it is all right for you to keep it for your family." Thanking the priest, Brian hurried off. When confession was over, the priest returned to his residence. When he walked into the kitchen, he found that someone had stolen his Thanksgiving turkey. Happy Thanksgiving!!

My youngest son came home recently and was excited to have made the honor roll for the first time. The school he attends always does something special for the honor roll students to congratulate and encourage them in their academic success. He told me that the school's honor roll assembly would feature NASCAR race cars and drivers. NASCAR ??? Yes, he assured me! Now since we live in a very small town, far, far away from any NASCAR track I doubted this fact, but surely didn't dim his excitement . The day arrived and some great local race car and drivers graciously came to the school, drove around some and let the children look at their cars. Surely the men who came out exemplified a winning spirit! The this little boys excitement, sure gave me some joy!

As we approach "Thanksgiving week" it is a time where we begin to prepare for Thanksgiving. During this week, we will probably search out grocery sale ads for good deals, do lots of menu planning and food purchases. It promises to be a busy week. May we take a moment to prepare our hearts for Thanksgiving. This is a great start for this busy week and as we acknowledge that God is the true Giver of all and be thankful to Him, this will set the tone in our hearts, homes and lives for a true Thanksgiving celebration.

Rosemary is a fragrant herb that comes available (in my area) during this time of the year. This herb is an evergreen shrub, with lovely aromatic linear leaves. Colored a dark shade of green the leaves of the rosemary give off a beautiful fragrance,. I just purchased a pot of Rosemary to plant and looked up some of it's uses: Cooking with Rosemary Adding rosemary to stews or sauces couldn't be easier - just drop in the whole sprig. The leaves will fall off the stem on their own. Remove the stem before serving. You can also make rosemary-flavored olive oil. Stick a sprig into a small bottle of olive oil, making sure the sprig is completely submerged. Let the bottle sit in a dark place for about a week, then fish out the rosemary sprig and use as you would regular olive oil. I have used Rosemary to add special seasoning to potatoes, green beans and when roasting meats. It adds delicious flavor to many dishes. Cleaning with Rosemary To make a natural disinfectant spray, mix a ha...

The topic for today's At the Well is God - The All Sufficient One. One of the Hebrew names for God is El Shaddai which means: The All Sufficient God. God revealed this name to Abram along with the promise that He would multiply Abram exceedingly. Genesis 17. The obstacle was that Abram's wife Sarai was barren and could not have children. God revealed through this name that He is the one who supplies and satisfies. When we don't have what we need - strength, hope, provisions - He is the All Sufficient One who alone can provide. I enjoyed doing a little research to learn more about this name for the Lord. This information is good to know and included valuable knowledge for me to store in my head. But there is a huge difference in head knowledge and heart knowledge. Many of us read God's Word, we know about Him and have a relationship with Him. We trust Him, obey Him, strive to live moral, holy lives and may consider ourselves "good Christians". Bu...

Several weeks ago I started sharing some about Sundays, hoping to create a series of "Making Sunday Special". One of the most important things about making Sunday special is to know why. What is different about Sunday and why should we go to the extra effort to make Sunday special. Previously I shared that while growing up, Sundays were no different from other days. I was not a Christian and my parents did not attend church. When I began dating my future husband, his family attended church and usually gathered for a meal and fellowship following church. Immediately I sensed that Sunday was no ordinary day for them, but a day embraced with gladness and joy. My husband and I accepted the Lord during the same church service and began our marriage as a Christian couple. Early on it was established that Sundays were special and we continue to hold that tradition and build on it. Sundays should be special most importantly because the Lord in the ten commandments, gav...

Last weekend we enjoyed one of those glorious fall days where the sun shone brightly and the air was crisp and clear. I was inside doing some cleaning when my son asked me to go outside with him for him to get his football. For some reason, he is afraid of dogs and won't go outside by himself for fear that a dog may come up. So, I stood on the steps for him to get his football. The day was just breathtaking and as I stood on the step and breathed in the the beauty of brilliant sunshine and fresh air, I took a seat on the steps to enjoy the moment. My son must have caught the beauty of the day also, he detoured and sat down to play in the sand a moment: He sat engrossed in the sand, I sat engrossed with the beauty of the day. It was a time to stop and enjoy a moment - just for the joy of it! The forgotten football found under my resting feet! I'm planning to take advantage of more of these beautiful moments!!

Marriage is the joining of lives, hearts, interests and ourselves to our spouse. It is a beautiful mesh of his and hers that blends into ours. Through marriage we learn about our spouses and learn to live with them and share everyday life with them. We share our thoughts, dreams and struggles and live in unity toward reaching goals and dreams. One vital aspect of a godly marriage is marital prayer. Many of us pray for our husbands, but may find it a challenge to actually pray out loud with our husbands. Years ago my husband suggested that we pray together before bed. For me it was a bit intimidating and awkward at first. For some reason, I was afraid of saying the wrong thing or sounding foolish etc. But as I persisted, our marital prayer has grown and flourished and we have taught our children by example the habit of nightly prayer. Prayer together opens a couple up to share what is in the heart. An observant spouse notices what is important when they hear what the other pr...

I recently was able to review a book on spiritual mothering entitled "Mothering Heights". Since I am an avid reader and love a variety of books. Books differ greatly in the fact that some grab your attention through the heart - or emotional response and some speak to your head and provide knowledge. Mothering Heights is a beautifully written book that begins with head knowledge and requires you to do some soul searching on the subject of being a mother. The book asks some deep questions such as : In one sentence, what do you believe is your purpose in being a mother? How does this fit in with your understanding of who God wants you to be as a mother? What parts do you see yourself playing in forming the morals and character of your children? What importance does helping shape your children's view of God hold in your overall definition of motherhood? The purpose of attempting to understand the importance and value of motherhood helps build a foundation to build o...

At my home my boys and I have a friendly competition over which make better pets - cats or dogs. The boys say dogs and although I do like dogs, cats have a personality all their own!! Check these out!!

Just For the Joy Of It is an opportunity to share simple moments of joy found through daily life. Recently our family took a few days and enjoyed some time in the mountains. My husband and I love to walk and we do it regularly. We especially like to take walks in the mountains. One day on the trip no one wanted to walk with us, so it was just us! We found a nice little trail, but it had a few hills! The deeper you got, the higher the hills! He patiently waited for me!! Also the deeper into the trail, some natural beauty was found: It was a beautiful trail, full of glorious color, falling leaves and trickling waterfalls. And filled with the joy of togetherness!!