I put out a monthly newsletter for women. The main emphasis is Bible study. If you'd like to view a sample of the newsletter, please send an email to the email address below and put "free newsletter sample" in the subject line. If you'd like to subscribe to the newsletter, send an email to the email address below and put "subscribe to newsletter" in subject line.
"Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored." Titus 2:3-5 (NASB)
~ 2009 Theme Verse ~
"Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass" I Thessalonians 5:24 (NASB)
"If you would like to join me in having a theme verse for 2009, click below.
•Praying God's Word Day By DayBy Beth Moore
•The Bible
•For the Children's Sake: Foundations of Education for Home and SchoolBy Susan Schaeffer Macaulay
•Munich SignatureBy Bodie ThoeneFrom The Zion Covenant Series
Nov. 7, 2007~ Blogger Friend School Assignment #8 ~
This is a very creative assignment. And it's the first assignment for me!
Part A - Our Laundry We sort of all help at different times. When my children help, my son usually puts the laundry in the washer and gets it going. Then my daughter usually puts the clean laundry into the dryer and gets the dryer going. Sometimes my daughter gets the laundry out of the dryer and puts it on the table for me to fold. For right now, my hubby has stepped in and started doing most of the washing and drying. With me being pregnant, it helps that I don't have to do all the bending that goes along with washing and drying. He will bring the dry clothes to the couch or the kitchen table and I fold them. Then the children put their clothes up. I put my hubby's clothes in the bedroom for him to put up. And I put my own laundry up.
I don't have a good working digital camera so I can't show you a picture of our laundry room. We have a small room off of the kitchen where the back door is. That's our laundry room. There's a shelf above the washer and dryer and stand alone shelves (4 shelves that stack together) against one wall.
We do quite a bit of laundry. We could easily do a load every day (sometimes two). If we get behind (which we are right now), it's seems hard to get caught up to maintenance level again.
Part B - My Life One of the areas I have struggled with and still do at times is in just being me. I have ideas of what I think I “should” be as a wife, a mom, a friend, etc.One night when I was sharing this with my husband, he pointed out - are those ideas expectations I place on myself and not necessarily what I have to be?Good question.And I think he’s right.Deep down, I know he’s right.I have been learning and accepting and internalizing more and more how God accepts me just as I am.But for some reason, I still get caught up in battling that acceptance thing when it comes to people.But even more so, to myself.Maybe, just maybe I still have not fully accepted me for who I am.The fact is, there’s no maybe to that.If I accepted myself for who I am, maybe I wouldn’t constantly be striving to be something better according to my standards.I have this list of “shoulds” that I am always trying to live up to but never seem to quite achieve.But are those “shoulds” of my own making?I think possibly so.I think it's possible to strive to be more Christ-like and be just me.You see, when I can come to fully accept who I am, flaws and all (which mind you – I have been trying to do) then I can live in more freedom while allowing God to change me in His time and His way.This is what I want.This is what I am striving for.Does that mean I will never have to work hard on something that needs to be changed in me?Absolutely not!But the key is in the phrase “needs to be changed.”You see, what God wants to change in me is what needs to be changed.That’s totally different from what I think I “should” be doing.One of the things I remember my Mom pointing out to me is that “shoulds” aren’t good.Why?Because “shoulds” tend to be wrapped up in what we think “should” happen when that may not necessarily be what “needs” to happen.
In our journey to accept ourselves and be real, we have to understand that the only approval we need to be concerned about is God’s.Can we lay aside all of our expectations in exchange for accepting and loving ourselves because God created us and we are special to Him?In so doing, can we allow God to change the things in us He thinks needs to be changed in His time and in His way?It’s God’s opinion that matters – not other people’s opinions.Can we strive to put away our worries about what others think and just live to please God and God alone?
Part C - Scripture to Share "For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well." Psalm 139:13-14 (NASB)
Go visit Tamara's blog by clicking HERE if you'd like to participate in Blogger Friend School.
Nice post and nice to meet you. I don't think I've ever visited before. My family and I all share in doing the laundry too...it's easier work for us all. Congrats on the upcoming birth.
Your mom is a wise woman. I think we all struggle with accepting ourselves. Thanks for being so honest. You are an encouragement. Welcome to BFS.
Blessings,
Ginny
I know that this has nothing to do with the assignment but I love the idea of a menu plan. Have often wanted to try nut never done it . yoour blog is really nice.I hope your pregnancy is going well. Hve a great day.
What a wonderful job you did with this week's assignment! Your thoughts on being real and accepting yourself really spoke to me. Thanks so much for sharing those. I am glad you made good headway with your lesson planning. Julie
I struggle with this same thing! Over the past few years the Lord has been showing me slowing to look at HIM and not others. But the "shoulds" really plague me. Thanks for sharing your thoughts here. Encouraging to know I'm not alone in this.
Libby
Thanks for a great post, a wonderful thing to read this morning, as I found myself wishing I was "better" at one thing or another. Accepting ourselves for who we are is a struggle for so many.
To Kympossible,
I tried to get to your blog but couldn't for some reason. It kept saying I needed to log on but I was logged on. Anyway, I appreciate your comment on my blog. I agree that this struggle for acceptance is one that many struggle with. I am making a determined effort to just be me and not worry so much what others think. Not always easy but I'm trying. But I'm also trying to not be so hard on myself. Sometimes we're our own worst critic. God made me and I am special. I have strengths and weaknesses just like everyone else does. I am trying to learn to just accept me - weaknesses and all - and allow God to change me in His way and in His time. This too is not always easy - but I'm trying.
Hope you have a wonderful day!
Karen
www.homeschoolblogger.com/SALT
I know just what you mean about wondering if you are who God expects you to be or who YOU expect you to be. I have struggled with that for a long time. I always want to be MORE!!!
Have a blessed week and thanks for sharing!
Cindy
www.homesteadblogging.com/highhopesacademy
I've wrestled with the same things - learning to accept me as God made me. And not getting caught up in the "shoulds." But He knew what He was doing and had a plan when He put my personality together! But isn't it good to let go of what we want to have changed and let Him do His work instead?!
Karen
You have quite a system going there....
But it sounds like you're always doing laundry! Have you considered letting them wear their dirty stuff around the house instead of getting clean out every day? ha. Or maybe they're putting clean stuff into the hamper? I'll even find folded stuff in mine at times!
bethanyrae
Thanks for sharing! You look like you have a good system going for your laundry, and I was very encouraged by your thoughts on the "shoulds" of being a mom and wife, and how grace and freedom fits in with that.
Blessings from a fellow Blogger Friend,
Jen
Fearfully and wonderfully made. You know what also helps me, I know that I am a work in progress.
I really enjoyed reading your assignment. Have a blessed weekend.
Stacy
I struggle with some of the same issues...and have on and off for years now. I have this standard in mind of what I "should" be, and then get down on myself when I'm not that. I realized just a couple of weeks ago, while doing my devotions, that what I'm really doing is seeking to recreate myself in my own image of what I think I should be. But I have a perfect maker, and he formed me, he knows me, and he continues to mold me...and want to be what he is making me into, instead of trying to press myself into the mold I tend to carve for myself.
That was such a revelation for me....I thought you might like it as well.
(I haven't done my assignment yet, I just found the BFS tonight...and I'm enjoying visiting other's blogs!)
The ultimate goal of Christian home education is to train children to impact the world for God. We want our children to not only hear and learn God's Word, but also be doers of God's Word. Therefore, we strive to teach them:
SERVICE - How to serve God and others
ACHIEVEMENT - To do the best they can in all they do from academic subjects to chores to serving others and more
LOVE - To love God and one another
TRUTH - To live their lives based on the absolute Truth of God
The name of this blog is the acronym for these four areas that we strive to teach our children:
S.A.L.T. - Service, Achievement, Love, Truth
