Frugal Fridays

Many of us seem to be cutting more coupons lately and looking in the store flyers for great deals. I happened to watch the local news and they were talking about the deals at the dollar stores and I thought I would share them with you. Not every deal at the dollar store is a good one so make sure you do the math first :) Happy Friday! ~ Sharlyn Eddy

Cleaning supplies - Look for products like laundry detergent and liquid drain opener. You may not see name brands you recognize, but that’s ok. The Good Housekeeping Institute says most dollar store cleaning products have the same ingredients as name brands — although some may be slightly more diluted.

Gift wrap, tissue, ribbons, bows - You can save a pretty penny shopping for gift wrappings. In fact, you might find this stuff at up to 80% less.

Snack food - Check out potato chips, peanuts, chocolate and candy. Hey, if you’re heading for big dental bills, might as well save a buck or two on the causes.

Dollar store shampoo - Hair care experts say most shampoos will clean your hair just fine - there’s only minor differences in a brand’s ingredients and concentration.

Kitchen supplies - Spatulas… measuring cups… can openers… melon ballers… skewers for the grill: basically anything without a blade is a dollar store deal — that could save you up to 95%!

Many dollar stores get their items from manufacturers or wholesalers who produce products just for them. That means you might be able to get variety and serious savings all at once.

Thoughtful Thursdays

Self-Sufficiency vs. Humbly Depending on God (while working!)

It’s so easy to rely on our own abilities to make it through the day. Whatever season you find yourself in, I pray that you will look to the Lord to be your strength today. Whatever He brings your way, His grace is enough!!!

I have really appreciated and benefited from the message “Do Hard Things, for Moms” by Danny Jones. I hope this excerpt encourages you:

“If you mother your children in your own strength, you’re going to burn out. When we serve, we are to serve with the strength He provides. If you are feeling weary and if you do tend to wonder, “Am I burning out?” that very likely is an indication that you are serving in your own strength. If you are tempted to think, “I can’t do this anymore”, you need to not disagree with that, but agree with that. But realize the reason you can’t do it anymore is because you are trying to do it in your own strength. Because I think we would all agree that God is great enough that if He has given you the strength, it will not be exhaustible. You’re not going to run out of grace, you’re not going to run out of His ability. If He’s providing for you, that’s not a well that can run dry. So if we truly are serving with the strength He provides, not only are other people going to be amazed, but you are going to be amazed that you make it through the day!”
~ Allie Olsen

Devotions

Celebration was such a sweet and encouraging time this year! I enjoyed the pieces of messages I heard (Georgia liked cheering on the speaker & we had to leave sometimes!) and am looking forward to listening to them again now that they’ve been posted on Abundant Grace’s website.

We brought home a Puritan Paperback by Thomas Watson, “The Godly Man’s Picture- Drawn with a Scripture Pencil”. I can read just one paragraph and be challenged with much to think on! Today, Watson encouraged me to “be so enamoured with piety as to embrace it heartily... and never leave off till you have got [godliness and the saint’s characteristics] stamped upon your own soul. This is the grand business that should swallow up your time and thoughts.”

According to the Bible, godliness is our wisdom. “The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.” (Job 28:28)

Lord, please help me to be consumed by a fear of You and a pursuit of godliness. I pray that I will embrace a life lived in reverence for You out of love for You in all the little things today. Thank you for Your Word and for solid teaching that helps us grow in our walks with You.

~ Allie Olsen

Titus 2 Tuesdays

I would like to thank all of you who have joined us for our Titus 2 Tuesdays. Today we will be wrapping up this segment where we spent time gleaning from women that have inspired us to be Titus 2 women. But before doing so I would like to leave us with a few thoughts to ponder concerning God’s mandate for women found in the letter of Paul to Titus.

Titus 2:3-5 highlights seven qualities that are to be our focus. We see in this passage our need to be taught and trained for this task. In verses 3-5 Paul told Titus to have the older women teach what is good, train the younger women to love their husbands and children and to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.

You see God’s word calls us to something far greater than building loving and peaceful homes as wonderful as that is. We are called to glorify our God and to participate in the advancement of His glorious gospel as women. There is a higher behavior; a higher purpose as wives and mothers than how it benefits me and my family. It is to be our aim to love our husbands, care for our children and homes in a manner that glorifies the name of God and adequately represents His saving power to a lost world.

The people in our sphere are watching us. Our non-Christian family, our friends, our neighbors are watching the way we live. We are either enhancing the Gospel or discrediting the Gospel by our behavior.

By now you are probably starting to feel the weight of this responsibility like I am, but we have hope. We have hope in the grace of God. It’s the grace of God that changes us and helps us to do all that God requires of us. The grace that saves us enables us to walk in obedience to His commands. God doesn’t save us and then leave us alone in our immaturity and sinful behavior. The grace that brings us to salvation will also enable us to grow and mature.

We are utterly incapable of obeying the behavioral requirements for younger women in Titus 2 apart from the grace of God at work in our lives. Yet God has lavished upon us, has given us his grace to instruct us, redeemed us from sin to purify us and to make us eager to do what is good.
~ Rhonda Calabello

Being Busy in the Home

I never thought that writing a small entry about “being busy in the home” would stump me like this one has. When I had young children and so much to do I longed for down time and the promised leisure that would come when they would one day leave home. As they moved on into college and beyond, I found myself longing for something to do. Not “busy” work, but not a lack of work either.

What kind of work am I asking for? After mulling this over I realize three things. One, after many years of various afflictions which slowed me down or laid me up, I am so grateful for busy fruitful days. I thank God for the health and grace to sustain me that I might bear fruit or bring beauty to my home. The Lord certainly used those sluggish days but I sure enjoy the active ones a whole lot more. Second, for years I have prayed from psalms 71 and 92, that I would “still bring forth fruit in old age” and that I would have the opportunity to “show thy strength unto this generation and thy power to every one that is to come.” That implies a bit of work and I hunger for it. Third, I think that the word industrious sums up the role of a woman in the home (and workplace), whatever her age. Industrious rather than idle. Industrious with children and without. Industrious whether young or old. Now that I am older I find myself a bit slower physically and I can not possibly keep the pace that I did 20 years ago. Still, I want to stay active in my pursuit of the Lord, in my home and in any place that He sends me. Lord, just let me bring forth fruit in old age. Amen. ~ Inez Holger

Frugal Fridays

With four growing boys and escalating food prices, groceries are eating up a bigger portion of our monthly budget. Here are some ways I have learned to “pinch a penny until it screams!”

1. Plan Ahead. I sit down with my calendar and the sales fliers to plan my meals for the week. Based on our schedule and what’s on sale, I make out the grocery list.

2. Use that List. A grocery list can limit impulse buying. Although many “super shoppers” advocate shopping once per week, I haven’t figured out how to make bananas, strawberries, and grapes last a whole week without a swarm of little flies invading my kitchen. I try to only shop twice a week to avoid unnecessary trips. If I’m not in the store, I’m not spending money.

3. Learn the sales cycles of the grocery store you prefer. Their “buy-one, get-one-free” promotions are a great way to save. Most products which they regularly put on sale cycle around every 5-6 weeks. The major stores rotate the brands on sale; each week they feature a different brand of paper towels, toilet tissue, ice cream, detergent, cuts of meat, etc. If you learn the cycles, you can buy enough of your preferred brands to last you until the next sale cycle. Adding in coupons clipped from the Sunday newspaper can enhance your savings.

4. Spices are expensive! I’d love to grow my own, but I have a “black thumb.” All attempts at growing them have failed, so I purchase dried spices. But those little bottles on the fancy spice aisle can run $3-$5 each. Skip that aisle and head over to the Ethnic Food section, where the same spices can be found for up to 2/3’s less.

5. Wal-Mart’s and Target’s entry into the grocery market gives us a lower priced option for shopping. Many staples can be purchased there for 20-25% less than the grocery store chains’ prices. Learn the SuperCenter’s prices on the items you regularly purchase; sometimes they are lower than the sales prices at the grocery chain.

6. The local farmers’ markets are great options for buying fresh, local produce. Prices are very reasonable, and you can meet the growers. This is a fun outing for the kids, too.

7. The wholesale clubs (Sam’s, BJ’s, Costco) can be cost effective, especially for a large family. It can also be a minefield of uncontrolled spending. Buying 48 rolls of paper towels when you have limited storage space isn’t helpful in the long run. They periodically offer free “trial memberships” that can let you explore the store, shop, and get a feel for whether this would benefit your family. Or, tag along with a friend who already has a membership.

Happy shopping ~ Adrea Thomas

Thoughtful Thursdays

Have you ever wondered why it seems that many Christian women today are not at peace? Though we acknowledge that we know the gospel; that we are saved by grace, yet we often live as though God’s love for us is based on our performance. I believe many of us have perhaps bought into the lie that when we do the “right” things, we sense God’s approval and pleasure, but when we struggle with sin, we feel distant from him. We seem to know intellectually that Jesus is all we need, and yet we clamor and strive for more. We find ourselves craving and lusting after the desires of our hearts, money, maybe a nicer home, a godly husband, beautiful and well behaved children, the perfect career, etc. And though we may think we have great wisdom in many areas of life, we sometimes relate to others like unbelievers. Instead of faithfully blessing and never cursing (Rom. 12:14) or doing good even when we’ve been treated unjustly (1 Peter 2), we can find ourselves subtly attacking others through gossip couched as “prayer requests” or through letters laced with emotions written to confront and rebuke. Then we often fail to draw grace and strength from the biblical admonition found in 1 John 4:20, “If anyone says, “I love God, yet hates his brother, he is a liar”. We are left struggling with bitterness and hatred toward the people who have rejected, abandoned, or attacked us. Our hearts are often heavy and depressed, filled with guilt and shame, saying no matter how hard we try, we will never be good enough. We are women prone to fear, worry and anxiety.

But we have hope in Christ. Our relationship with God through Christ is the foundation for our peace with others and with ourselves. Romans 12:18 says, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” But the answer to our conflicts doesn’t stop with a saving relationship with Christ, because if that were true there would never be any broken relationships among Christians. We must remember that as we grow in faith and are conformed to Christ, we learn to do the hard work of peacemaking, “biblical peacemaking”.

Matthew 5:9 calls us to be peacemakers. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” We are called to be peacemakers in all our relationships. We can do this because Christ compels us, God is the first and ultimate peacemaker and God enables us. Our peacemaking efforts will succeed to the extent that they reflect God’s merciful act of redemption. We are ambassadors of peace, when we trust in God’s grace,

view others better than ourselves, bear one another’s burdens, and forgive our offenders. ~ Rhonda Calabello

Devotions

Galatians 5:13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

Our family recently got back from a trip to Washington, DC. It was the first time I had ever been in our nation’s capital, and it was an awesome experience. As I was looking at everything for the first time I couldn’t help to wonder what it was like hundreds of years ago. What might it had looked like during the fight for our independence? How many lives were lost for the fight for my freedom? I had so many thoughts going through my mind and was overwhelmed more than once with emotion.

I realized through it all how I take things for granted. I wonder if the people who work or live in and around Washington, DC ever get tired of seeing these great monuments. I wonder if after a while it’s like just another magnet on the fridge – you get so used to seeing it there and it blends in with everything else.

Our lives can become like that too. We get so used to doing things our way and we start our day and don’t take time to thank God for his many blessings. Life just starts to “blend in” and we get sidetracked and take things and people for granted.

I would encourage you today to take some time and thank God for his many blessings. Join me in asking Him to show you if there is anything in your life that you take for granted. ~ Sharlyn Eddy

Contentment - Calm My Anxious Heart

Have you ever pondered this thought, that what we are on the inside, what we continually think about, eventually shows in our words, actions, and even on our countenance? Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Do we live our lives with this in view or do we live our own private interpretation of this verse? Are we content with what God has chosen to give us, or do we have an unholy habit of discontent.

In her book Calm My Anxious Heart, Linda Dillow introduces us to a lady who lived her life in light of Philippians 4:8. Ella is her name, a woman of clear vision and eternal perspective. Her disposition was truly marked by a holy habit of contentment.

Ella, along with her husband and children worked as a missionary in Africa for fifty-two years. She left her country, her family and all that was familiar. The word primitive doesn’t even begin to describe her living conditions. Imagine the scorching heat and humidity of the African bush with no electricity, air-conditioning, and all the other modern conveniences we so often take for granted. There were days that were so unbearably hot that she had to bring the thermometer inside because it couldn’t register 120 degrees without breaking.

So how was Ella able to discover true contentment? This is her prescription to living a contented life:

Never allow yourself to complain about anything – not even the weather.
Never picture yourself in any other circumstances or someplace else.
Never compare your lot with another.
Never allow yourself to wish this or that had been otherwise.
Never dwell on tomorrow – remember that tomorrow is God’s not ours.

How could this woman not complain of the weather when perspiration dripped off her, when the stale, humid air kept her from sleeping? What made her everyday focus so different from ours? The secret is Ella lived with her eyes fixed on eternity. Her tomorrows belonged to God. She had given them to Him. Because her tomorrows were nestled in God’s strong arms, she was free to live one day at a time. Ella possessed a soul sufficiency, a peace separate from her circumstances. Ella’s focus was eternal, and her focus led to an eternal contentment. ~ Rhonda Calabello

Being Busy in the Home

My grandma used to say “cleanliness is next to godliness” was in the Bible. It’s not! And we’d all be wise to remember that as we’re bustling about getting the house in order today! Our first priority is not cleanliness- it’s being a child of God and a wife, a daughter, or a Mom. It’s serving Him by serving others!

In your chores you do have a wonderful opportunity to model godliness for your family. We can inspire our children, friends and friends’ children through our joyful daily life. When my sister was up visiting recently, she modeled this to my children. She put aprons on Timbo and Lauren and they all baked an apple pie together. She allowed Timothy to cut the apples (misshapen slices taste just as good as perfectly cut ones!) and Lauren rolled out the crust. She shared a love of baking, modeled cleanliness by tidying up as they went and showed the children how to hand wash dishes. You can teach that cooking and cleaning is a way to show love! What a blessing it was to watch my sister, who does not have children yet, take the time to pour into my little ones! She caught the vision!

Now, returning from Celebration, is a great time to share fun memories, solid teaching and cleaning… gather your children and fold together or call a buddy and share a favorite lesson learned. Let’s strive, together, to grow in both cleanliness and godliness!! ~ Allie Olsen

Frugal Fridays

I am all about being frugal. I am not so much about being a trendy, save-the-planet green gal. Nonetheless, I enjoyed a variety of new ideas listed in a recent Traditional Home "What Can You Do" article. My favorite was by architect David Bergman. "…perhaps the most significant thing we can do is make our consumption choices wisely. A rule we use is that we must need something three times before we decide to buy it. And it also keeps our closets from overflowing quite as much!"

That goes back to the first Frugal Fridays blog I did, "Stop, Think & Pray." If your family never makes homemade or DiGiorno Pizza, only orders from the local pizza parlor where pizza comes to you already sliced, do you really need that pizza wheel that's only seventy-five cents? Being frugal is about stewardship. So wasting seventy-five cents is still being wasteful! And it clutters up your kitchen drawers!

As a family we first consider how we are spending our money, not how much money we are spending. Perhaps we should ask, "Why do I want to buy this?" Asking ourselves questions can help us determine whether we really need it or not (unless it's pertaining to chocolate- *grin*), it is probably not a necessary purchase. We can all be good stewards while even having fun trying to turn saved pennies into saved dollars (did someone say more chocolate!).

Pro 21:20 Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man's dwelling, but a foolish man devours it

~ Allie Olsen

Thoughtful Thursdays

Our family moved into this neighborhood nine years ago during a muggy week in October. We began by making smaller trips before bringing in the moving van and by Saturday we slowly trudged into the house feeling as wilted as we looked. As we headed to the car for one more load of boxes a young boy appeared in our driveway with a glass pitcher.
“Here,” he said, “my momma said to give this to you.”
He handed us the pitcher filled with iced water and ran off.
“Hey, who’s your mom?” I yelled.
“She’s busy right now” he hollered back.
Busy, but not too busy to give us cold water on a hot day.
She made quite an impression on me, revealing a practical way to show thoughtfulness before the opportunity passed by. No big expense, no large block of time, but considerate of the needs of others. This lovely woman had kindness on her mind.
I have often thought of her when new neighbors move in and I want to make a full meal but don’t have time. I think of her too when workers repair my home or when children huddle in the shade on a hot summer day. No matter what our schedules are like, a cup of cold water can go a long way. ~ Inez Holger

Devotions

Maybe you've read biographies of heroic missionaries and they seem larger than life. Do you find yourself wondering,"Are these people for real?" Although rare, such individuals do exist and I'd like to introduce you to my friend and mentor, Ruby Thompson. I first met Ruby as I was entering college and even though she was more than half a century older than me she had a tremendous impact on my young Christian life. Already a widow, Ruby devoted her time to teaching several weekly Bible studies, interceding for others and helping younger women keep their eyes on the Savior. One thing was apparent about Ruby: she dearly loved and treasured the Word of God. She would often quote verses as she taught but even more surprisingly she would quote entire passages of Scripture. When she was younger she had memorized the entire book of the Gospel of John while on horseback! As the years went on she added the Book of Hebrews and other smaller books to her memory storehouse. Far from being a duty, her devotions were the foundation of years of fruitfulness. At her 100th birthday party someone asked her to share her favorite Bible passage. Her grandson held the large-print Bible for her and she began to read from her favorite Psalm. Somewhere along the way she closed her eyes and continued from memory those words long imprinted upon her heart and mind. She walked with her Lord and Savior for over a century and has since gone home to join her husband in heaven.

In the Gospels we see that the Pharisees were very familiar with the Scriptures. Yet Jesus was far from pleased with them. What made Ruby's experience different? I believe she truly understood the source of her salvation was Jesus's atoning death on the cross. She was not memorizing scripture to create righteousness but did it as a result of being clothed in the righteousness of Christ. As she walked with the Lord His Word was a source of strength, inspiration, guidance and even admonition. Rather than praying words of her own choosing she would pray God's Word back to Him and when she didn't know what to do she turned to the Word of God. Because it was stored up in her mind she could access it at any time, day or night or any place no matter what the circumstance. Long before mp3's or Cd's were invented she had her own "portable storage device": her memory!

Rather than be intimidated by her monumental achievements in memory work I hope you are inspired today to store away some of God's Word in your heart. Whether one verse or an entire book of the Bible it would have brought her great pleasure to know that her example inspired you to begin memorizing God's Word. As we sit daily at the Lord's feet may we follow her example and find our devotional time to truly be a delight, reaping much fruit as a result of our time in the Word. ~ Brenda Edwards

Titus 2 Tuesdays

An interview with Karen Lee by Sharlyn Eddy

I chose to interview Karen Lee today because she is a woman that I have much respect for. God has blessed her and her husband greatly. I will keep my intro short because I think what Karen has to share is much more important. Thank you, Karen for allowing us to have a glimpse of what the Lord has done in your life.

1. At what time in your life did the Lord start to change your heart about having a child?

Wow, this was a process that began looking like one thing and became something very different and completely unexpected. Back in 2001, my best friend Sue asked me to join a small prayer group with two other good friends of mine and we began meeting every Friday morning from 6:30 AM to 8:00. We always eventually got to the prayer time, but often spent our time just talking about things in our lives, how God was working and whether we were cooperating (or not), going to the scriptures to challenge, correct and encourage us. We met for the next 3 years. It was also in that year Mike and I began praying about leaving our very good church of 10 years and becoming part of GCC. God worked in my life in so many ways during that 3 years but the most significant was when I began to sense a real dissatisfaction with my job at a large corporation. I had always been very career oriented and had determined early on that I did not want to have children and would be very satisfied with a career. Mike and I were in agreement with this for many years, but when God began changing his heart about children, I was just not receptive. It was just not up for discussion. We became members of GCC and then to the team of home group leaders. For the next couple of years, God was beginning to shine the light on the real cause of my dissatisfaction. It seemed to take many turns and I was downhearted much of that time. Nevertheless, He was peeling back the layers and exposing the sin hidden below the surface. He used the women in my prayer group and at GCC as instruments of His grace in my life.

As you all know, SGM places great importance on teaching sound doctrine including the biblical roles of husband and wives, despite the current trends that have even crept into the church. I had heard some of this teaching before, but now I was listening with different spiritual ears. In June 2004, one of my prayer partners called to meet with me saying she believed God had 2 scriptures for me related to what I was struggling with which was not actually clear to me at the time; they were Is. 43:18-19 and Eph. 4: 22-24. We prayed and talked for a long time that night. God began to pull back the curtain and show me specifically the areas of sin I had been walking in for many years. I had sinned against God and my husband in my ongoing rebellion against His design for marriage as it related to children. I needed to confess that sin to God and Mike and seek forgiveness. I wish I could tell you I went straight to Mike, but instead labored a long time over how he might react. My dear friend Sue began to admonish me saying, “there’s an elephant in your room and you just keep walking around it; you must talk with Mike!”

Then one Saturday morning in August, I got a call from Brenda Edwards about an unrelated matter and as she is so faithful to do, she asked how I was doing. I told her what God had revealed to me, and that I had not yet mustered the courage to talk with Mike. She too admonished me that I must speak with Mike and let God handle his reaction. She also told me that God had taken her to Ps. 113: 9 that morning and she wonder why until we spoke. A week or so later, I had that conversation with Mike and it was evident that God had already given Mike the grace he would need to hear what I needed to say.

2. How did you and Mike come to the conclusion to adopt a baby from China?

Over the preceding years, Mike had suggested several times the possibility of adopting a child, always from China, as an alternative to a natural birth. So, when I had the conversation with him and received his forgiveness, I told him that we could prayerfully consider adoption if he still wanted to and from China if that was his hearts desire and God’s leading for us.

3. How has the Lord sustained you during the transition of becoming a mother?

God’s grace was already there before I even needed it when we brought Jianna home and it continues to be. In those very difficult years, He was not only working on my sin issues, but had also brought me to the place where I was ready to lay aside the career I had worked at for 32 years. He was also teaching me much about contentment, which has made these few years much easier. He has given me a loving husband and placed me in a body of believers who have supported and helped me grow.

4. What would you say is the one thing that has changed the most since becoming a mother?

My capacity to love a child, my child, unconditionally as God loves me, us.

5. Having children brings so much joy and laughter. Can you share a favorite moment or day that you have had with Jianna?

There have been so many and any mom will say that every day brings precious moments with our children, but a recent incident comes to my mind. Tom Morgan called to request prayer for Holly Morgan, who is in the 2nd trimester of pregnancy. He said her water had broken and while they had not yet seen the doctor, they were very concerned for the health of her baby. Jianna and I were eating dinner at the time, but we stopped to pray for Holly right then. The next morning at breakfast, I was telling Mike about the situation and when we began to pray, Jianna wanted to pray first and here’s what she said, “Jesus to fix Holly’s broken water and feel better her.” What a blessing it is to hear my daughter pray with such beautiful simplicity.

Being Busy in the Home

All work and no play makes mom….not fun! While it’s important to do all the things that women do like the cleaning, cooking, laundry it’s also important to take time to have fun. I am writing this as we are getting ready for a big trip and the pressure is on to get everything done. Carson told to me today that I don’t seem very excited about the trip and my response was, “I’ll be excited when I am on the plane.” Oh, dear. I am realizing now how selfish I have been the last couple of days.

In the chaos of our days do we find time to just have fun? I know that I struggle with that most days. As of lately it seems that I am so preoccupied with my schedule or “to-do list” that I forget the joy of getting it done. This would be true also with our upcoming trip. I have forgotten to have fun in the process. So much so that it took my 12 year old son to bring it to my attention. Thank you Lord for loving me and giving me such a great family. Help me to recognize when I care more about the task than the people in my life. Help me to praise you like David did in the Psalms when he said "The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song" (Psalm 28:7). Put a new song in my heart and give me the help I need to make it through the day.

I hope that you all find joy and fun in you day today! ~ Sharlyn Eddy

Frugal Fridays

One easy way to be frugal is (drum-roll please) don’t buy disposable! You pay for the convenience of being able to use & toss- so just choose not to! Some items that are easy to switch:

Plates-Disposable plates are handy and we keep some in the pantry for super busy days. Many use them all the time, thinking they save a lot of work. If you clear your regular plate straight to the DW, though, it is just as easy as tossing a paper one in the trash! Dishes seem to be a big task for families if you let them pile up on counters or in the sink. With a little training, though, children can load their own dishes in the DW and help unload as well! If you don’t have enough dishes, or if you cringe at the thought of a 1 year old carrying your china, check out Correll plates. These are virtually indestructible and are very inexpensive at Wal-Mart - you can purchase them instead of paper over the course of a few weeks or months and not incur any additional expense. Besides the savings, it just feels nicer eating off “real” dinnerware.

Napkins-Cloth napkins can be purchased inexpensively- check TJ Maxx, Target and thrift stores. I bought 15 at a yard sale that had never been used for $2.

Dish Cloths-Keeping a stack of dishcloths handy keeps me from reaching for paper towels when I have a spill on the counter. Paper towels are great for use on floors or cleaning dirty bathroom spots, but when it’s a light mess (kitchen counter, breakfast table, the front of the fridge), reach for cloth.

Diapers-For those of you with little ones, cloth diapers can save you a fortune!! A quick Google search for “savings cloth diapers” revealed many helpful sites, including one that will calculate your specific savings depending on the size of your child & the up front investment you’re considering (depending on type of diaper). If you use the basic prefold diaper and cloth wipes from birth, you can save $1117.40-$1478.60 if your child potty trains at 2 ½ years! We have reaped additional savings as we’re still using the same cloth diapers now that we purchased when Lauren was born- they have lasted through 3 (or more, we bought most used) little ones so far! Cloth diapers create one extra load of laundry every 3 days. They’re super easy to fold and are the first things our little ones learn to fold, so the extra work for me is negligible.

These are some easy ways that our family has saved over the years. You can wash the cloth napkins & dish cloths with your regular laundry, so they don’t create more work. And it also creates less trash, which means fewer trash bags (those are expensive!) and less work for your hubby or eldest son. ~ Allie Olsen

Thoughtful Thursdays

“Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” Prov. 16:24

I have a friend with a built-in radar. DeeDee has a way of finding people with broken, hurting hearts. I once asked her about this, and she said that before she goes to any meeting, Bible study, or other gathering of women, she always asks the Lord to show her someone who is hurting and needs encouragement. And God is so faithful to answer her prayers! So many women through the years have felt their hearts strengthened by DeeDee’s aptly-spoken words. She is faithful to ask God for His guidance—that He will show her someone in need, and supply the right words to care for them. What a wonderful example!

While He walked this earth, Jesus spoke words of healing and grace to others. He never missed an opportunity to encourage the hurting, challenge the proud, and strengthen the hearts of the weak. His words offered forgiveness to the guilty soul, rest to the weary, and hope to those weighed down with grief. He still speaks words of healing and grace to us through His word, the Bible. And God can use us to encourage others with His word.

Ask God to show you today someone you can bless. Ask Him to give you eyes that see a wounded heart. He will give you words of encouragement to strengthen their heart. It may be your husband, a child, your mother, a neighbor. It could be a stranger in the check-out line or a mom at the soccer field. Ask God to use you...and you will find YOUR faith strengthened.
~ Adrea Thomas

“A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” Prov. 25:11

Devotions

Sweet Georgia Anne is already 2 weeks old! I am starting to adjust to the “new Mamma routine” which, as you all know, includes less sleep. Chris has been kind to take her in the morning around 6, so I have been “making up” for my missed sleep in the morning. It’s amazing what one solid hour of sleep can do for a tired Mamma! But this presents a new problem! The thing a new Mamma needs most desperately is the Lord! (Don’t we all!?!) Crazy post-partum hormones combined with little sleep and maintaining a “normal life” is taxing! I find my days full to the brim- and my “catch up sleep” squeezes out the precious time I used to spend in the Word early in the morning.

And yet I am so thankful for new and challenging seasons of life. They enable me to see a new aspect of God as I lean heavily on Him. His grace and tender love have become evident to me through these past few weeks.

Although I have not had my structured quiet times, I have never felt that God was far away. (That’s His sustaining grace!) He has spoken through messages I’ve listened to online and on CD and through worship and scripture memory songs we sing as a family. I’m seeing again that it is not what I am doing, it’s what He has done that allows our relationship to deepen both in the seasons of long and rich quiet times and in these weeks where I’m sustained by moments of whispered prayer! I’m jealous for the future when I, like Inez said last week, can see how “the bursting emotions of first love develop into the rich virtue of devotion.” And I’m so thankful for the varied seasons He has tailor-made for each of us to cultivate a deeper love for & dependence on Him! ~ Allie Olsen

Titus 2 Tuesdays

Today we have an interview with Jean Glick by Amber Harrington

Jean Glick was the first person I thought of when I was asked to do an interview. Not only because she was my Home Group Leader's wife or because of the way she has faithfully cared for my soul as a friend, but because of the way she lives her life. I've seen her go through trials, and I have been struck by the way she steadfastly trusts God and clings to His Word. She respects and loves her husband in an exemplary way, and she has been a wonderful example of a Godly mother!

I know you will be encouraged by Jean's responses, no matter which season of life you are in. I was encouraged, and I'm not even a wife or mother yet!

1. Now that your children are grown, what are some of the joys, rewards, and blessings of being a mom?
It is such a joy to see God’s faithfulness as your grown children serve Him, to know that they own their faith, and to watch them surpass you in the sanctification process! It is also wonderful to watch their relationship with their father grow and see the respect they have for him.

2. Were there times when your kids were younger when you felt like you couldn't get up and serve them one more day? Or, were there times you felt "stuck" at home? If so, how did God help you to persevere?
I never felt “stuck” at home, but there were definitely times of frustration when my efforts (pitiful though they may have been!) seemed to be fruitless. And then there was the infamous “put the sausage back in the freezer” morning (ask the boys). Joe was always a huge source of encouragement to me. There were plenty of days when I'd call him at work and he'd talk me through a difficult morning! And I remember an older mom telling me once to enjoy each moment with the kids when they were young, because I would never look back and wish I’d vacuumed more!

3. Name an area where you have seen God's faithfulness since becoming a mother.
First of all, God has been faithful to work all things for His glory, even when I have completely blown it as a mother! And I am constantly reminded of God’s faithfulness when I see Prov. 3:12 evident in their lives: “…the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.”

4. How has God helped you to respect and submit to your husband when, for whatever reason, doing so was difficult?
When I remember that God has put me under the authority of my husband for my good and His glory, it becomes much easier to respect Joe and submit to him, even through difficult decisions. Regardless of the outcome, I know I can trust my Shepherd.

5. What are some practical ways you like to show honor and respect for your husband?
I think being content and happy is one way of honoring my husband. Although it stems from trust in God, it is a way of expressing confidence in Joe to lead me, which I think communicates honor and respect. And this might not seem like much, but being quick to write down in my calendar things he’s asked me to do helps me in a very practical way make sure I’m spending my time in a way that serves him.

Being Busy in the Home

Remember the phrase “There is no place like home…There is no place like home” that Dorothy quoted in the Wizard of Oz after discovering what was “over the rainbow?” I’m sure many of us have found ourselves saying the same thing at times. I know I have. But would our families echo, “There is no place like home?”

God in His wisdom has mandated that women are to be busy in the home. Titus 2:4-5 encourages the young women to be homemakers (hard workers, working diligently and skillfully in the home)…or home guardians (caregivers and gatekeepers). Scripture also gives examples of godly women who worked in other settings beside their home. But it was never to the neglect of their families and their homes. You see the issue is that home must always remain the constant and ongoing priority in our lives. Our homes and families are to be our primary focus, as well as the primary beneficiaries of our energies and gifts.

Many of us tend to think that working in the home is about cleaning, cooking, doing laundry, and the endless other chores required to maintain a home. Yet in the midst of living life - dressing, eating, sleeping, working, changing diapers, kids doing homework,
watching television, working through conflicts, laughing, tucking children into bed - far more is happening than meets the eye.

While it is clear that we are to be about hard work, I believe the emphasis is not so much on which job a woman does around the house or how she oversees the upkeep of her home. God is not concerned about whether we are crafty or not. He doesn’t dictate whether we have hired help to clean our house or we do it ourselves, whether we bake cookies or buy them at the store, whether we iron our shirts or take them to the cleaners. Every woman has her own style, her own strengths and bents and her own situation to deal with.

The emphasis is really about “focus.” God asks that we focus our gifts and energies on the ministry of the home, to fix our hearts on; to set our sights upon; to think first; to direct our energies toward the home. God is calling us to fix our hearts on our homes with diligence and love. The people who live in our homes are to be our focus. If we create a beautiful museum in which our families cannot live, work or play freely, we have lost our focus. Children need to be able to use glue and scissors. Husbands need to be able to romp on the floor with their kids and teenagers need to be able to bring their friends home. We are to create an inviting atmosphere of love, joy and peace. A place we enjoy and where they will say, “There is no place like home.”

~ Rhonda Calabello

Frugal Fridays

There’s a lot of talk lately about the economy. It seems that you can’t watch the news without hearing something about gas prices or the cost of food going up. It can add stress to the family budget but we have to remind ourselves who our provider really is! It’s at times like these we need to remember what Philippians 4:19 says - And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

So how can we be frugal with the cost of food going up and the fluctuation of gas prices? Through the years we have adjusted our grocery budget several times and most of the time it has gone up but more recently it has gone down. So the challenge for me is, and has been, how I can shop for a family of 6 and stay under budget! Sometimes it seems near impossible!

Then I get a great email from Charice who was graciously offering to pick up certain produce items at the Farmer’s Market. I talked to her at length and got an idea of what she pays for her produce and knew right away that this was a good thing! She goes there every Saturday and will send out an email the week before telling us what she is getting. I then tell her what I would like and she gets it for me (along with several other families). I know if I was getting all these items at the grocery store I would be spending so much more money than I am with Charice. I don’t know how long she will be willing and able to continue to do this but I know that as long as she does I will try to take advantage of her generosity. It really has been a blessing to our family – and my husband’s wallet!

So…this morning how do you see God meeting all of your needs according to His glory?

Thoughtful Thursdays

Craig & I just received our copy of Worldliness by contributors CJ Mahaney, Craig Cabaniss, Bob Kauflin, Dave Harvey and Jeff Purswell. We have anxiously awaited its arrival and so when it came I had to start reading. The first chapter was excellent and I can’t wait to read more tomorrow. I am so thankful for the leadership of Sovereign Grace Ministries for being able to deliver a hard word. I know this book will change the way I think about things and that I will need to make changes. I hope, if you haven’t already, plan to add this book to your library. Happy Thursday ~ Sharlyn Eddy

Devotions

During the 1950s a popular love song by Phil Spector hit the airwaves with the lyrics, “To know, know, know you, is to love, love, love you . . .” A bit repetitive but I imagine the author repeated words in order to fill in the melody. Then again, he might have been on to something about the nature of love. The more I know you, the more I value and desire you.

In King David’s song, Psalm 103, he blesses the Lord who “made known his ways unto Moses and his acts unto the children of Israel.” The Israelites experienced the blessing and benefits of God’s miracles but Moses, whom God tucked into the cleft of a cliff, had more than miracles to behold – he also knew the ways of the Lord.

A speaker I once heard at a prayer seminar pointed out that the translation for the Hebrew word “know” implied an intimacy such as that between husband and wife. The Israelites knew what God could do, but Moses knew Him. Sounds like relationship, doesn’t it? I know what President Bush can do but I sure don’t know him personally! Yet the old murderer Moses spoke to God face to face and knew that he had found grace.

Devotions - the seeking of God’s face and truth repeatedly – develop devotion. In my times of personal communion with the Lord I do not experience miraculous acts but I do continually listen to the still small voice of the Lord and experience His wisdom, counsel, comfort, instruction, peace, and love…. After years of setting apart time, in my blue rocking chair, I have seen the bursting emotions of first love develop into the rich virtue of devotion. As with any relationship of depth, this kind of knowing has taken time. As you set time aside too, beloved sisters, I believe that you will find what I have found - that the more you know Him, the more you will “love, love, love” Him. ~ Inez Holger