Joyfull Living

Humility.   The word is lovely, but it tends to bring up images that falsify true humility.  Humility doesn't mean dressing plain or ugly, being a doormat, letting others boss you around or feeling worthless.  Humilty is much more than that.  It's basis is thinking rightly about who you are in relation to God.  It is right, realistic thinking.   It is knowing your real strengths your true weaknesses your genuine talents your real worth Humility is a balance between the opposing and extreme ends of boastful pride and false humility.  When our eyes are on ourselves and whether we think we are better or worse than others, it is pride.  When our eyes are on God, we can't help but be humble.  Here are a few points from a recent Sunday School lesson which brought out some great points about humility. 1.  A humble person has the right perspective about who they are in relation to God.  God is God - w...

Homemade laundry detergent…everyone needs to try it at least once!  A few years ago, I tried the liquid type…stirring over a stove grated Fels Naptha, measuring cups of water, stirring, stirring, stirring…I just couldn’t see myself doing this all the time.   Then, I found a recipe for dry, powder homemade laundry detergent.  This was quick, easy and cost effective!     Ingredients 3 bars Fels Naptha, grated 1 box Borax 1 box Washing Soda 2 cups of baking soda 2 containers of Oxyclean 1-2 containers of Purex fabric softener crystals Directions 1. Start by grating the Fels Naptha.  You can use a hand grater or a food processor. 2. Next, mix grated soap and the rest of your ingredients together. Most people mixed right into the tub where they were going to store their soap. A good idea is to use a big black garbage bag lining the bucket and poured everything in there. (Another hint: do this outside! All th...

One of my favorite things about homeschooling is what "I" learn!!  From gaining a new perspective on history to enhancing my writing skills to learning new hobbies, every day bring a chance to learn new things for us both!  There are a ton of free homeschool resources on the Internet, but one of my favorite sites is Free Homeschool Deals.   This was today's deal: If you have any interest in photography, you must check this site out!!  It covers complete with many links and resources - Photography Basics Learning Basic Photography Elements Taking Good Photographs Free Photograph Editing Software Free Photography Tutorials and many more topics. It's all in this one post that you will want to return to time and time again! Learning Photography in Your Homeschool For Free

  As a mom to three sons, once they hit the dating age, I began to keep a close eye on girls that drew their interest.  Little things would be noticed, the way they dressed, talked, carried themselves etc. For years my husband and I have prayed for all of our boys future spouses that they would be women of virtue, purity and good character.   During these rough teenage years, I often pray for those future spouses and their parents!!  The teenage years are not easy, but I'm thinking it is a lot more emotional and fragile when dealing with girls!   I've recently been thinking of the many girls who are out there seeking Mr. Right.  In our culture today, dating is complicated...at best.  Hormones, the danger of discarding morals in today's culture, emotions, etc. make this time of life a challenge.  Without God's direction, relationships can spiral out of control, mistakes be made that cause lifelong pain and scars. The best way to...

Husbands today can take a beating!  In a work world that constantly demands more, where competition increases and it becomes harder just to make a living for a family, at the end of the day, he needs a little building up!    I know as a wife, our days can be challenging as well.  But as women, we are natural nurturers and have that God given ability to make things better for those around us.  Here are a few ways to put into action that gift we have and give that husband what he needs!

These useful tips and great pictures came through an email last week. Loved some of these tips and plan to put them to use soon! Why didn't I think of these???!!!

  Recently at our church, we had “Children’s Ministry Day” which offered our children the opportunity to do some service acts for others.  Our project was for the children to take our widows a Valentine bag filled with cookies, candy etc. and let them know that they are loved and a special part of our church.   One of our stops was to Mrs. P.’s home.  Mrs. P. is the oldest living member of our church.  She is now 93 years old and has been a part of our church since she was born.  She always adds 9 months because she tells that “her mother carried her to church even in the womb!”   When we arrived at her home, she invited us in and was sitting in her recliner with her Bible in her lap.  When asked how she was doing, she said that her 93 year old body was wearing out.  But, as we found out, her spirit was alive and vital!  She then looked at us with a vibrancy and life in her eyes and shared how she was reading her Bible and it...