I am blessed to have a very thoughtful husband who really knows how to make a special day truly special.  He also knows how to buy a great gift when an occasion arises.  However, not all men find that their forte’.  Since Mother’s Day is just ahead, I thought I’d post a list I came across the other day of 101 things to do as a family.  Many of the suggestions are aimed at the husband, but many things can be done by the wife as well.  If your husband needs a gentle suggestion in the area of what to do for Mother’s Day, you might send him the link to this post and sweetly suggest he read it.  =)  These are some wonderful ideas, not just for gifts, but for establishing a godly home.

1. Pay off your credit cards.

2. Take off ten pounds or accept where you are without any more complaints.

3. Eat dinner together as a family for seven days in a row.

4. Take your wife on a dialogue date (no movie, guys).

5. Read your kids a classic book (Twain’s a good start).

6. Memorize the Twenty-third Psalm as a family.

7. Give each family member a hug for twenty-one days in a row (that’s how long the experts say it takes to develop a habit).

8. Pick a night of the week in which the television will remain unplugged.

9. Go out for a non-fast food dinner as a family.

10. Pray for your spouse and children every day.

11. Plan a vacation together.

12. Take a vacation together.

13. Read a chapter from the Bible every day until it becomes a habit.

14. Sit together as a family in church.

15. Surprise your teenage. Wash his car and fill up his gas tank.

16. Take an afternoon off from work; surprise your child by excusing him from school and taking him to a ball game.

17. Take a few hours one afternoon and go to the library as a family.

18. Take a walk as a family.

19. Write each member of your family a letter sharing why you value them.

20. Give your spouse a weekend getaway with a friend (same gender!) to a place of their choice.

21. Go camping as a family.

22. Go to bed early (one hour before your normal bedtime) every day for a week.

23. Take each of your children out to breakfast (individually) at least once a month for a year.

24. Turn down a promotion that would demand more time from your family than you can afford to give.

25. Religiously wear your seat belts.

26. Get a complete physical.

27. Exercise a little every day for a month.

28. Make sure you have adequate life insurance on both you and your spouse.

29. Write out information about finances, wills, and important business information that your spouse can use to keep things under control in the event of your death.

30. Make sure your family car is safe (tires, brakes, etc.) and get it tuned up.

31. Replace the batteries in your smoke alarm.

32. Put a security system in your house.

33. Attend the parent/teacher meetings of each child as a couple.

34. Help your kids with their homework.

35. Watch the kids on Saturday while your wife goes shopping (but if a friend calls, don’t say that you’re “babysitting”).

36. Explain to your spouse exactly what you do for a living.

37. Put together a picture puzzle. (One thousand pieces or more.)

38. Take time during the week to read a Bible story to your children and then discuss it with them.

39. Encourage each child to submit to you his most perplexing question, and promise him that you’ll either answer it or discuss it with him.

40. Finish fixing something around the house.

41. Tell your kids how you and your spouse met.

42. Tell your kids about your first date.

43. Sit down and write your parents a letter thanking them for a specific thing they did for you. (Don’t forget to send it!)

44. Go on a shopping spree where you are absolutely committed to buying nothing.

45. Keep a prayer journal for a month. Keep track of the specific ways that God answers your needs.

46. Do some stargazing away from the city with your family. Help your children identify constellations and conclude the evening with prayer to the majestic God who created the heavens.

47. Treat your wife to a beauty make-over (facial, manicure, haircut, etc.). I hear they really like this.

48. Give the kids an alternative to watching Saturday morning cartoons (breakfast at McDonald’s, garage sales, the park, chores, etc.).

49. Ask your children each day what they did at school (what they learned, who they ate lunch with, etc.).

50. After you make your next major family decision, take your child back through the process and teach him how you arrived at your decision.

51. Start saying to yourself “My car doesn’t look so bad.”

52. Call you wife or husband from work just to see how they’re doing.

53. Compile a family tree and teach your children the history of their ancestors.

54. Walk through an old graveyard with your children.

55. Say no to at least one thing a day — even if it’s only a second piece of pie.

56. Write that letter to the network that broadcast the show you felt was inappropriate for prime-time viewing.

57. Turn off the lights and listen to a “praise” tape as you focus your thoughts on the Lord.

58. Write a note to your pastor praising him for something.

59. Take back all the books in your library that actually belong in someone else’s library.

60. Give irritating drivers the right to pull in front of you without signaling and yelling at them.

61. Make every effort to not let the sun go down on your anger.

62. Accept legitimate criticism from your wife or a friend without reacting or defending yourself.

63. If your car has a Christian bumper sticker on in — drive like it.

64. Do a Bible study on the “wise man” and the “fool” in Proverbs…and then apply what it takes to be wise to your life.

65. Make a list of people who have hurt your feelings over the past year…then check your list to see if you’ve forgiven them.

66. Make a decision to honor your parents, even if they made a career out of dishonoring you.

67. Take your children to the dentist and doctor for your wife.

68. Play charades with your family, but limit subjects to memories of the past.

69. Do the dishes for your wife.

70. Schedule yourself a free day to stay home with your family.

71. Get involved in a family project that serves or helps someone less fortunate.

72. As a family, get involved in a recreational activity.

73. Send your wife flowers.

74. Spend an evening going through old pictures from family vacations.

75. Take a weekend once a year for you and your spouse to get away and renew your friendship.

76. Praise your spouse and children — in their presence — to someone else.

77. Discuss a world or national problem, and ask your children for their opinion on it.

78. Wait up for your teenagers when they are out on dates.

79. Have a “quiet Saturday” (no television, no radio, no stereo…no kidding).

80. If your children are little, spend an hour playing with them — but let them determine the game.

81. Have your parents tell your children about life when they were young.

82. Give up soap operas.

83. De-clutter your house.

84. If you have a habit of watching late night television, but have to be to work early every morning, change your habit.

85. Don’t accept unnecessary breakfast appointments.

86. Write missionaries regularly.

87. Go through your closets and give everything that you haven’t worn in a year to a clothing relief organization.

88. Become a faithful and frequent visitor of your church’s library.

89. Become a monthly supporter of a Third World child.

90. Keep mementos, school projects, awards, etc. of each child in separate files. You’ll appreciate these when they’ve left the nest.

91. Read the biography of a missionary.

92. Give regularly and faithfully to conscientious church endeavors.

93. Place with your will a letter to each family member telling why you were glad you got to share life with him or her.

94. Go through your old records and tapes and discard any of them that might be a bad testimony to your children.

95. Furnish a room (or a corner of a room) with comfortable chairs and declare it the “disagreement corner.” When conflicts arise, go to this corner and don’t leave until it’s resolved.

96. Give each child the freedom to pick his favorite dinner menu at least once a week.

97. Go over to a shut-in’s house as a family and completely clean it and get the lawn work done.

98. Call an old friend from your past, just to see how he or she is getting along.

99. Get a good friend to hold you accountable for a specific important need (Bible reading, prayer, spending time with your family, losing a few pounds, etc.).

100. Establish a budget.

101. Go to a Christian marriage enrichment seminar.

–Tim Kimmel, Little House on the Freeway, pp. 219-223.

Great, aren’t they?  Happy Mother’s Day!

With love,

This year marks the 400th anniversary of the King James Version of the Bible.  While I am not a “KJV only” proponent, it is my personal favorite translation because that’s what I’ve grown up with, and what I have read and memorized.  I also have to recognize the need to stop and appreciate the fact that because of the King James version, I have God’s Word written in my language. 

Before the time of the Bible being written in common language, the people relied on the church to tell them what God’s Word said.  The church abused this knowledge and made a business of selling rights to sin – calling them indulgences.  The more you paid to the church, the more you could sin.  This is not what the Word of God teaches, but because these people didn’t have it in their own language and couldn’t read the Word of God, they didn’t know any better and thought this was the truth!  (Titus 3:5 – Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us).

Do you and I realize what a treasure it is to hold in our hands the Living Words of God?  The Word of God is quick and powerful.  Hebrews 4:12  It is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Psalm 119:105 These things are written that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, and that believing we might have life through His name. John 20:31 What things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we, through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. Romans 15:4 They are to be the joy and rejoicing of our heart.  Jeremiah 15:16

Do the previous verses describe your attitude and heart towards the Scriptures?  If not, ask God to give you a love for His Word.  If we ask anything according to His will, He will hear us, and it is certainly His will that we treasure His Word!  He will answer your prayer and give you a thirst to learn it and live it.

God’s Word reminds me of so many wonderful Truths every day –

• God loves me
• He will never leave me
• He has a plan for my life
• My pain has a purpose
• I can have victory over sin
• God wants to use my life
• He is my Creator and is in control of everything
• He will provide my needs
• One day I will be with Him forever
• Jesus is preparing a place for me in heaven

What blessing of Scripture are you thankful for?  What truth or promise has been made precious to you today?

With love,

I had the blessing of going with a group from our church to Amish Country this past week from Wednesday through Saturday (hence the reason for no posts on Thursday and Friday).  We saw many of these on the roads everywhere…

I learned that I do have something in common with the Amish women – they spend Saturday preparing their food for Sunday too!  Of course, they feed a much larger crowd than I ever have, but they get everything ready for the Sunday meal on Saturday.  They also do it without the aid of electricity.  Yikes!  I can’t imagine not having the microwave, electric oven, refrigerator or the dishwasher to help me in my preparations!  Thank you, dear Ben Franklin!

On our last night in PA, our group ate dinner in an Amish woman’s home.  We watched her children washing dishes and helping their mother serve our meal.  We had a feast of wonderful food including fried chicken and mashed potatoes and gravy, fresh asparagus, homemade breads, green beans, buttered noodles, two kinds of fruit pies, homemade pudding and chocolate cake!  They may be simple people, but that was no simple meal!

I added fresh tomatoes to it as well and served this with tortilla chips and salsa and fresh fruit.  Along with being quick, this is also an inexpensive meal.

Another new recipe from last week was Apple-Bacon Coleslaw.  My husband loved this.  I’ve never been super good at making coleslaw, but I think I have finally found a winner!  Try it and tell me what you think!

3 Tbl olive oil
2 Tbl mayonnaise
1 Tbl Dijon mustard
1 tbl lemon juice
1/2 tsp hot sauce
1/4 tsp salt
8 oz bag of shredded coleslaw mix
1 large Gala apple, finely diced
Freshly ground pepper to taste
4 cooked bacon slices, crumbled

Whisk together first 6 ingredients in a large bowl.  Add coleslaw mix, apple, and ground pepper, tossing well to coat.  Chill 30 minutes.  Sprinkle with bacon just before serving.

What’s been cooking in your kitchen?

With love,

If you followed my husband and me in the morning you would see us head out in running shoes and clothes and head for the road pictured to the right.  We walk most every weekday morning.  We’ve done it for many years now.  This road is my incentive because it’s so pretty, it’s quiet and we hardly ever encounter cars once we get to this dead end street. 

However, to get there we have to climb a very steep hill.  You can see in the distance is another good size hill.  We get a really good workout on our walk/jog.  Some mornings it seems impossible to climb these inclines; other times it’s a piece of cake (oooo, poor choice of words when talking about exercise!).

When we got home from our walking/jogging yesterday my husband said, “You know, running is a lot like the Christian life.”  We then made some good comparisons. Here are a few:

 You get some new running shoes and a good outfit to run in and you’re all excited about getting started.  A person gets saved, or gets back on the right track with the Lord, and they’re ready to set the world on fire for Christ.  You start up the first steep hill and you wonder why you ever decided to do this!  Not long after you set out to serve the Lord, hardships come. It gets really hot when you run.  Serving the Lord isn’t always comfortable.  You get tired.  The believer gets tired of doing what is right.  But rather than quitting, you keep going.  You don’t stop.  Pretty soon, you’re seeing the benefit.  Clothes fit better.  Cholesterol and blood pressure numbers improve!  The believer that keeps running the race and doesn’t get side-tracked sees the reward from following the Lord.  Perhaps they lead someone to Christ, they’re seeing victory over sin, or they see the fruit from the study they’ve completed.  When you get back from exercising, you’re really glad you didn’t eat junk food that would have weighed you down.  The believer realizes the importance of being pure from sin.  The doctor is going to be so happy next time he sees you and you’re in better health!  The Lord will say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant!  Enter into the joy of the Lord!”

Exercise is great, but there’s nothing better than walking with the Lord and staying faithful to the end.  Are you in shape spiritually? If not, tie on your shoes.  Then don’t quit!

The following is an overview of our DVD lesson in Loving God with All Your Mind.

Mary’s life was forever changed when an angel appeared to her and announced that should would be the mother of the Son of God. For each of us a phone call, an appointment or incident can be a turning point in our lives. What are we to think about the unexplainable things that touch our world?

We can see in Mary’s response the way we, too, should respond.  She listened and then she asked, “How?” She consented to God’s plan for her life. By one act of God her life was changed. The first clue to how she accepted this was her calling herself the “handmaid of the Lord.” This was evidence that this was her mentality. She considered herself to have no right, will or possessions.

In Mary’s response to the angel’s announcement, we read Mary making 15 references to the Old Testament. She had a working knowledge of the Scriptures that taught her to know her God!

Many women are majoring on the minors. But instead we need to major the major: knowing God.

What are some of the majors we need to understand?

1. His wisdom – Where do we go to find wisdom? We find it through the Proverbs, discipleship or mentoring relationship, through commentaries, Bible studies. But God is wisdom and His ways are past finding out. We must obey in faith, though we might not understand.

2. His knowledge – God is knowledge and is the source of all there is to know. It’s impossible to understand because it lies in the realm of God. What does he know? He knows very situation of every woman. He knows all our thoughts, challenges, our husbands, or if there is no husband, he knows why. He knows the number of children, or if there are there are no children he knows why. He knows our sufferings. He knows how each situation will end and when.

3. His judgments – They are unsearchable. This is how God makes decisions. This is not the way we make decisions. Psalm 46:10 – Cease striving for it is I, God, who is doing this. We must just submit without understanding. This is what Mary did – “Behold the handmaid of the Lord.”

4. His ways – They are past finding out! This has to do with God’s methods. It is not the way we would do it because we are not God!   Isaiah 55:8,9 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

When you think about your situation:

• Realize that you don’t have to understand.

• Why ask “why?” Instead, ask “Who.”  “Who is behind the scenes?” Let go of your rights. These are God’s decisions and we are not going to understand.  We can trust His ways!

Elizabeth used this illustration – After an earthquake that made absolute chaos of their home, she went into the library and began putting the books back on the shelves between two bookends.  She was trying to make order in the midst of the chaos.  Put everything that is happening to you between the bookends of God’s wisdom and knowledge.  It’s there that we will have order and peace – even if we don’t understand.

Whatever the “unacceptable thing” is in your life, you can learn to accept it by carefully viewing it from the realm of God’s wisdom, knowledge, judgments and ways rather than your own.

With love,