{This week we’re starting homeschool for the year so I’m taking the week off of posting but will be putting up some favorite sermons}
Francis Chan of Cornerstone Church.
Blessings!
Archives For eucharisteo
Absolute favorite sermon on marriage. Set time aside to listen.
Sanctification in Marriage by Matt Chandler at The Village Church
Blessings!
“The yearning to know what cannot be known, to comprehend the incomprehensible, to touch and taste the unapproachable, arises from the image of God in the nature of man. Deep calleth unto deep, and though polluted and landlocked by the mighty disaster theologians call the Fall, the soul senses its origin and longs to return to its source.”
— A.W. Tozer
I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.(Philippians 4:11-12 ESV)
My husband and I have lived in both extremes. We have had plenty. More than we could want. Spending money frivolously on dinners out. We’ve also have had very little. Going to the grocery with $20 for the week to feed a family of five and one on the way. We are constantly on this path in learning to be content in all situations. And if I can be an open door with you, I’ve found it to be much more satisfying to be in need. I’m reminded daily that the Lord is my portion. It is not by my own hands that we are surviving day by day. But by His beautiful grace.
So do I pray for financial stability and help? Absolutely. I would be a fool to expect the Lord to provide without our asking. I love Him and want Him to know how thankful we are for his every day graces. Just as I want my children to come to me when they need something. It weighs down my heart when I see them struggling to do something on their own when I would have joyfully been there to help.
As we’ve gone through tough seasons we’ve been discouraged at not being able to let our children do all the things little ones do. Like sports or ballet or music lessons. Yet they don’t care! Seriously! The things they enjoy the most ,and I imagine create the best memories, are the things we do together as a family that cost nothing. So I want to share with you a few ideas that you can institute when you’re looking for some free family fun.
1. Paint the driveway.
We fill a bucket up with water and hand the kids clean paintbrushes and they get to work ‘painting’ the driveway and sidewalks. It’s especially fun when it’s hot enough for the water to dry quickly. They are busy little bodies then!
2. Play soccer.
No offense to any soccer lovers out there but I am not a fan. However, our children love playing soccer in our backyard. And my husband loves anything sports related so he happily plays them. {In fact, as I write this they’re playing a game. They’re getting uncomfortably close to knocking that soccer ball into my camera}
3. Bake cookies.
Little ones love to cut cookies out. Dig out all your cookie cutters. Let them cut out candy cane shapes in July! Don’t forget to add sprinkles! And don’t get all OCD on them. Let them make a mess. It really does not take that long to clean up cookie dough if it means building up their self esteem.
4. Read.
Take a trip to the library or to your bookshelf. Maybe even pick a book that has been made into a movie so once you’re finished you can celebrate by watching the movie together at home.
This will become a series later with more free family fun ideas in the future.
Blessings!
Who knows the most about you other than the Lord? If you are married the correct answer is your spouse. They know what makes you smile. They know what makes you cry. They can decipher what your different sighs mean. They have your breathing pattern etched on their hearts. And they know when you need prayer.
Do you take the time to pray for your spouse? It may seem like a silly question but you tend to know each other so well that either you just naturally forget to pray for them. Or you almost think they don’t need it. Maybe you’re discouraged and think that nothing can help your husband find a job. You’ve prayed for months and nothing has come up. Or you’ve asked your wife to have more grace and yet she’s still snapping at you and the kids. Have patience. Have grace. Stop and pray. Continually. He’s still working.
Try to make it a habit every morning before the two of you part ways for the day and ask “is there anything I can pray about for you today?” It may be slightly awkward at first. Maybe they’ll anser “….um….no, I’m good”. That’s ok. Pray for the Lord to peel back layers and open their hearts. I remember hearing one time that if anyone ever asks if there are any prayer requests you should always answer yes. Your life is not so great that you don’t need the Lord to work in your life somehow. Pray for humbling?
Do not under estimate the strength in talking to your creator. Just as a mother longs for her children to whisper those first sweet words to her of ‘mama’ or ‘dada’; our Father longs for us to engage our lives with Him. And who best to start your daily prayers out with than your spouse?
My husband and I have had times when we’ve prayed at our front door before he leaves. There’s been other times when we part ways without prayer and we seek the Lord individually. Other times it’s at the dinner table or through a text/e-mail. And yes, there are far more days that we simply don’t pray for each other. We need to continually seek Him and He will counsel our hearts.
So try this week to simply ask your spouse what they need prayer for. You may be surprised at something that they have been struggling with. Then come and lay your prayers before His feet. Together.
Blessings!
