Friday, July 23, 2021

A Great Resource for Women

 


I recommend this resource for all women - young, old, single, married, mothers, and those without children also. 

God has given us a mandate to teach the younger women -- and there's always someone younger than you, right?  I am always encouraged by Nancy's writing.  I hope you will take God's mandate to heart and share God's Word with the women around you.










Important Announcement

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

 

 


Greetings dear Gail-Friends:


I just wanted to send out one more "gentle" reminder...

If you are an e-mail subscriber through the gadget on the left side of this page, this will probably be the last post you receive via email... 
 
Recently, the Feedburner team released a system update letting bloggers know that the email subscription service will be discontinued this month. After July 2021, the automated emails to our subscribers will no longer be supported
 
If you’d like to continue getting notifications of my new blog posts, please consider switching to some other system.  I personally use Feedly for the blogs I read, and I like it.  
P.S. At the top of my blog on the left sidebar, you'll see a widget to connect with Blog Lovin' - just click on that and it'll take you there.  
 
Thank you so much for understanding and subscribing!
 

 

 

Thursday, July 15, 2021

Are You Zealous?

 

When I was growing up, my girl friends and I would talk about what we wanted to be when we grew up.  Some wanted to be nurses, some ballerinas . . . but I only wanted to be a mother. When I was about five years old, I remember asking my mama one day, "Mama, can you have a baby without being married?"  

She said, "Yes, but why?"

I said, "Well, that's what I want to do because I don't ever want to get married."

In my little girl way, I was expressing my desire to be a mother.  I wanted a baby - because I loved them so much.  

Well, I did grow up to be a mother -- and I did get married first.  I prayed fervently for a baby, but it took four years of marriage before my first baby girl was born.  This was after I'd had a miscarriage the year before.  When I lost that baby, my heart was broken.  But, praise God, He blessed me with a healthy, beautiful girl.  She was my dream come true.

I wanted more children and prayed fervently again -- but it was six, long years before my second baby girl came.  I wanted more babies, but it was not to be.  I was, and am, so grateful for the two blessings God gave me.

Books were my passion while my girls were growing up.  I read everything I could get my hands on in order to learn how to be a good mother.  I watched other mothers and tried to emulate them.  I was passionate and I was zealous about teaching them God's Word. 

Both of my daughters are now adults, and I have two grandchildren.  While my parenting role has changed and I have made many mistakes along the way,  I remain zealous in my desire to be a good, godly mother . . . according to God's standard - not the world's.  Part of my role now is to be zealous in prayer for the loved ones God has given me.  I will not be complacent in this role.  God's word is my guiding light as I walk out my remaining days.  Do my actions and words line up with His Word?  That's the key to being  a good mother in His eyes.  My prayer is to hear Him say, "Well done, My good and faithful servant" not "Depart from me you who practice lawlessness."

These thoughts were inspired by this post by Nancy Campbell on her Facebook page, Above Rubies:  (used by permission)

ZEALOUS MOTHERS
 
Some people allow themselves to get eaten up inside with bitterness, hurt, and jealousy etc. As mothers, we cannot allow these attitudes in our lives for they destroy us and our entire family. We must keep our spirits whole—pure, blameless, and continually forgiving.
 
However, there is one area where the Bible tells us we can get “eaten up” inside? Do you know what it is? John 2:17 says of Jesus: “The zeal of thine house hath EATEN ME UP.” In other words, He was consumed with zeal for the honor of God’s house. These words were spoken after Jesus made a whip and cleansed the temple. He drove out all the sheep and oxen, tipped over all the tables and money, and cried out: “Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house a house of merchandise” (John 2:16).
He also cried out: “It is written, my house shall be called the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves” (Matthew 21:13). 
 
Your home is also God’s house if you have dedicated it to the Lord, which I am sure you have. 
 
Therefore, we should have the same zeal Jesus had to protect our homes and families. We are faithful watchwomen who drive all evil out of our homes. Even if we upset everyone! We won’t be tipping over tables and throwing money everywhere, but we’ll be strong enough to take a stand against any evil that seeks to bring darkness into our homes. 
 
We passionately keep our homes holy. 
 
We have the zeal of the Lord about making our home a House of Prayer! If our homes are not homes of prayer, can we call them God’s homes? We plan our schedules around our daily prayer times with our family. We don’t hope it fits in. We make it fit in to our schedule. Or better still, we make our schedule fit around our highest priority, our daily family times of prayer and Bible reading.
 
Jesus Christ redeemed us to be “zealous of good works” (Titus 2:14). Building your home and family for God is a good work. Do it with zeal. Don’t do it halfheartedly, allowing other things to consume your mind and time. Embrace the great commission God has given to you and pour your heart into it. 
 
Sometimes, some wonderful mothers become zealously involved in a specific interest outside their home and it consumes them. Now, instead of continuing to build up their marriage and their home, they pour their life into this vain emptiness that is temporary and has no eternal value. Their home lies destitute. They are building empty castles in the air instead of building their family. 
 
May the blessings of God fall upon you, dear anointed, zealous, passionate mother.
~ Nancy Campbell

You can subscribe to Nancy's newsletter here -- https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Above-Rubies-Mini-Newsletter--3---July-2021.html?soid=1105585715860&aid=5faHqNfB7pk
~~~~
Image by Barbara Jackson from Pixabay

Friday, July 2, 2021

Reflections on the Good Shepherd and a Big Blessing!

 
This is a picture of how I've felt over the past year, Gail-Friends.  I hope you laugh -- I did when I saw it.  It's a perfect depiction of how confused and helpless I was.

 
This photo is a picture of my spirit right now.  The "Son" is coming up over a beautiful field of flowers.  That's how I feel  Haleluyah!  
 

 
 
The year 2020 and the last six months have been extremely difficult. Grief and loss have visited me  over and over.  Thankfully, the Good Shepherd has held my hand as we walked through the valley of the shadow of death together.  Thank you, dear Gail-Friends, for your prayers, kind words, and support you've shown.  
 
I confess to you, dear Gail-Friends, that I have failed to be vigilant in battle against the evil one.  There were times I grew weary.  I wanted to just stay at home and not go out.  I could not write.  But praise God, when I stumbled, He helped me up.  Psalm 23 has been my consistent meditation when tears flowed through the night. 

With God's help, I have reached the place that Psalm 23 speaks of:
  •   He has prepared a table for me in the presence of my enemies.  Even though the evil one has   been attacking me steadily, I am experiencing God's joy again.
  •   He has anointed my head with oil.  I once again feel His presence and comfort.  I know His favor is upon me, even though at times I felt like a female Job.  
  •   My cup is running over.  Once again, God has taught me lessons as I walked through the dark valley  -- truths that no one can take away from me. 
One thing I learned is that I have to be extremely vigilant about my thought life.  The evil one was roaring and roaming like a lion.  I can't just complain that there's a lion in the street.  I have to get up and destroy him. (Proverbs 22:13).  
 
Here's what the Word says about that:  
 
  Stay sober, stay alert! Your enemy, the Adversary, stalks about like a roaring lion
 looking for someone to devour. (I Peter 5:8 CJB)
 
 and
 
 Therefore, submit to God. Moreover, take a stand against the Adversary, 
and he will flee from you.(James 4:7 CJB)

I hope hope to share more about this lesson as well as some of other things I experienced and learned in the days and weeks ahead.  
 

And now for the BIG BLESSING!!

God has answered my prayers -- we have a new grandson!  

And here he is - Elijah Love.  Don't you love his name?  



 

Can you tell I am over the moon with JOY!!!?

 

 Have a great week, Gail-Friends, and a Good Shabbos.

Lord willing, I will post again next week.


P.S. - and very important:

Recently, the Feedburner team released a system update, that the email subscription service (up top on the right of this blog) will be discontinued in July 2021. After July 2021, the automated emails to my subscribers will no longer be supported. If you’d like to continue getting updates on my blog, please consider switching to Feedly, Blog Lovin, or some other system. In the meantime, I will see what options I can offer on my end. Thank you for understanding and subscribing! Love, Gail