Continued Break

The intention was to begin Fresh Starts in August after a one month break.  I need to simply take my own advice  and continue this vacation for an undetermined length of time.  Just think, each Monday you can hold your breath not knowing if that will be the week Fresh Starts returns. :-)  Sort of like waiting for a check in the mail...

Please pray that during this time the Lord will speak and give fresh words with me to share.

Blessings,

Jen

Abundant Simplicity

by Sarah S. 2011

A young woman in our church sat across the table from me. They (being military) had just moved back to town after 1 ½ years training in another state. She had already been feeling the pull of others’ plans and ideas of what she should be involved with. “I just feel like God is reminding me to keep it simple.”
*
Isn’t that truly a challenge in this day and age of two working parents, overactive schedules, Facebook, television, computer and….noise?

Where do we begin? First and foremost our number ONE priority is Jesus. This is where the heart of simplicity starts. How can we properly focus or make decisions until we have plugged in to our very lifeline? Our job is to pray and spend time in His Word. HIS job is to change us and use us. Let Him guide what we are involved in. But how do we hear if we don’t stop and spend time with Him? It sounds too simple, right?

I wish it was a given fact that believers already did this,but I hear all the time about a LACK of time to spend with God. This I do know: what is important to us is where our time will be spent. Be honest with yourself---do you have time to be on the computer? Facebook? Did you enjoy your favorite show last night? Then there WAS a spare moment.

Simplicity starts with time alone with Jesus. God longs to be with us. He promises wisdom when we seek Him. If you are feeling overwhelmed consider time with the Lord to re-focus and ask for His desires for your schedule and priorities.

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.  James 1:5

Prayer:
Father, thank you that you love me so much and you long to be with me. Please, this day, guide where I spend my time and what I do. I long for wisdom from YOU for each day.
*
Challenge:
If you are feeling overwhelmed and unplugged, honestly search your heart to see where you are spending your time. Consider getting back to the basics and making time with the Lord your first priority.

Sarah S. 2011

The Possibility of Being Super Chick

Jen G. 2011

Every new year I come up with a personal project on which I need to work. Not a project like learning to paint or reading War and Peace or anything like that, but a personal project as in self improvement. (Never weight loss, though.) One year it was controlling my tongue - a never ending project. Four years ago it was getting up earlier each day. (Still never ending) The last two years it was forgiveness and getting rid of bitterness and self righteousness. (Yep.  Never ending. ) This year my key verse is: She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. Proverbs 31:27

You are probably thinking, “Puh-leeeaaase! Not that Proverbs 31 super chick again! She is an unreal example and God certainly does not intend for a modern woman to be like that. Besides, there are too many devotionals out there about her already.” Those were once my exact same thoughts. I had to decide if the whole Word of God or just the convenient parts were applicable to my life.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

1 Timothy 3:16, 17

First, let me assure you that the woman described in Proverbs 31 was not a flesh and blood woman. (Does that make you feel a bit better?) She was and is, however, a beautiful picture painted by the Creator of the universe to be an encouragement and inspiration to all women. So often we fail to see the HOPE in her portrait, instead focusing on all the ‘impossible’ things like spinning wool and buying vineyards. Let’s take a look at this model woman’s characteristics:

~She is virtuous. V.10
~She is trustworthy. V. 11
~She does her husband good and not evil each and every day. V. 12
~She willingly works with her hands. V. 13, 19
~She provides meals for her family, even when the hours are inconvenient. V. 15
~She is financially savvy and thinks through purchases. V. 16
~She takes care of her body, purposefully strengthening herself. V. 17
~She ensures quality in what she creates, even if it means staying up a bit later. V. 18
~She reaches out to those in need and the poor. V. 20 (I see her reaching out in a physical, emotional and spiritual way depending on the need.)
~She does not worry about the physical comfort of her family because she is careful to prepare their wardrobes for the seasons. V. 21
~She takes care to dress attractively to honor of her husband. V. 22
~The work she does is desired by others. V. 25
~Her strong and honorable character is her greatest feature. V. 25
~She is full of wisdom and shares it with kindness. V. 26
~She watches over her family and is not lazy. V. 27
~As a result of the above attributes, her children and husband honor her and tell others of her integrity. V. 28, 29
~She might not be the most physically beautiful chick around, but her heart is a lovely jewel that speaks loudly of her character. V. 30, 31

Do you notice how much emphasis is placed on the woman's character?  We many times see only the seemingly overwhelming physical tasks. Proverbs 31 is so much more than that! The tasks - modern or ancient -  are just the vehicles that bring godly character into our lives! Do you want to be a kind, wise woman who accomplishes much and is love and honored by her family? Do not be discouraged – it IS possible to be Super Chick. Our help comes from the Lord, the Maker of our homes and families. Call on Him today and ask Him to show you how you can fulfill your calling as a woman.  Hebrews 4:12-16

Prayer:
Father, let me see the hope and encouragement in Your example of the woman in Proverbs. Help me to know how to walk out the calling on my life. I need Your counsel on how to be the woman I am called to be. I desire to honor You above all else in every area of my life. Amen.

Challenge:
Every woman’s life is different. Some may be a full time wife and mom at home, some might work a full time job outside of the home while still being a full time wife and mom. Others hold part time jobs, homeschool, attend college, are single, deal with chronic physical or mental illness. Some live in the city while others wrangle chickens in the country. Search the Lord’s counsel on how the above attributes will flesh out in your life. Share ideas with friends and hold one another accountable as you usher in the character of Christ into every area of your life.

Jen G. 2011



Take Two: Do You Shed?

Due a tremendously busy weekend, I am reposting a Fresh Starts from about this time last year.  I think I need to read it over a few times.  I remembered, while in the shower this morning, that I never wrote this week's devotional!  Jen

I asked my husband what I should write about this week as I was feeling quite dull. He got a very thoughtful look on his face and then told me that I should write about dogs and how they shed fur. I thought the same thing you are mostly likely thinking right now. What on earth does a dog shedding have to do with a bunch of moms?

*

At the beginning of each autumn our dogs, especially the goldendoodle, begin to grow extra fur for the coming winter months. This comes in quite handy in our cold and snowy northeast Ohio climate. Come spring I am not as intrigued by this God designed winter coat as it all falls on my wood floors. However aggravating the shedding might be, it is a good thing. Can you imagine wearing your winter coat all summer in the heat? The dog's shedding allows for them to sleep better, play better, move around better - it's a good thing.

*

The same is true for moms who shed their busy coats. Unlike my dogs, my shedding time comes in September of each year. After a fun, full summer I need to look at my calendar and begin to slow down. I home school my five children and I simply can not keep the same activity list as I do in the warm and carefree months. If I did, my home would be in a constant state of disarray and my children would be uneducated ruffians. It is much easier and more enjoyable to teach my children when I am not trying to fulfill a myriad of obligations outside of my home. My family needs to be my priority. When I am walking purposefully in my current season of life (summer, holidays, schooling, etc.) I find that the walk is more enjoyable and successful. I encourage you to begin to shed your fur for this coming season and enjoy the time at home.

*

Let your eyes look straight ahead and your eyelids look right before you.  Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established.

Proverbs 4:25,26

*

Prayer:

Father, thank you for this coming school year. What an honor to be home with my children, teaching them and training them in the ways You desire. Please help me to be focused on this season and what you would have me be involved in. Amen.

*

Challenge:

If you have not yet looked at scaling back for this school year do so this week. Make sure that you leave time for date nights and fun stuff, but determine to have tunnel vision in regards to your home school. It is easy to get off track simply anticipating a coming event. Ask your husband to help you make wise choices with your time.
*

Jen 2009

Using God's ORDER to Bring Order in the Home

Have you ever felt like you were going around in circles with caring for the house? Does it seem like the more you do, the more you’re digging a deeper hole for yourself? Well, that’s how I’ve been feeling for a while. I consider myself to be pretty organized especially with having five little busy bees in our home. But it seemed as if I was no longer a woman who was organized!

I shared my frustration with my husband one morning. Then later on that day, he shared Proverbs 14:1 with me and it blessed me so much. It was truly a word given from the Lord. The verse reads:

“The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands.”

Whenever I looked at this verse before, I only paid attention to the latter part. But, this time, the Lord directed me to notice the first part: “the wise woman BUILDS her house.” The Lord used my husband to encourage me that I am daily building our house. But I just need to make sure I’m taking care of the most important things first, not other things that SEEM to be important and/or to need to be done.

So, I took what he said and the Lord gave me this to work with. He reminded me of His order of things. Here’s what I came up with:

God
Husband
Wife (me)
Children
Home
Community

When I first put this list together, I began to doubt putting myself before the kids. But the Lord affirmed me because He showed me that I NEED to make sure that I’m taken care of in order for me to better care for the kids. You’ll see what I mean when you see my examples.

Looking at this order helps me know the major things that I need to do daily in our home. And once those things are done, other things can fall in place. Here are some examples of major things based on my list:

God
- Worship
- Fellowship
- Studying the scriptures
- Evangelizing

Husband
- Sexual needs met
- Clothes ironed
- Lunch made
- Honey Do’s done

Wife (Myself)
- Bible study, meditating, memorizing, and applying the Word
- Exercising
- Eating healthy
- Resting and regrouping

Children
- Loving them
- Discipling them
- Meeting other basic needs

Home
- Daily house chores

Community
- Reaching out to my neighbors
- Calling, emailing, or sending encouraging letters to friends and family

Now that I’ve put this list together, it’s been really helpful. Even with this list, I still need to remember James 4:15 (paraphrased): “If the Lord wills.” So, as you’re trying to get things in order in your home, consider God’s order and then add your daily things based upon this list.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, please help us as women learn how to better care for our homes. Please give us the wisdom and daily strength to do this in accordance with Your Word. In Your name, Amen.

*

Challenge:

Go out for cup of coffee with your husband and seek his guidance on ideas to get your priorities in order. Keep your heart set on hearing the wisdom that the Lord has given your husband for you, not taking his input as criticism. Begin to implement the ideas and take note of how the atmosphere of your home changes.

Zinnada H. 2010

Time Enough at Last

[title credit to the Twilight Zone episode of the same name.]
*
I'm reading the book The Gift of a Year by Mira Kirshenbaum. She says something early in the book that seemed quite profound to me: "Time isn't our enemy. It's our home."
*
God has seen fit to set our lives in Time. It looked pretty simple at the beginning: "And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and for years." Genesis 1:14
*
In our twenty-first century world, Time can seem like an enemy. We scramble through our days, trying to get our tasks done before they bury us. We think it's bad when our children are little--too little sleep, too many "drudge-y" tasks. Every day looks the same: wake-up (change diapers), breakfast, lunch, naptime, supper, bedtime. Whew, made it through another day.
*
When my children were little, my dear mother and mother-in-love both told me something that, though I "believed" true (because they said so), I could not possibly apprehend. "This is the easiest time you'll have while raising children." Those of you out of the infant/toddler/preschool age know what that means.
*
Besides the unending running here and there of school-age children, there is the Worry Factor. We can expend a lot of time worrying, right? My mother-in-love Queen Darl says, "raising children is easier when they are all at home, tucked in bed at night."
*
Add to the problem Technology. When I was growing up in the '60's, they spoke of the 21st century as a time when technology would make life so easy, people would be working 20-hour weeks, and our biggest problem would be figuring out what to do with all our free time.
Still waiting for that one.
*
The more technology, the more time taken up. (and more $$$, too!) Cellphones are wonderful. We can reach and be reached if needed. Queen Darl thinks I'm nuts to have one: "I used to love to get in the car and do the weekly shopping. No one could reach me for two hours!" Not so today, right?
*
"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1 Don't believe the lie that you can not do all that God called you to do. Do not believe the lie that you are too busy to do those things well. I have good news for you: God has given you enough time to do everything He wants you to do. Including getting enough sleep. Enough time for you and your husband. Even some time for you.
*
Prayer:
Lord, help me to see that Time is not my enemy, but a place in which You have chosen to have me live my earthly life. Help me to begin to see areas that I am wasting the time You have given me, or using it carelessly. Help me to begin to live deliberately.
*
Challenge: Meditate on the thought that God has given you enough time to do everything He wants you to do. Set aside a little "time" this week to begin to see some of the time-wasters in your life.

*

Barb K 2010

Taking a Second Trip Through..."The Buffet"

Faithful readers, in the spirit of following my own advice, I am stepping back this week and offering you this devotional from March of last year. I pray the second trip through the buffet will minister to you!*

*

…[she] will not dwell unduly on the days of [her] life, because God keeps [her] busy with the joy of [her] heart. Ecclesiastes 5:20

*

Sometimes we all suffer from what is commonly referred to as “too much on our plate.” Church functions, support group meetings, dance, sports, co ops, parties, music lessons, field trips, meetings, organizations, and ministries are just waiting to fill our time and minds. It's important for us to remember that each outside activity we take on pulls us from our first calling as wives and mothers. After our relationship with the Lord and our husbands we are called to be keepers at home. Is this possible while we are running to appointments, meetings, or recreational events?
*
Before you think I'm telling you to chain yourself to the kitchen stove and never leave your home or go on outings with the kids, let me make a confession: I'm a people person. I love to go to meetings; they're fun for me; I love parties, especially if there's a restaurant involved! However, I must use discretion and moderation when choosing these activities. Even more so, I need to ask my husband for his counsel before committing to activities outside the home.
*
As wives and mothers we set the tone of the home. Be it peaceful or chaotic, the atmosphere is directly tied to us. If we are rushed, stirred up, over committed, and heavy laden we bring a sense of unsettledness, even anxiety to our homes. Proverbs tells us that a foolish woman tears down her house with her own hands. I believe that sometimes this is done with a day planner and the best of intentions.
*
It is okay to say “no” to requests for your time and energy outside of your home. This season of your life is already filled with something that has eternal value. If it builds up your home and your husband gives his blessing, then go ahead and say “yes”. Be sure, however, to listen with an open heart to his counsel and be gracious when he says “no” to something you are convinced is the best opportunity ever to come your way. The Lord will reward you greatly for planting yourself in your home and ministering to your family.

*

Prayer:

Father, thank you that you have given me a family to care for and to love. Please help me to bring all things before you in prayer before jumping in to a commitment. Remind me to trust Your wisdom in my husband and to follow his leadership cheerfully in this area. Help me to guard my heart against resentment and boredom during this time in my life.

*

Challenge:

Make it a point this week to calculate how much time you spend outside of your home, keeping track of the atmosphere in your home and your own heart attitudes. Ask your husband to evaluate your schedule and commitments, pray about them, and then talk with you about what needs to change. Commit to following his leadership cheerfully, being thankful that you have his covering over you. When you are on the receiving end of a busy mom's “no”, please remember to be gracious and realize just how difficult that "no" might be for her.

*

Jen 2006

Do You Shed?

I asked my husband what I should write about this week as I was feeling quite dull. He got a very thoughtful look on his face and then told me that I should write about dogs and how they shed fur. I thought the same thing you are mostly likely thinking right now. What on earth does a dog shedding have to do with a bunch of moms?

*

At the beginning of each autumn our dogs, especially the goldendoodle, begin to grow extra fur for the coming winter months. This comes in quite handy in our cold and snowy northeast Ohio climate. Come spring I am not as intrigued by this God designed winter coat as it all falls on my wood floors. However aggravating the shedding might be, it is a good thing. Can you imagine wearing your winter coat all summer in the heat? The dog's shedding allows for them to sleep better, play better, move around better - it's a good thing.

*

The same is true for moms who shed their busy coats. Unlike my dogs, my shedding time comes in September of each year. After a fun, full summer I need to look at my calendar and begin to slow down. I home school my five children and I simply can not keep the same activity list as I do in the warm and carefree months. If I did, my home would be in a constant state of disarray and my children would be uneducated ruffians. It is much easier and more enjoyable to teach my children when I am not trying to fulfill a myriad of obligations outside of my home. My family needs to be my priority. When I am walking purposefully in my current season of life (summer, holidays, schooling, etc.) I find that the walk is more enjoyable and successful. I encourage you to begin to shed your fur for this coming season and enjoy the time at home.

*

Let your eyes look straight ahead and your eyelids look right before you.

Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established.

Proverbs 4:25,26

*

Prayer:

Father, thank you for this coming school year. What an honor to be home with my children, teaching them and training them in the ways You desire. Please help me to be focused on this season and what you would have me be involved in. Amen.

*

Challenge:

If you have not yet looked at scaling back for this school year do so this week. Make sure that you leave time for date nights and fun stuff, but determine to have tunnel vision in regards to your home school. It is easy to get off track simply anticipating a coming event. Ask your husband to help you make wise choices with your time.

*

Jen Gorton 2009

The Buffet

*

…[she] will not dwell unduly on the days of [her] life, because God keeps [her] busy with the joy of [her] heart. Ecclesiastes 5:20

*

Sometimes we all suffer from what is commonly referred to as “too much on our plate.” Church functions, support group meetings, dance, sports, co ops, parties, music lessons, field trips, meetings, organizations, and ministries are just waiting to fill our time and minds. It's important for us to remember that each outside activity we take on pulls us from our first calling as wives and mothers. After our relationship with the Lord and our husbands we are called to be keepers at home. Is this possible while we are running to appointments, meetings, or recreational events?
*
Before you think I'm telling you to chain yourself to the kitchen stove and never leave your home or go on outings with the kids, let me make a confession: I'm a people person. I love to go to meetings; they're fun for me; I love parties, especially if there's a restaurant involved! However, I must use discretion and moderation when choosing these activities. Even more so, I need to ask my husband for his counsel before committing to activities outside the home.
*
As wives and mothers we set the tone of the home. Be it peaceful or chaotic, the atmosphere is directly tied to us. If we are rushed, stirred up, over committed, and heavy laden we bring a sense of unsettledness, even anxiety to our homes. Proverbs tells us that a foolish woman tears down her house with her own hands. I believe that sometimes this is done with a day planner and the best of intentions.
*
It is okay to say “no” to requests for your time and energy outside of your home. This season of your life is already filled with something that has eternal value. If it builds up your home and your husband gives his blessing, then go ahead and say “yes”. Be sure, however, to listen with an open heart to his counsel and be gracious when he says “no” to something you are convinced is the best opportunity ever to come your way. The Lord will reward you greatly for planting yourself in your home and ministering to your family.

*

Prayer:

Father, thank you that you have given me a family to care for and to love. Please help me to bring all things before you in prayer before jumping in to a commitment. Remind me to trust Your wisdom in my husband and to follow his leadership cheerfully in this area. Help me to guard my heart against resentment and boredom during this time in my life.

*

Challenge:

Make it a point this week to calculate how much time you spend outside of your home, keeping track of the atmosphere in your home and your own heart attitudes. Ask your husband to evaluate your schedule and commitments, pray about them, and then talk with you about what needs to change. Commit to following his leadership cheerfully, being thankful that you have his covering over you. When you are on the receiving end of a busy mom's “no”, please remember to be gracious and realize just how difficult that "no" might be for her.

*

Jen 2006