It's the week before Christmas and it has been bittersweet.  I started last week, with receiving, via email, the news that a very, very dear friend of our family had gone home to be with the Lord.  I am still not sure I've processed it. 

In the process, the Lord showed me how He has had His protective hand on my for the last four or five years.  I don't necessarily like it, but I know it has been for my best, for the best of my children.

The Lord has be right now, practicing, "be still and know that I am God".  This is where I meditate daily - sometimes hourly.

At the same time, the Lord has brought a new friend into our lives.  He's also allowed for the renewal of an old and dear friendship. 

Bitter and Sweet. 

And on top of it, me - she who does not like change - is having a very different sort of Christmas this year.  Absolutely no church stuff - no programs,  no services, nothing outside of our home.  My family dynamics have changed this year and for the first time in many years, it will be just my father with us.  My mother will be spending Christmas with my brother and his girlfriend at their house.  The funny thing is, I'm really okay with it.  It's just different.

We've been doing Advent focused devotions every evening and on Sunday's we've been doing a special Advent devotional with our advent wreath.  It's the first year we've use that since -- well, since before MattMann joined our family.

What is going on in your family this holiday season?

Merry Christmas Wishes to you and yours,
MaggieRaye

We're counting down the days to Christmas around our house -- how about you?

It'll be different this year.  I don't usually like change, but I'm looking forward to it.

I'm posting today, because several days ago I started a 40 days of prayer about making a BIG career change.  No I'm not giving up being a full time mom, nor am I giving up homeschooling.

The reality is that MattMann is 9 and each year he needs a little less of my direct involvement.  He's the baby.  Someone challenged me, "What are you going to do when he turns 18 and graduates?"  Did I already share this?  Well, anyway, it is worthy of repeating. 

The challenge was really, are you going to continue to be a Titus 2 woman and mentor us younger homeschooling mom's or are you going to forsake us, like most of the other older Christian women have and go back to the world and a career?

I'm not going to share details, but over the course of the last several weeks, the Lord has given me a peek into the direction I believe He would have me to go.  If I start now, by the time MattMann is headed out on his own, I will be set in a new ministry that will keep me busy, and keep me a Titus 2 woman.

If you're praying with me, leave a comment.  If you know me personally, and I've shared with you, where I think the Lord is leading -- don't tell, not yet.  I'm very excited to see where the Lord is leading and how He is going to do this.

Blessings, MaggieRaye

The following information is from a website that was hacked this week.  It makes me crazy, because I know of another homeschooling family that had all their website/blogs etc hacked this past week.  What is up with this??

MaggieRaye

Thank you! We appreciate your business.

Dear Friends of Amelia's Aprons;  Recently Amelia's Aprons web site was targeted by hackers. This malicious act of invasion re-routed our customers and left our site with a blank empty page. Let me first say that we do not keep personal information stored on our site, so there is no need for alarm if you have created an account or purchased from us in the past.   I am writing to you today to ask for your help. This attack has left us with a non-existent standing in the search engines and all that we have worked so hard to build over the past 5 years has been lost. Would you consider forwarding this e-mail to everyone that you know, who may be interested in our products?  If you have a blog would you consider posting a link to our store? Or perhaps consider hosting an apron give-a-way for us. If you have a web site would you consider a link exchange with us? These are just some ways that you can help us spread the word that we are back. If you have any questions about the changes to our store or would like more information about hosting a contest please feel free to e-mail me directly at lorrie@ameliasaprons.com If you would like to link to us you may point your browser to http://www.ameliasaprons.com if you would like to exchange links with us please feel free to e-mail your information to the above e-mail address.   Your help is greatly appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to consider how you might can help us. Wishing you and yours all the best this holiday season

Lorrie Mathews
Amelias Aprons

This request is not for me or my immediate family.  It is however for a dear sister in Christ, and friends since childhood.  I should have posted it sooner, but was concerned about the families feelings.  I have asked their permission to share this with you.

Last Friday (Nov. 27) my friend dear friend Connie's son was in a serious car accident.  Scott is 23 and a homeschool graduate.  The family is asking for prayers, and they are getting them, literally from around the world.  Please, pray and pass this along.

Here is a link created for those praying to keep them updated on how the Lord is working in all their lives.

Pray for Scott

Blessings, MaggieRaye

I swear if I hear one more main stream American Christian refute God's word with a statement that includes the words "in our culture" as an excuse for their disregard for God's word, I may just scream!

I hear it all the time.  That's a nice idea, but it won't work in our culture.  That was for a different culture, not ours.  Is God's word His word or isn't it?   It reminds me of my children saying, "I can't do that."  and my answer is, "you are absolutely right, with that attitude, you can't."

Philippians tells us that we can do all things through Christ, even those that are counter cultural.  My God is a God of the impossible.  The bottom line is that we are comfortable as Christians in this country.  We don't want to get dirty.  We don't want to be inconvenienced.  We don't want to be counter cultural.

I thought this morning of the women that God used throughout Scripture:  Rahab, the harlot; Ruth, the Moabite; Esther; Mary Magdalene; the woman at the well.  These women give me so much hope, that God can use my sorry, broken, messed up life to further His kingdom.  He can use me to change the world, or at least my little corner of it -- beginning in my home with my children.  He can do this and He will, but only IF I am willing to take a stand, to do things that just don't "work" in our culture.  If I am willing to be counter cultural, if I am willing to be inconvenienced, if I'm willing to put self aside, then He can do amazing things through me.

What about you?  Are you willing to be counter cultural?  Do your children, home, family come first after your relationship with Christ?  Are you willing to set aside our culture and all it deems important, status, education, career to change the world, one soul at a time starting with the precious ones God has entrusted to you?

My Christmas challenge, the best gift you can give your children is to come home and to be the mother God has called you to be.  If you're there, check your priorities, just because you're physically home, doesn't mean you are "there" for your children [this is an area where I constantly have to check myself].  If not, re-align your priorities, it's the very best gift you can give.

God loved us so much that He gave His only son (John 3:16) what are you willing to sacrifice for your family?

Blessings, MaggieRaye

It's been awhile, but I'd like to ask all of my readers, if you're a single, homeschooling mom who blogs, or if you know one who does, would you please leave a link to that blog in the comments.

As I begin writing for Gleaning the Harvest, I'm going to be needing a place to point a new group of homeschooling single moms - another "generation" if you will.

Ladies, what we do is so important, and supporting others is equally as important.  Thank you for all you do.

Blessings, MaggieRaye

We have so much to be thankful for this year.  I could write pages and pages, but it would take forever because the conviction it would bring about my ungrateful attitude, would make me cry, the pages would be soaked and I'd have to start over.

One of the biggest blessings this year -- after getting to spend Thanksgiving with my Dad, for the second year in a row, after many, many years without -- is the ministry of the Dixon Family through Gleaning the Harvest and those who "get it" when it comes to the importance of Christian mom's remaining at home and training their children.

Because we receive welfare, and I've come to a point of being settled that for this season it is the Lord's provision, we do not ask the supporters of Gleaning the Harvest to help support us on a month to month basis.

However, LizBeth turned 18 and she has a heart to be a keeper at home, in spite of the push for her to go out and get a job or go to school or do something with her life.

We've spent much time in prayer and asked the Lord to reveal ways that she can earn her keep from home.  When LizBeth was 9 she was determined to learn to play the piano.  Lessons were not an option.  She taught herself.  Later she was told that a piece she wanted to learn was too difficult.  She learned it to prove she could.  When people heard her play it they were amazed and wanted to know where she'd been trained. 

She hasn't been, it's a gift.  It's a gift we'd like to share with others.  LizBeth desires to continue to learn piano but also to teach homeschooled families who may not be able to afford lessons, asking them to consider making donations.   To do this she needs a piano.  We had to sell our free beast when we moved.  Knowing that we will be moving again in about six months, most likely to a smaller home, makes getting another free beast impractical.  We  researched it, sought advise and decided on a small, portable digital piano.  When she gets her license (hopefully in the spring) she would also be able to travel to homeschooling families or groups, as well as working from home.

Several dear brothers and sisters in Christ have chosen to help us by making donations toward the piano through Gleaning the Harvest  We now have enough for a down payment on the piano.  The hitch is that once we do that we only have 8 weeks to pay off the balance.

If you would like to help you can visit Gleaning the Harvestor using the donation button in my side bar.

Sometimes I forget what it really means to be a daughter of the King.
Blessings, MaggieRaye

Just wanted to wish all my readers a


Take time to count your blessings during this holiday weekend.  The Lord has been convicting me lately about how blessed I really am -- and how ungrateful I can be.

Leave a blessing in the comments for me, so I can share with you!

Blessings, MaggieRaye

I'm doing some research and I could use your help. 

If you are a single, homeschooling parent and you are a part of a church that is supporting you in this, would you share how they do it?  What does the local body of believers around you do to help you remain at home training up your children?

If you are a church leader (pastor, elder, deacon) and your church is actively supporting one or more single moms to homeschool their children how do you do it?  What are you doing to help them?  How does it work?

Several years ago, I shared Defending the Fatherless with our pastor at the time, and one of the things that stood out in my mind was that he thought it was a good idea, but didn't know how it would work and was there some example to follow. 

I wonder if more churches aren't doing more to help single moms be keepers at home, because they simply don't know how to and they'd like to have ideas of how it works in churches where it is being done.


Please share here or email me directly.

Blessings, MaggieRaye

Someone just forwarded me this article about hanging your laundry out -- or not being allowed to -- depending on where you live.  What is this country coming to?  I'd rather see laundry on a line than . . .

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091118/us_nm/us_usa_laundry

Do you hang your laundry out to dry? 

MaggieRaye