An open letter to Candace Cameron Bure

I am sure your feed is blowing up like mine is. It seems like every other post or comment is regarding the Netflix series "Fuller House". Let me start by saying that I have not watched the new "Fuller House" and I personally can not comment on my thoughts regarding this show. I will say that I have 2 very excited young ladies in my home that are looking forward to seeing it. I have concern tho. It seems like all the comments and posts I keep seeing are explaining why I should not let my girls watch this new series. Yes, I grew up watching the show "Full House"and in our home we own the DVD set of the entire series and so my kids have also watched it.
There were lots of things even in those shows that we could have all made a stink about. As my teenage daughter has even said, "Uncle Jessie had a lot of love interests." Many of those ladies were not exactly dressed in a manner that I would feel is suitable for my girls. And of course DJ pushed the limits with some of her actions.
I bring this up to remind everyone that we all can find things that we don't agree with in most shows. But again I am not writing about the show. I am writing a letter to Candace. A fellow believer, women, mother and wife.

Dear Candace,

I want to take a few minutes and explain my feelings about all this mess in Social Media relating to your newest endeavor. I think it is wonderful that you have such a huge following of fans that have supported you along your amazing career in show business. I will admit I have a few of your books & have watched most of your movies. Overall they have not disappointed.
However, there have been a few times that I have had to answer questions from my kiddos following a movie, because they didn't understand why a women proclaiming to be a Christian would kiss another man when she is married. Or explain some of your outfits choices, because they would not be appropriate for our home. ALL OF THAT is between you & God. I am not here to judge you or shame you. I really just want to warn you.
You see I too am a Christian. I realize I am not famous, I don't have an amazing platform in which I can reach millions with the gospel. But you do. Most would even say you are a minister. You have spoken at women's events and shared the gospel in books, and on national television.  So you see, the people who are concerned with this new show are looking at you as such! They are looking up to you as a role model. I realize that we need to look to Christ but I also understand that in today's world people look to so many others. You are one of those people they look to. And when you release a show that (from what others are saying) is strongly against what most Christians view has moral. You are allowing "your good to be evil spoken of"

 Romans 14:16-19 (KJV)

¹⁶ Let not then your good be evil spoken of:

¹⁷ For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

¹⁸ For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.

¹⁹ Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

I realize you are an actress and are playing roles. But I also know that people know you as the person you present to them when not on the screen. That is the person that they are "judging". They are not judging your roles!

Scripture tell us to come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. Actually most of 2 Corinthians chapter 6 fits what I believe people are concerned about.

We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

² (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

³ Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed:

⁴ But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,

⁵ In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings;

⁶ By pureness, by knowledge, by long suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned,

⁷ By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,

⁸ By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true;

⁹ As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed;

¹⁰ As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

¹¹ O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged.

¹² Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels.

¹³ Now for a recompence in the same, (I speak as unto my children,) be ye also enlarged.

¹⁴ Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

¹⁵ And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

¹⁶ And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

¹⁷ Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.

¹⁸ And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

I prefer to let the scriptures speak for themselves. I am not a theologian by any stretch of the term. But I can say that as Christains I know we are called to a higher standard. People will look for anything to tear us down and destroy our witness. The roles you choose to play and the way you choose to live your life are between you & God. I am not going to tell you how or what to do. Frankly, that's none of my business. But it does become my business when I have to explain things to my teenage daughter. And I know others out there think the same way. Please know that my husband & I tell our kids that everyone has their own standards, and live their life how they feel God wants them to. Its not for us to judge. But I believe that when you place yourself in the eyes of millions and you represent your self as a child of the King, you have to think about others. Consider if you might be a stumbling block for someone else. I ask that you please take into consideration what your witness is. What are you wanting people to see in you or better yet WHO do you want them to see THROUGH you?

Sincerely in Christ & with LOVE,

LeAnne

P.S.  to those who so quickly pointed out the splinter. Let's not forget our own planks! We all have things that people could point out as "not Christ-Like". I know I do. But I am so thankful to serve a God of Grace, Mercy & Forgiveness, among so many other things!

STRUGGLES

Hi all! I wrote this a little while back, when our family & some of our friends were under personal attack. I am finally ready to share it with you all. God has been so FAITHFUL and His hand has been moving in our lives and I want to make sure to give HIM the glory!

I am struggling! I think we all do at some point. We all struggle with something. Sometimes its a daily struggle, sometimes it is a season of struggles. Sometimes it is over the simplest of things and sometimes it over big issues. What is your struggle lately?

Well mine...seems like a lot of things these past few months. I struggle with the everyday stuff a housewife & mom deals with. You know...is the house clean enough...NOPE! When will they invent self cleaning toilets for crying out loud!  Did I spend enough time with the kids today....Nope. Surely they are creative enough to find things to do on their own. Did my Husband feel appreciated...nope! But hey, I made sure to let him know yesterday!

Here is the thing, recently I have been struggling with even bigger things....I am talking about the things that we wrestle with that are not of flesh & blood. 

Ephesians 6:12

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

I really believe that all Christians will deal with this. I know that if we didn't then maybe we are not in a place that scares the devil.

Why me? That is an easy answer...Christ himself had to deal with these types of struggles. I am definitely not better than Christ!

The details aren't important, I can tell you that this is not the first time we...(I am going to switch to we because my hubby & I are in this together) have ever faced these types of challenges. These are the types of things that make you second guess yourself but at the same time make you want to fight for what you know is truth.  These are the types of things that make you question why its even happening, what is the purpose, who is to gain from it & what are they really gaining? A great answer to that last question came from a great friend & she simply said "evil doesn't need a reason." To which I replied "but I do!"  

  But do I?

 Do I need to always have the answers to evil things. Unfortunately we have to just trust. I say unfortunately because in our human nature we want all the answers. We want to know the who, what, when, where & whys of life. Do you think Job had to have an answer when he lost every Earthly thing?

Job 1:1

There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.

Job was perfect...not I! And yet he questioned. But in Job 13:5 Job says,

Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.

I certainly am not saying my struggles are as Job's, no way. I am so thankful that we are all healthy, we have a home & all is well over all! But I look at Job's life and wonder what was it about him that even when his wife said "why don't you curse your god and die"...HE DIDN'T! How would you have handled loosing EVERYTHING? Silly as it sounds, I loose the pictures off my computer when it crashes and it seems devastating...imagine loosing all your kiddos that were in those pictures. How would you go on? I pray none of us ever has to deal with that. But job did and he still trusted God. Mine & hubby's struggles have been nil in comparison but they are ours. Yours are yours and who am I to say either are bigger than the other persons. Here is the thing....God gives us these struggles so that HIS glory will be made known. Remember the story of Joseph & the pit! His own brothers tried to destroy him. But Joseph was faithful to God and when his brother's realized it was him, they fell before him in fear. He then told them

 Genesis 50:20

 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good

God uses our struggles to make us stronger. He uses them to make us more reliant on Him. He uses them so that others will look at us and know the God in whom we serve is Faithful! Life is not easy and God never promised us it would be....He actually says to take up the cross....what? That is not easy in my book.

Luke 9:23

And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

But we also know that in

 1Kings 8:57, it tells us

The LORD our God be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake us:

So what was it about Job? He was upright & he feared God!  We want to be upright & fear the Lord as well. However; sometimes we doubt and question but you see... through everything lately God has not forsaken us. He has been there all along. Leading the battle. It has also been one of the most amazing times of our lives. I have told those who have been praying for us, that it has been amazing to just sit back & watch God work. You see most of those people who have said they were praying...didn't even know what was going on, I had not told them. The Holy Spirit lead them to pray. He does such amazing things.

 So sometimes He uses our struggles to remind US that HE LOVES US, HE WILL BE WITH US, HE WILL NOT FORSAKE US and HE IS FAITHFUL!

I am so thankful for Christ, for without Him I am nothing!

Frustrated but Real!

UGHHHHH! That is my "word" for today! It has been a day where NOTHING that I had planned on doing got done! NOTHING!!! I cleaned up several spills, tried to get the homeschooling done but the printer refused to do its job, I didn't get the bathrooms done,  I still need to put my laundry away, I failed at making a healthy dinner, and the list goes on. But, I did color with my little two, sat on the porch swing with the kiddos, read some lines of my daughter's play with her, cuddled with my sweet girl, laughed with my oldest son, chatted with my hubby, watched my little two climb in a tree to do their school work (got pics too), served hot dogs for dinner (kids & hubby love em), sat down and watched little videos my kids made on the ipad, and the list goes on! 
So I suppose ughh was my word for the morning. After my hubby gently reminded me that the housework can wait & the kids are trying new things & they are learning....I relaxed! I enjoyed moments with my kiddos. Moments that I wont get again.
Here is the thing. I love blogs! I enjoy reading about all the ways other moms & wives do life. Some are so scheduled and organized. I think to myself how wonderful life would be if I could be that way. Others have beautiful school rooms that I would just LOVE to have. Some bloggers have amazing food & recipes. If only I could cook gourmet meals like those....and if only my family would eat them! There are those bloggers who seem to have spotless homes. Ok if you were to walk in my home right now you would be amazed...not in a good way! I have 4 kids home with me all day! Not a museum here...a real home....lived in! Then there are the bloggers who have such convicting posts that they make me feel like I am the farthest thing from a "Super Christian".
All of these bloggers are wonderful. I really enjoy reading their work. I enjoy getting a peek into their world. BUT...I am me. God created me unique. Just like He did them. Sometimes I am more organized. Sometimes my house is spotless (if only for a moment). There are days that I make awesome healthy meals that get devoured. But those things do not always happen on the same day! That is my real word! Frustrating sometimes but definitely REAL and WONDERFUL.
Its ok that I am not perfect. No one is! But what is perfect is that I get to spend my days enjoying the moments! The dust & dishes will be there later, but my children will not be in my home forever. I have to remember to stop & spend those moments with them and in the end...I did get the kitchen cleaned & the dishes done. Not in my time but in time! 
And on the point of not getting anything done.....those cute pics I got of the kids doing their school work in the tree...the computer is refusing to let me load them on here! SO....tomorrow is a new day & God's mercies are new every morning. I look forward to seeing what He has in store, even if it is not what I have planned!  

WALLS

Today I was blessed with an opportunity to guest post on the blog 31days of Open Hearted Living. I have recently read the book "The Wall Around Your Heart" by Mary DeMuth and so I give you my take on the wonderful book!  Follow the link to not only my review but many others as well!

http://openheartedpower.com/2013/10/20/walls-healing-open-hearted/

Making It Beautiful in the Meantime.

It has been a little over a year since we moved into our new home. We lovingly refer to our new place as Titus Grove. When we moved in we had grand dreams of making it wonderful; starting the actual "grove" part, putting in the gardens & decorating the inside in the primitive style that we love. BUT, things do not always go as planned. Yes we got the garden in, then I started having heart issues. The garden was sick right along with me. We didn't get any of the trees in, not even ordered. We did get the foyer & hall painted, but haven't pulled the carpet off the steps yet! You should see the list of things we want to do...the list keeps getting longer but nothing really seems to get marked off.

There are a few reasons as to why we haven't moved forward with many...well most of the things on the list. Reasons like time, money, sickness etc! But one of the biggest reasons is because we wanted to do it all! If we were going to makeover a room, we were going to do it right. Start to finish it would be exactly the way we want it. So if we were going to do the living room, 1st we needed to do the ceiling, then the floors, then the painting, then all new molding & trim, oh don't forget the new light fixture & we need new seating for that room etc etc etc. Get the picture. And we had to do it in that order because of the design. Well when we realized how much it would all cost, it became overwhelming. So we didn't start it. We did the same with the main bath, need to take a wall down & get a new cabinet etc etc etc! So that was put on hold. I had it in my mind that if we couldn't do it all then it would have to wait till we could afford to do it all. I had the mindset that all those beautiful homes in the magazines and on TV shows are so wonderful, that my home had to be picture/TV perfect! RIGHT?

I also have to admit that the ugly head of jealousy has been known to pop up from time to time! Several of my friends have beautiful homes, with amazing décor & great kitchens. I am truly happy for them but I return home to my humble abode & wonder when will my home look like that?

I have been reading a book called "A Life That Says Welcome" by Karen Ehman. A fun read with lots of great tips & wonderful ideas. Come to find out (of course I really knew this deep inside) its not all about making your home perfect! As Karen says in the book ...."I believe wholeheartedly that God delights in our desire to provide a pleasant atmosphere for our family and others who will grace our home, AS LONG AS WE KEEP PROPER PERSPECTIVE."  What? Proper perspective....according to the World's standards, that perspective is all about the look! Having people desire what you have & think that your way is amazing.  Well, that's not proper or God pleasing. Karen goes on to write "Our homes by their very décor, atmosphere, and surroundings help others to forget the cares of the outside world and be refreshed by the love of the Lord."

So is my home, as it sits, that type of place? A place that exudes Gods love, mercy & grace. Is it a place; like Karen states, that when people leave they feel refreshed & not impressed? What is the motive to wanting my home beautiful? Well, I pray that it is! We do pray that God is always present here. We have a plaque in our home that says,

"Christ is the head of this home, the unseen guest at every meal, the silent listener of every conversation." And we pray that everyone who enters will feel His presence.

So now that I have my priorities back in order. Thanks Karen for the knock upside the head! We decided to YES work on our list, but make sure to put things in perspective! We are not going to go for perfect! And with that, we took on the Master bedroom.  Deciding to make it beautiful in the "meantime", beautiful in a way that is restful for us, so that in turn we can be refreshed & ready to help others. Beautiful in a way that wont break the bank (we all know we need to be good steward's of the money God has given us). And a little at a time we will work on things, but always in perspective. I say in the "meantime" because as we work through things eventually it will look the way I have it pictured in my head. Just not in the time I was hoping for. And so I need to remember a few verses that Karen points out  Philippians 4:11-13
¹¹ Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

¹² I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

¹³ I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

 

I will be content in the "meantime" knowing that what we really desire is to know that God is showing thru in all we have & all we do! Yes, we will make changes and make things look beautiful. There is no reason to live in an "as is" style when we can make a few changes at a time, in order for it to be beautiful in the meantime.

 

On a side note: The book is great. There is so much more about hospitality & opening your heart & home to others. It contains cleaning tips, decorating tips, recipes and more!  You can find it at Karen's website http://www.karenehman.com/

 

Also I will be posting a few before & after pics when we are finished with the room, so stay tuned!

Scars of the Heart.

I am back from a small blogging break! I took some time off for several reasons. One of them was I WAS TIRED. Physically tired. I found it hard to get up in the morning & wanted to take a nap during the day only to retreat to my bed by 9 or 10 at night. Needless to say, not much got done during these months, much less blogging. So today I was inspired to return. You see, today I viewed a trailer for a new book by Mary Demuth titled "The Wall Around Your Heart". A book I am really looking forward to reading. I will post the trailer below. But the book is about allowing God to break down the walls we have built up around our hearts. The walls that were there because of pain & hurt.

If you can give me a minute of your time I would like to tell you about my hurt. You see I was tired for a good reason. In late May I learned after a visit to the ER, that my heart "was talking to me" & that I "needed to figure out what it was saying. After many Doctor's appointments, tests & heart monitors, I was told that I would need to have a procedure to fix my heart. I underwent a 4 hour invasive heart procedure on August 2nd. I am doing well & praying that all is taken care of. I had no intentions of blogging about it, and I will spare you all the medical details; but after watching that trailer I was inspired to write.

I have to admit that the surgery was very painful. I dozed in & out but was not sedated for the procedure. I saw the inside of my heart on the big computer screen by the side of the table. I must admit that I didn't look at it much because the pain was all I could concentrate on. The pain & hurt was intense & my mind could not focus on anything else. Life is like that sometimes. We focus so much of our time & energy on the pain & hurts of our life that we don't take the time to look at out heart!

Now I have bruises & scars. Scars that no one can see. They are not in the center of my chest where most heart surgery scars are. No one can tell that I endured such hurt & pain. No one can look into the inside of my heart & see the burns & scars that were left behind. I can go about my life & NO ONE will ever know! We all carry scars on our heart just the same. They may not be from a physical heart procedure, but they are from pain & hurts of our past. They come from someone who misled us, emotionally damaged us, a decision we made, physical abuse, backstabbing, lies, mistrust...and on, and on the list goes. We go about our lives thinking that NO ONE KNOWS. I will put on a smile go about my life & fake it till I make it.
                             But the truth is....YOU CANT HIDE IT!
In some way those scars, that pain shows. That pain begins to steal your joy. Those scars make you hide from people that you will never get to know. That hurt stands in the way of you successfully doing God's will for your life. You may think that no one knows but
                                      GOD KNOWS. GOD SEES!

I find it interesting how quickly we run to the Doctor when we think we are having a heart problem (physically speaking...you should) but, why are we not so quick to run to the great healer with our spiritual & emotional heart problems. He is JEHOVAH RAPHA ~ THE LORD OUR HEALER. He does not just heal the physically sick & wounded, He heals the wounded, scarred, burnt, & hurting heart of ANYONE who carries the pain from their past. The Psalmist writes:

O Lord my God, I cried to You and You have healed me (Psalms 30:2).

In the book of Isaiah we read

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)

He is the great physician and He is always on call! He wants us to live in peace. Peace from the pain of our past. He wants to heal us so that we are fully able to live for HIS GLORY.

He is able to heal the emotional & spiritual damage. He sees your scars, He knows your pain. He is there; not just for ourselves, but others as well. We need to run to Him who is able to heal. Cry out to the only one who is able to make all things new. Do not carry the scars of your heart any longer! 

http://youtu.be/-WJU7LjorRc 

If I Only Knew....

I have been known to say....Coulda, woulda shoulda! I realize this is not proper English but it gets the point across. I stop and think about something in the past and how I should have done it different or a decision I could have made differently. I sometimes have thought what if I could have done this or that. Truth is we cant change the past!

If I had only known what a blessing homeschooling is, I would have started with my first born right off the bat. But I cant dwell on that. I must embrace the time I have with them now. The years that the Lord is willing to give me. My prayer everyday is that I am a better mom today then I was yesterday, and that He allows me to see all the blessings He has given me, and that He continues to  give me His grace & mercy to be able to teach & love on my kiddos!

If only I knew that hubby & I really would want more than 4 kids, we would not have made the decision to handle things in our own way & not fully rely on God. Instead I have to thank Him for the wonderful 4 I have & pray about what God has in store for us as parents, and what He wants for our children.

I really wish I had known that the way I was raised to eat, was not the best. Don't get me wrong...my mom did a great job of feeding us well rounded meals and not a lot of junk. But maybe they were a bit too rounded. And the pairing of foods was actually not the best for me. BUT, I have now learned and am thankful for the ladies who have opened my eyes & are teaching me now. I am down 9 pounds, almost 2 dress sizes and still going. (see previous post re: THM)

So the big one...while we are planning our Evan's Birthday party (he will be 8 ,end of the month) I think back thru the years past with all of my kiddos. Birthdays always do that to me, and I think: Have I done everything the way I shoulda, maybe I coulda been a little calmer at times, what if I woulda taken that extra minute and played a little longer? I cant get this past year back...what if?

What I do know is this...I have prayed for my kiddos without ceasing! My husband and my kids are the first ones on my prayer list. I cover them with prayers of peace, protection, mercy, guidance, joy, humbleness, self control etc. Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18  Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.(the Message) 
So for me I really need to just let God have all my coulda, woulda, shouldas, and be Thankful no matter what, and KNOW that God knows the plans He has for us and despite my past, HE is in control! 
God Bless!

Trim Healthy Mama

 

Yesterday I made mention of a new book I have been reading. That book is called "Trim Healthy Mama" written by Serene Allison & Pearl Barrett. (Apologies if I mispronounced them in the video). I decided to do a video post about it so that I could just freely tell you about it & show it to you. Please overlook the sheets, had to film in my bedroom where it was quite. I also want to thank my son Ethan who did the video work for me.

till next time, God Bless!

Well our school year is almost up. It is getting harder to stay focused when the weather is starting to warm up. The little two would live outside if I would let them. Of course they come in absolutely filthy every night. No big deal that's why we have bathtubs!

We have been pretty busy here, not just with school but with life. I am planning on making a video to show everyone what has been happening here. So hopefully that will be soon.
We all helped build the hoop-house. That was fun! My boys have been working hard building the fence around the garden. With hubby's help they are using found tree limbs in the woods as posts. We did buy the actual fencing material but it has been a great experience. We have been working the land & my boys are getting really good at digging. The boys have such a great example to follow. God has blessed our family with our hard working man to lead our family. Mr Evan, age 7; stays right by his daddy's side working his little booty off!  Ethan 14, is really turning into a wonderful young man. He is full of grand ideas & big plans. We pray that God uses him in a mighty way!

The girls have been a huge help with getting all the plants started. We have also learned how to pay closer attention to weather patterns & temperatures! Never thought I would have to do that.

My oldest daughter Ellyssa is 12. She loves to help me in the kitchen & is obsessed with baking. she even took on the task of baking & decorating her little sister Eleah's birthday cake.

Ellyssa & I also figured out how to make homemade whipped cream...we are never going back to store bought! Ellyssa is really starting to bloom in the area of homemaker. It is such a blessing to see how the Lord is opening her eyes & heart to the blessings of it all. And Miss Eleah is following right behind. She blessed me the other day by telling me "momma, I love my life"! She is very sure to let everyone know that she is going to be a mommy someday & have a big garden, & she will take care of her family because that is what a mommy does!


I have started on a journey with the help of Trim Healthy Moma. A great book that explains how to eat right, get fit & be a healthy moma. I am a week in and am down 5 lbs so far. I will be writing a post on the book next. So stay tuned!

Well I pray all is well for you & your family. And that you will have a wonderful day!

What are you going to do?

Its been awhile since I have even looked at this blog. Why? Life! I have been preparing for Spring, homeschooling the kiddos, painting the inside of the house, cleaning, helping build the hoophouse, taking care of sick kids, finding a church, going to co-op.....we all have lists like this. Some include more, some less, but we all have things that we need to do. And if we even begin to think of adding "more" to our to-do list we cringe. Stop with me for a minute and think about what it is you really do in a day. I know I waste a lot of time. There are days, being honest, that I really only do the basics. This is the real me, laying it all out. Days that the kids are fed, schooled & clothed and the rest of the day is wasted. Of course this is not frequently but it does happen. And if you are being honest with yourself, you have those days too.

This is life in my home.

What about outside of my home? What about doing things for His Kingdom? Can we be honest with ourselves and really consider what we are doing to make His glory known.

 What are we doing to advance the Kingdom of God. 

I am pretty sure that when we really look at out lives....we are wasting time in this area as well. Notice I used the word "we"!

 I am; in no way doing everything I can.

Recently my husband Eric showed me some numbers. They were the attendance numbers for some churches in a specific denomination. The numbers were amazing. Huge numbers and many of them were from multiple churches in the same state. That is a ton of "Christians" and that is 1 denomination. I cant even begin to imagine what this world would look like if we as Christians were doing ALL we could to make sure everyone is reached with the Gospel & ministered to in the manner in which we are called to. I am not including scriptures in this post. There is an entire Bible, feel free to look some up. We all know they are there. He, God tells us everything we need to know in the scriptures. He tells us what we can do, how to live our lives, what is acceptable for us.

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?

I put up a new button on the side of this blog... AMAZIMA. Its a wonderful story of a young girl, who at 18 decided to do all she could. I look at her; not putting her on a pedestal, but as an example, realizing that how much she has done in the last few years is so huge. If she can do what she is doing in an entirely different country...what can I do here. What can we do?

 

The Greatest Good!

My kiddos love the movie "The Incredibles". A cute movie about a family of superheros in hiding. One of my favorite parts of the movie is when the character Frozone is asking his wife where his super suit is, because the city is under attack and he is going to help. She begins to respond to his questions with attitude and basically is not going to tell him because they have dinner plans. He then tells her that "it is for the greater good of man kind" which then she replies "I am your wife! I am the greatest good you are ever gonna get!"
Of course there are many things I can talk about in regards to that segment but I want to focus on the greatest good part!
I found the picture above at a web page for a mosaic heart. I know nothing about that page but I love the scripture.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
We were created by him for GOOD WORKS. God has prepared us as wives and mothers to be the greatest good for our family. In the book Excellent Wife author Martha Peace writes "the works that God has prepared for you to do include not only what you do in your relationship with your husband, but also your heart's motives or attitude." Her point is that we need to focus on what we as a wife are suppose to be doing and not what are husbands are suppose to be doing". You see we need to be focusing on being "the greatest good" aside from Christ, that our families get! God has equipped us to do good works. The scripture says that He prepared beforehand. Before we said "I DO" he was preparing us to be the wives He requires of us. We need to make sure that; without boasting, we are walking in those works. And I say "without boasting" because it is not something we need to do to  prove we are the greatest good. its not something we need to say to our husbands as in the movie. But it is something we want our husbands to feel & know. As Martha says, Its all about your heart's motives & desires.I desire to be the best wife & mother. With God's help and knowing that he has prepared us, we can do good works for our families!
God Bless

Jesus Loves Me!

Eleah is our amazing, full of energy 5 year old. I love watching this dramatic little Diva sing! She loves to take any one's guitar (no matter how big) and play and sing at the top of her lungs. She has a natural ability to put on a show. She even makes up her own songs, most of which make absolutely no sense. However; she sings them with all she has! Well the other day after sitting through one of her "shows", I made a request. "Could you please sing JESUS LOVES ME?" Sure, sure she said. As she began to sing I realized she did not know the song! She could sing parts of it but kept looking at me for help. Funny thing is, we taught her the song very early on. Its not a difficult song, my other 3 kids can sing it. I guess we just haven't been singing it enough!
The girl can sing any of the worship songs that we sing in church or any of the songs from our Christian stations; but she cant sing that amazing little song that speaks the truth about our God! A song that tells us about why Jesus came to this earth.

 "Jesus loves me He who died, Heavens gates to open wide. He will wash away my sins. Let His little child come in"

Some may think that this is not a big deal, its just a little song; but, when you consider the scheme of eternity I would have to differ. Yes it is a child's song but the message it offers speaks truth. The truth is that

 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" John 3:16

And the other thing is this...Yes Jesus Loves me & you & the world so much that he WILLINGLY gave his life! He only asks that you come to Him, confess & repent of your sins. Then accept Him as your Lord and Savior! That's a big deal. Someone willing to give completely of himself for someone else. Could you do that?

So....guess what song Miss Eleah now knows? You got it. "JESUS LOVES ME"

I wanted to share with you a great newer version of the song. Same words & same message, just a bit upbeat and great for the kids to learn. Please Enjoy!

 





Advent Bible Study!

The women at Good Morning Girls blog are hosting a Bible study called

 "Keeping our Hearts focused on Jesus"

I am so excited to take part in this study. With the hustle & bustle of the season we tend to loose focus. We know that "Jesus is the reason for the Season" but do we take the time to really incorporate HIM into our festivities. I am looking forward to the weekly devotions & the family activities! They also are including a free ebook to go along with the study! 

Take the time to hop on over to the blog and check it out for yourself.

http://www.goodmorninggirls.org/2012/11/our-advent-ebook-has-arrived-free-for-all-subscribers/ 

Lets be sure to not loose focus this year!

"Titus Grove"

I really wish I could remember what blog I was reading; but the blog had a great post on putting a name to your home/property. I tried to look for it but when you google "name your home" A LOT of stuff came up & I never found it. Anyhow, from what I can remember the blogger (whom I will refer to as she) had great reasons as to why you should name your home. I remember thinking she was really onto something. She had said that it gives you a real feeling of ownership and allows you to feel more responsible for making sure it is taken care of. She had other great things to say about it & I so wish I could link you to it, but I decided after reading it that I would talk to my husband about naming our new home. Here's the thing.....we were in the stages of looking for a home, we hadn't bought this one yet! But he thought it was a great idea as well.

The fun part was that every time we went to look at a house, we thought about what name we would give that house. We really had a hard time coming up with any (houses or names) that we liked. I prayed about it because I didn't want it to just be a name for naming sake. I really wanted it to stand for something. I also knew that when we found the home we would have a name for it as well.

Flashback several years ago......my husband & I began ministering under the name "Titus Principles Ministry" thus the blog name! We really had a heart to share with others the message the Lord gave to Paul for his friend Titus; For this reason I left you [behind] in Crete, that you might set right what was defective and finish what was left undone, and that you might appoint elders and set them over the churches (assemblies) in every city as I directed you. (ch1 vs5)

We really believe that the things spoken about in the book of Titus are for today. If you get a chance read the book of Titus.  Its only 3 chapters but it is packed with so many wonderful lessons. It will also give you a glimpse of what we have set our hearts on doing in the ministry.

Well, as you know, we are in our new home and so the time has come to name it! We really wanted to incorporate Titus in the name. We didn't want to call it a farm because it really isn't one (even tho we will be gardening and raising a few farm animals). We didn't want to use the word estate because it just didn't fit. We also didn't like acres. So we came up with Grove. We like it. Although when you look up the meaning of grove it doest really fit. But who cares, not everything has to be so perfectly fitting. We think it sounds good & some day (hopefully in October) we will be planting some fruit trees in nice rows & that will make it a real grove. In the mean time there are many other things to do here at "Titus Grove", so I best get to them.

God Bless

Our New Home

 

Here it is!

 

 

After a lot of looking, a ton of praying, and many tears of wondering if we will ever be home owners again....here it is! Our cute new cape cod on over 7 acres in the middle of NOWHERE! It is exactly what we have been wanting.

The Lord says He will give us the desires of our hearts. That is something I have always struggled with. Is it a desire or just greed? Is it wrong to want a nice home on land when we were already living in a great place? Dont forget the scripture...Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. Am I content if I want something else...

Let me tell you a bit about this home. As you can see it is a cape cod, it is also a pale yellow. It has a great wrap porch, all of this stuff you can see. It has 3 full bathrooms (remember, I have 4 kiddos; always good to have multiple pottys), it has 4 bedrooms with a FULL basement. The basement has escape windows. Plus there is so much more I can tell you about our cute house. Here's the cool thing...since looking for our first house back in the 90s, I have ALWAYS wanted a cape cod. Everyone who knows me, knows that I LOVE yellow houses, and I have always thought of the day that my hubby & I could sit on our front porch and watch our kids with our grandbabies play in our yard.

Tho some of this may seem like no big deal..the color or style of a house...but these were my desires. It wasn't that I wasnt happy or content in the other homes we have lived in, but there was something about them, they never felt like "HOME".

So after we sold our last house; thats an entire post of its own, we began looking for a new home. We ran into MANY roadblocks that put us in rent for two and a half years. Granted...the rental home was a beautiful 3500 sq ft historical home, but I wanted a house that was ours, one that felt like home. Now I know that there is a whole post in that comment as well, but stick with me and I will post some other time on that stuff. So here we are now....living in a cute yellow cape cod with a wrap porch. Plenty of bathrooms and rooms for the kids. My desires have been met! Why? Because even tho we make mistakes and are in no way perfect Christians, our desire is to do everything to the glory of the Lord. And when we hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord our God, to observe and to do all his commandments... God promises in Deuteronomy chapter 28  that if we do these things... that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:

² And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.³ Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.
⁴ Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.⁵ Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.⁶ Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.⁷ The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.⁸ The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.⁹ The Lord shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways.¹⁰ And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee.¹¹ And the Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers to give thee.¹² The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. ¹³ And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:
Again, we are not perfect, but I can say that our true hearts desire is to hearken to the voice of God and follow His commands and because of this He blesses us. However:  2 Corinthians 9:8 lets us know that our blessings are not just for us ⁸ And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation]. This is now our desire...to be able to give back. More on that and the story of how we got this home next time.
God Bless



GREAT WAY TO SAVE!

OK everyone...I am so excited! I am a bit of a nutrition freak! I like eating healthy & making sure my home is a healthy environment as well. I also take supplements like B-12, D-3, & St. John's Wort etc.! Plus I have a child on a gluten free diet. We all know these types of things can really put a dent in your budget! Well, my friend Stephanie introduced me to a new website/store called VitaCost. They have thousands of items at GREAT prices. Cheaper then any of the specialty stores I shop. I am posting the link for you all to check out as well. PLUS you get to save an additional $10 on your order if you use this link!!!  http://www.vitacost.com/Referee?wlsrc=rsReferral&ReferralCode=90308015

I am super excited to use this site to also purchase the things I need to make my own cleaners & laundry soap. They have the essential oils to make things smell good. Plus it ships to your door....who doesn't like getting a package! I really think this is going to be a great way to be a good steward of the money God has given my family. Anytime I can save money on the things I use everyday, I get excited. I couldn't help but share my excitement with you!
Have a blessed day!

Growing Home: Giveaway! -The Cottage Mama Plans Her Menu

I MUST menu plan. When I dont I get so messed up....in finances , in dinners, in schedule!! I would challenge you to give it a try!
A blogger that I really enjoy is having a giveaway from another great blogger! Check out the link!!
Growing Home: Giveaway! -The Cottage Mama Plans Her Menu

I was blessed with an opportunity to read this e-book and offer my thoughts on it!
First let me tell you....I did not put it down till I was finished with it. I sat on the couch next to my hubby and while he was watching football & the kids were playing I READ THE WHOLE THING! It is a wonderful book. However; fair warning.....IT CAN GET YOU WHERE IT HURTS! I read about things that I know the Lord has been dealing with my heart about changing and Darlene confirmed them. She has an ability to show you what God desires of us as Women, Mothers & Wives, in a manner that is absolute but loving. She does not use kid gloves which I appreciate. She uses great scriptures to support her beliefs. I feel this is a great read for ALL WOMEN, no matter if you are a stay-at-home mom or a working mom.
This e-book is also filled with great tips & ideas. She has even included her cleaning schedule that I have been using to maintain my home! Just wait till you read about "25 things"....I so have to do it!
There is so much packed into this book that I cant begin to tell you about it all. Your going to have to get it for yourself!

Here is Darlene's explanation as to why she wrote this book:

I’ve decided to resurrect the “Good Wife’s Guide,”

in my own words, and according to the role that I

hope to fulfill in my life. It is no longer a satirical
piece written to mock the role of a help-meet, but
rather a guide that leads women toward a noblecharacter and good family values. 
t’s time that we took a stand for family values that serve to grow
and protect the family unit as God designed it to be.

As you can see this falls in line with what I feel is important in life. I want to be a women of noble character and with God's help I want to raise my family with good and Godly values. If you have the desire for the same click on the link to get your own copy of this great e-book! It will be an encouragement and guide! http://time-warp-wife.blogspot.com/2010/11/good-wifes-guide.html
God Bless  

New Series coming! Virtuous Women

I know its a little late to say HAPPY NEW YEAR, but Happy new year. I am a little behind on the new series because I was tending to my mommy duties with sick kids! I apologize for the delay & thank you for the prayers that went up for the sick kiddos!

Well we are into a new year, a fresh start. A chance to forget the things that are behind us and press towards those resolutions. One of the songs we led worship with on January 1st was "How He Loves Us" and the line that ministered to my heart was "I dont have time to maintain these regrets, when I think about, the way He loves us".
We all have regrets from the past year. One of mine was that I dont feel that I was doing ALL I could to be the best wife & mother. Now. I cant dwell on the ways I feel that I let my family down; but I can change what I do from here forward. The God I serve is a merciful God & I know that He has called me to this life that I have & we all have heard that God equips those that He calls! If He has called me to be a wife and mother then I know He will give me everything I need to "do" this ministry.
I call it a ministry because that is what it is. A ministry by definition is "a person or thing through which something is accomplished". I am a person. the THING that needs accomplished is raising my children to be productive members of society but more importantly that they have a personal relationship with the Lord. I also need to accomplish things related to being a wife & homemaker! We all know what that includes. Let's start this series discussing what God's will is for every wife.

Genesis 2:18(AMP)

¹⁸Now the Lord God said, It is not good (sufficient, satisfactory) that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper meet (suitable, adapted, complementary) for him.

First and foremost we must put our relationship with Christ as our main priority. Once we have come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ we need to focus on building a RELATIONSHIP with Him. Through Christ we will be able to fulfill our calling to be a Help meet for our Husbands.
For several years I struggled with my next statement-We must put our Husbands after God but before anyone or anything else! Including our children. I know some moms (like myself in the past) have a hard time not putting our kids 2nd in line of priorities. I promise you that if you stick with me and begin to understand the calling God has on your life to be a virtuous wife, (Proverbs 31:10 (NKJV) Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies) then you will come to understand why I feel this is what the Lord glories in. Not only will the lord glory in it but the Bible tells us that we are the glory of our husbands. We were created for our husbands and not the other way around   

 1 Corinthians 11:7-9(NKJV)⁷ For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. ⁸ For man is not from woman, but woman from man. ⁹ Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man. So with knowing this I want to give a few ideas of ways we can be the Glory of our hubby.
1. Do not talk bad about him. I know we all have things that bug us about our hubby but we should always speak of him in a manner that points out his positive traits. Do not lie but find the good things to share with others.
2. Make sure to spend time with him every day. Talk & connect.
3. Steal little moments during the day to let him know how you feel about him..positive things.
4. Make him look good! If you are going out (anywhere) be that "trophy wife"
5. Make sure you encourage him in his job, parenting, and most importantly his relationship with Christ.
These are just a few things. I will give other tips & ideas as we go along in this series. If you have any tips please feel free to comment and share them as well.
I look forward to the next few weeks or however long God chooses to allow this series to go. I am so glad you are along with me and others as we become the Virtuous Women God wants us to be.

Love Your Enemies

As I hear story after story on the reactions to Osama Bin Laden’s death it seems apparent that we are now loosing focus on being a Christian society. As I will stand and applaud the work of the CIA and the Navy Seals that collected information, formulated strategy and initiated a plan that ultimately allowed them to be in a position to capture a threat to our country.  Osama Bin Laden made the choice not to surrender and was ultimately killed, that is war, it happens when our military engages, that is the same results from our police.The killing of any individual person is not to be cheered and celebrated, Weare called in Matthew to love our enemy.

Matthew 4:44-44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you andpersecute you

A nation at war is much different than an individual’s responsibility. There are tens of thousands of Christian men and woman serving our country, keeping us safe. They will and must do what is required of their position in protecting a nation at home or abroad, and lethal force is sometimes necessary. But a self labeled, “Christian” nation should not be cheering. It shows no differently to the world than when Al Qaeda or Taliban (Muslim) fighters celebrate the killing of our soldiers while parading them in the streets. To be a Christian society, WE MUST rise above the basic instincts of man; we have to lead from the front on Grace, Love, and Mercy. That is not to say we don’t continue to fight, but we let the world know that killing is a last resort, not our intended outcome.

That evil exist and we must protect ourselves and those that are unable to protect themselves. Our culture seems to have gotten to a point where we take more joy in other peoples failure and loss than we do in success. We have stopped celebrating missionaries success in reaching the lost, people surrendering their lives to Christ, and the freedom and opportunity to worship and share Christ freely to all. Our actions speak as loudly as our words, and they must both be consistent. Cheering the death of any unsaved soul is not victorious,just another succumbing to everlasting torment. Continue to pray for your enemies, bless those that curse you, and do good to those that hate you. It is our reasonable service to our King.

Celebrating in HIM,

Eric