A Night of Insight: Worship Him!

Deuteronomy 16:27-29

Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy in his dwelling place. Ascribe to the LORD, O families of nations, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength, ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name. Bring an offering and come before him; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.

Last night, my family was blessed to have guests.  I love to have people over!  It gives me a reason to make things pretty and special.  And then I had this insight: my family is reason enough to do so and I need to make every evening with them as much of an occasion (if not more so!) as we make when we have others over.

The company was fun, and a blessing.  We pulled out guitars and djembes and even maracas and enjoyed music.  My friend and I learned some music on the guitar and my kids were (kind of) taught about counting out a beat to keep on their hand drums.  The smile on my daughter's face was brighter than a spotlight and my son was in his milieu.  And then I had the insight that God calls us to worship Him with instruments and to dance before Him not only for His joy, but also for ours.  When my children were actively engaging in worship and creative expression last night, I am certain the heart of the Father was filled even more than my own (which was a LOT!).  But it was just as obvious that their little hearts were finding delight, as well.

At the end of the night I got frustrated because things didn't go as smoothly as I would have desired.  And I tried very hard not to ruin the evening, although my mood had shifted.  And I had the insight that God has given women a tremendous responsibility and influence within their homes.  Not for the first time I noticed that people within my home respond to my nonverbal cues and that I often set the emotional climate for everyone around me when I'm at home.  When I go to someone else's home, that woman does the same in her domain.

And then comes morning.  My heart is overflowing still from the amazing blessing of watching my son and daughter, husband, and friends enjoy music, each other, and our Beloved God.  The irritation I felt before bed wasn't even a part of the memory.  God gave me this final insight: It's all about having a Kingdom Perspective.  When we examine things in light of eternity, what is truly important is not always what we make important at the time.  God's focus needs to become our focus; it is not up to us to re-focus the attention of the Almighty on the things we deem to be priorities.

Lord, thank you for a precious night!  Thank you, Father, for showing me just what a beautiful occasion simply sitting down at the table as a family is.  Thank you for revealing to me how perfectly joyful worship is for those who worship you and for setting a standard of worship in our home.  And thank you for disciplining me, for showing me how my heart needs to be so focused on  you that emotion is peripheral and praise is my focus so that I can be a light and a joy to those around me, using my influence to point them to You about all else.

Who Are You?

The following is a quote I used to read every day before going in to school or work.  I had lost sight of it and it recently resurfaced.  I hope you find it as motivating and encouraging as I have!


I am a part of the fellowship of the Unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit Power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions, mundane talking, chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by presence, learn by faith, love by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.

My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my Guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back, diluted, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won't give up, back up, let up, or shut up until I've preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up, and stayed up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until He returns, give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes.

And when He comes to get His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My colors will be clear for "I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.." (Romans 1:16)

By Dr. Bob Moorehead

What is an Ideal Woman?

These are from a 1950s article that someone had shared with me years ago. In my arrogance and *lack* of wisdom, once upon a time I had dismissed them as ridiculous and unrealistic. Now, I wonder that I could have been so foolish. This so totally typifies what a godly woman who is a stay at home mom should be like. And women who work can still take much wisdom as far as attitudes and goals for family. Personally, I think this is wonderful!


DISCLAIMER: Many will disagree because they will look at ACTIONS, but I am loving this because of ATTITUDE!  If it is not for you, I ask you to please respect those who are learning and growing along this vein.  I believe we can have a counter-cultural movement that returns us to a pride and joy in femininity the way God intended it to be!

#1. The two "A's", attitude and appearance.
"An ideal homemaker is lovely to look at and lovely to be around - she has a wholesome attitude and a pleasing appearance. She has the courage to be happy and strives to live above the grievous faults of moodiness, sulkiness, and complaining. She is gracious and thoughtful and is consequently adored by her family and admired by all who know her."

# 2 Another "A" 
"An ideal homemaker is ambitious and enthusiastic through application of the law that how one feels emotionally greatly determines how she feels physically....ENERGY GROWS WITH USE"

#3 Some are Almosters
"An ideal homemaker is devoted to the great career in which she is engaged. She is a professional in her field by being a homemaker every day and letting her devotion and sense of duty, rather than her moods, dominate her." 

#4 A Place for Everything - Everything in its Place 
" An ideal homemaker is skilled in the tasks required in running a home. She keeps her house neat and attractive; she prepares tasty meals and serves them on time; she is able to turn out a gleaming white wash; and she keeps family members' clothes well mended and pressed." 


#5 Meet the Minute 
" An ideal homemaker makes the best use of her time and energy by being efficient so that she is able not only to keep up with her housework, but she is able to be a companion to her husband and a friend and teacher to her children. She is also able to pursue some personal interests which further contribute to her happiness and development." 

#6 The Six "W's"
"An ideal homemaker realizes that many of life's choicest blessings are gained only through hard work and therefore accepts work as a challenge and an opportunity rather than a burden."
"THE SIX W's: WORK WILL WIN WHEN WISHING WON'T"

#7 Plan your Work and Work your Plan 
" An Ideal Homemaker plans a program or a schedule for each day so that she is the master, rather than the victim, of her work." 

#8 Try the Old Ways - Try the New
"An ideal homemaker is prepared to perpetuate the good things she learned in her own home and is ever alert to new ideas and hints which will make her work more effective and help her to be an increasingly better homemaker."

#9 How to clean a house - How to keep it clean
"An ideal homemaker is consistent in applying the best skills and methods she knows. She has a built in self-starter" 

#10 Incentive Plan 
"An ideal homemaker's activities are well-balanced; though she may be noted for a speciality and devote a major part of her time to one particular phase, she doesn't spend all of her time cooking, or does she concentrate just on sewing, or on cleaning, or on reading, or on outside interests. She reaches out to include in her life stimulating projects which serve as an incentive to her."

#11 From a House to a Home 
"An ideal homemaker is able to transform four walls into a home by creating both spiritual and physical beauty therein."

#12 Grow your own - or children can help 
"She will be ideal in her role as a homemaker, not only because of the countless current values, but because her example and teachings will live at least another generation through her children."

#13 Family Traditions 
"An ideal homemaker will encourage family traditions to add colour and depth to the great picture she is painting. Instead of her home being just a "short- order house", it will be a hallowed place where children learn life's great lessons, gain proper values, and build memories which will enrich their lives and help determine their destinies."

#14 Imperturbability 
" An ideal homemaker exercises patience, understanding, and imperturbability unless controlled anger and reasonable discipline are justified. She will do her best to take those bad days when everything seems to go wrong in her stride, realizing that we need some valleys in order to appreciate the mountains"

#15 On husbands - all I ask 
" An ideal homemaker is the type of companion and wife who merits the appreciation and cooperation of her husband and helps him to want to do his part well as a husband, father, and provider."

#16 Budgeting - not such a bad word 
"An ideal homemaker is skilled in the handling of money, in planned shopping, in careful storage, and in clever preparation of food. She is able to conserve the family's possessions through good management. She does not economise and follow a budget out of self-pity, but because it is a challenge to get the very most out of the resources available."

# 17 That Special Something 
" And after all of these facets (#1 - 16) have made our ideal homemaker like a sparkling diamond, she will add a few other special facets of her own to set her apart from all the rest."

#18 Just for Today 
" In summary, an ideal homemaker is an artist in general management so that her home is able to function at its peak performance and fulfill its lofty purpose and so that she along with her husband and children can reflect the joy, order, and progressive spirit therein. She does not try to accomplish this thirty years at a time , but strives to practice being an artist in management and homemaking JUST FOR TODAY" 

Submitted with Joy

God has been doing a work in my life.  Those who have known for a long time often comment on the irony of that work, those who have met me more recently still find it a little humorous.  God is teaching me more and more about the JOY of TRUE SUBMISSION. 

When I was 18 years old, I came home from college for Thanksgiving weekend.  I had a few friends in tow and we all went to my home church for the Wednesday night service.  The worship leader decided to do a hymn, and the words stopped me in my song.  "Perfect submission, perfect delight" ... HUH?!?!?  I just stood there, mutely, for the duration of that song.  There was no way I was going to sing something that was utterly untrue.

Fast forward a month: I was sitting in my dorm, crying and asking God what was wrong.  All He answered me was, "Trust Me.  All you have to do is submit, and I'll take it from there."  All I heard was, "Submit to me.  Lay down everything you are, everything you want, your pride, your worth, all of it.  Become NOTHING.  You're not important, what you want doesn't matter."  Now, the first part of what I was hearing was what God was saying.  The last part was the enemy.  Satan is not God's enemy; he is the enemy of man, of the Bride of Christ.  And my mortal enemy was trying to rob me of the fullness of joy that was my right as a submitted woman of God.

Jump forward a decade:  I'm a wife and a mom and a part time minister living a full time ministry.  And every single day my Beloved asks me to trust Him, to submit the control of my life to His hands and wisdom.  It's so awesome!  When I submit to God, He literally uses me for His purposes and clears the paths that were previously obstructed.  If I try to do it on my own, clearing the road blocks often becomes such a consuming task that I never accomplish my goal and I end up so worn and beaten that it hurts too much to do anything else.  Which way is better? 

I submit now with JOY ... because I know God's way is better, because He promises that it's for my benefit, because the Bible tells me that He delights in me, and because I can trust God to keep His Word!