Mothers Redeemed By Grace

A Mother’s Heart

To be intentional about cultivating our children’s hearts means we must tend the garden of our own heart. When we allow the Lord to prune the dead branches and cultivate the fruits of the Spirit in our hearts, our actions will begin to reflect the work of the Holy Spirit within us. When we cling to the promises in God’s Word and approach the sacred calling of motherhood with a generational vision, our homemaking efforts will be blessed.

 Our hard work will be redeemed by grace, despite our shortcomings.

When we free up our lives in order to live more intentionally and through the Spirit, the Lord has access to our hearts, and He will prune them so that we bear more fruit. There are many things that we can indulge in or surround ourselves with that would prevent us from bearing fruit. If we strip away that which prevents us from bearing fruit, the Lord can do a work within us.


--Courtney Dunkin, The Heart of Simplicity


Friends, do you remember the ebook, The Heart of Simplicity (from which I just quoted) that I was honored to contribute to earlier this year? Well, it is now ON SALE for a limited time at 70% off!

 You can use the code "simple" to get the sale price until November 23!

Some of the fabulous sweet authors who also contributed to this treasure laden book would be: Kelly Crawford, Heidi St. John, Stephanie Langford, Marci Ferrell, Laura Coppinger, Natalie Klewja, Jennifer Ross, and more (view them here).

If you haven't purchased a copy yet, friends, this is a great time to pick up a copy!



 Oh and lookey what has just been announced!

 You can view all the Black Friday deals HERE. And they are giving FREE SHIPPING with orders $95+ using code 95SHIPSFREE. We love Vision Forum because of the many valuable resources they offer for building strong homes and the products they offer help reinforce godly character in our children. 

Enjoy and have a blessed day building up your sacred homes!

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When Our Children Sin

"Folly is bound up in the heart of a child..."

Yes, our children will sin. There is no question of it. I think it was funny when I look back as a young mom and didn't think that my only child did. My older daughter, who was alot smaller at the time, was a perfect angel---or so I thought. Yes, I know that sounds far fetched, but I was naive and didn't "see" or want to see it.  But the true reality was that she was definitely a sinner needing the grace of God just as much as her unsaved mommy did.

So why is it that we are always surprised when they sin? No, instead we need to know that they will sin. To expect it and be ready and prepared to react in a godly fashion. I have learned over time it  is alot easier if you are prepared. Especially when you have 8 children, as it seems there can be violations all the day through. That is what parents are for, to be an authority figure guiding them in the speedbumps of life.

Children are a lot LESS experienced than us. It hurts me to hear small children getting cursed out by parents who seem to think their child needs to act and perform perfectly like an adult (who sin as well). They are not robots, nor are they our trophy children. They are on loan to us from God for a limited time and we must be faithful with the time that we have.

But we are not here to have PERFECT children. We need to remember that they are not perfect, but are sinners in need of a Savior. They desperately need parents who will lovingly share Jesus and carefully show them the way to Him. As parents we will always struggle doing this since we are not perfect parents but we must strive to do what is right and not grow weary in the process.

They also need parents that have MERCY. We cannot come off as harsh, religious, hypocrites if we are wanting to parent well. We need to exhibit love, patience, kindness, mercy, humility, understanding and be slow to anger. This will win a heart, the opposite will repel it. My father-in-law is a great example of this. He is patient and slow to anger and always has arms outstretched to love on someone. He always shows overflowing love to all his grandchildren (he has 21 of them, and 2 great grandchildren) and they would just absolutely do anything for him.

Think of how God has drawn us to Him. It wasn't through harsh demanding means. Often when I see Him working through sin in my life it was through His kind love and that is what drew me in closer.

Do NOT become discouraged. Children WILL sin and we need to guide them and show them the way.  We must remind ourselves that it is all part of God's perfect plan to work all things together for the good of those who love Him according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

The fruit of this parenting journey is that we are being refined right along with our children and for that we need to praise to Him as we seek to build strong homes to bring Him glory.  Amen?







For more encouragement on parenting:

Mother Culture

"Somewhere it is written that "A mother is only a woman, but she needs the love of Jacob, the patience of Job, the wisdom of Moses, the foresight of Joseph, and the firmness of Daniel." But a mother not only has to have all these things, she must have them all at once, often when she is quite young and too often when she has had not previous training of any kind for the marvelously varied duties she has to perform.

Before she marries, a young lady does not imagine herself facing the difficulties of managing the complicated working of a household. Untried responsibilities come upon her as soon as she does marry. And, perhaps, just as she is grasping the situation, her first child is born and fills her whole heart. then, not only her own health but that of another's depends on how she manages her life. The question of child training and how to "bring up" children becomes a new study and practical concern.

Another child is born, who eventually becomes a sunny companion for the first. But it seems that with each passing year, a mother's job description is revised. The desire for her husband's love and friendship is still strong, but a careful division of her attention is given up to the various aspects of maintaining a happy, well-managed home. Time alone with her husband now seems to have to be either previously planned moments or stolen ones.

There are holiday celebrations to arrange, extended family parties and visits, church functions, occasions for neighborly hospitality, etc. In the center of it all is one little woman---wife, mother, mistress all in one! As the children approach their years of more formal education, there is organization of home schoolroom, and thus she walk over new ground again.

Is it a wonder she feels overspent? In her efforts to be dietitian, laundress, nurse, hostess, teacher, taxi driver, wife, mother and mistress, she forgets that she needs a little time for herself."

~Karen Andreola, The Charlotte Mason Companion

Karen then goes on to share about "mother culture" a term she has coined to describe the small pockets of time a mother can make for herself to pray, read, sew, etc. and find time to recharge as well as simplifying our lives to allow for such time to occur.  I know it can be difficult to find time when the children are younger (and even when they are older), but I know how important it was for me as a  mother in all seasons to grasp some time in the God's Word, to raise prayers up to heaven, and find some golden silence for thinking.

Karen also has an encouraging blog called Moments with Mother Culture that you might want to visit:

May you be encouraged today, dear mothers in the precious ministry you have of raising His precious gifts and building up strong Christian homes! Never forget that even that hidden work is not unseen by Him, and by doing so you are bringing glory to your Savior.

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In Hard Times Mothers Set the Tone

They were struggling through hard times and could barely put food on the table.

Struggling pay check to pay check and the ends just never seemed to meet.

Mother took the little she had and went to the store, holding back the tears as she walked through the aisles and bought a small pack of potatoes, enough to feed her family for the night.

She came home and put on her best smile and her apron. She started preparing the potatoes for the family that she loved.

The children swarmed all around her--"Mother, mother, would you play with us?"

Mother sits down and realizes a decision needs to be made. They do not need to know of the heavy burden she carries.

She plans out the day--they clean and tidy their little home. She is careful to smile, to love generously. She does her best to fill their day with song, laughter and games. They make crafts out of paper for display. That is what she has much of, she will fill her home with the riches of love.

When the children grew up they were asked if they remember growing up poor. Each one looked at another with bewilderment. Not once in all their days did they every feel the poverty that beheld them, for it was anothers sacrifices that kept their growing hearts in true treasure---for they had the riches of a mother who loved them. 

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I Refuse

Today we have a guest post by Bambi from In the Nursery of the Nation:

I refuse to believe what I do is unimportant, that it’s a job I can pay someone else to do. These duties are mine and no others. And they are not just responsibility, but privilege, no matter how messy the job or hectic the day.

I refuse to believe that loving and submitting to my husband makes me weak and spineless. It takes much more strength to submit your will to anothers than to bow at the altar of Self. We are a team not to be reckoned with…fighting spiritual battles side by side, each in the role God has called us to.

I refuse to believe that pregnancy is too hard, the days are too long, the work is unrewarded, the groceries too costly or the laundry mountain too high.

I refuse the devil’s lie that I am wasting my gifts, wasting my intelligence, wasting my youthfulness, or wasting the best years of my life by being a homemaker.

I know better.

I am a queen. Queen of my husband’s heart, queen of the schedule this family operates under, queen of this tiny sliver of God’s Kingdom called Home. My words and convictions have the power and influence to shape this nation’s future.

Resolved:

To look past the temporary inheritance of a bigger house, a great 401K, plenty of leisure funds and only enough children we can afford to send to name-brand colleges.

Resolved:

To live my life swimming upstream for Jesus no matter how angry the other fish get. My priorities will not be determined by what society expects of me.


I’m on a divine mission. Little souls hang in the balance. And I refuse to believe they're not worth the fight.

Resolved:

To see a bigger picture instead.

 Bambi has been the blessed wife to Kevin for seventeen years, and together with the Lord’s help they are sharpening eight arrows ages 16 to infant. Bambi is partial to strong coffee and good books, and spends her days managing a busy, happy home. You can visit her blog, In the Nursery of the Nation, where she blogs about marriage, motherhood and family discipleship.

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Happy Mother's Day!

I am not going to be around this weekend for Mother's Day so I wanted to wish all my readers a Happy Mother's day today! Motherhood is glorious, hard, exhausting yet the most rewarding work which is why I wanted to share some quotes to encourage you...

"A mother's love endures through all; in good repute, in bad repute, in the face of the worlds condemnation, a mother still love on." -Washington Irving

"Mother is the sweetest word that ever one could say: It speaks of love and tenderness, and quiet beauty day by day."

"A mother's love is a beacon of light that shines faith, and truth, and prayer; and through the changing scenes of life, her children find a haven there."

"Mother--that was the bank where we deposited all our hurts and worries."

 --T. De Witt Talmage

"The instruction receive at a mother's knees is never quite effaced from the soul."

Mothers, you are needed! Do not grow weary in your high calling but know that the Lord is pleased with your sacrifice that will impact eternity. If you are feeling tired or discouraged, do not be dismayed, you are doing kingdom work and at times it can be exhausting. Do not become overwhelmed but seek your strength from our heavenly father who can refresh your soul unlike anything else on this earth.

And--in honor of Mother's day we'd like to offer our ebook, True Christian Motherhood, for just 99 cents (pdf version only-a  $7 value) to those who haven't had a chance to read it yet. You can get it here.

 **This sale is now over.**


We can also "gift" it to your favorite mom--just send us an email at truechristianmotherhood@gmail.com if you are interested!

Have a Happy Mother's Day!

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Mothers Who Speak with Vision and Hope

Are you a mother who speaks with vision and hope?

I have learned over the years that I not only need to pray for my children but I also need to  speak intentionally and actively into their lives. I have thought about the simple words my own mother has spoken to be in the past and how they resonate with me today (the good and yes, even the bad) and I realize the powerful and magnificent impact that we have upon each of our children's lives and self image.

Here are some examples:

I am cooking in the kitchen and ask Joy (my youngest daughter) to help me dice some tomatoes. She happily obliges. I glance over at her work and say, "Joy, you are doing such a great job! You are going to be a fantastic cook for your own family one day."

I am giving her self confidence, encouragement and vision to help her look at her future and begin dreaming about it. This is all while she is learning valuable skills in the kitchen. I know this seems so simple, but sometimes we need to be reminded that the small things we say to our children count. No small thing is too little when it comes to their future!

#2:

I am at the dinner table. We are sharing a meal with the children. I start to vision cast: "Children, I can't wait until you are all older with your own families.  Joy will  go over to Joshua's house and bring cookies-you'll be such a great aunt!  Naomi will visit Janai and help her with her garden. Janai, I can come over and help with your children. Imagine the big family get-togethers with all the grandchildren and extended family. How exciting--I can't wait."

(At this point the children are all excited and talking about what their homes will look like, jobs they will have, their weddings, which holidays will be hosted at who's home, who will have the most children, etc.) 

This helps to enrich the vision of their future. Mothers are enrichers. We are talking about keeping strong relationships in the future, about strong homes, we are talking about placing dreams and hopes in their hearts that will hopefully be born one day.

So much of the world is negative. Mothers need to be wise. Mothers need to be bold. We need to be intentional.

Don't get discouraged, I know we are just mere sinners, trying to share a holy vision with eternal souls. We will fail, we won't always get it right. Things will slip out of our mouths that we will regret. But we need to repent, to them and God when we fail.  Repent and do right. 

We need to build up our children and the hopes we have for them one day. We need to talk about what they will look like serving the Lord and when they are older how they will serve the Kingdom (and now as well), what kind of fathers and mothers they will be. What kind of spouses. The funny thing that I have found, is that when I am doing this it encourages my heart too!

We also need to  remember to put away any foolish talk that is not edifying. Discouragement, harsh criticism, nagging, anger, etc. The Bible calls us to be sober-minded. And sober-minded we must be. Sober-minded moms are not intentionally tearing down their children but make every effort to build them up with love.

Mothers, if you have failed at this in the past, do everything in your power to start new. Our days our numbered--begin speaking vision and hope into your children's lives today.

What ways can you speak vision and hope into your family right now?

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Developing Home Hearts

In the culture we live in today, many things can pull on our mom hearts and draw us away from what is important. I always want to remember to develop my "home heart" in the midst of it all.

Sherry over at Large Family Mothering paints a lovely picture and gives us a wonderful reminder of the beauty of being a mother as she give us steps on how we can nurture and cultivate those around us through our roles:

"I know that our culture has changed until some of us have no option but to work outside the home, but even if there are no other choices, we can develop "home hearts". 

Even when we are not in our domestic sphere, we can be "womanly" and "motherly". The world needs more women who are glad of how God made them, empowered by the Holy Spirit to be part of His comfort in this world."

Read the rest HERE. 

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We are linked at Far Above Rubies

The Gentle Mother

Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin,

 you who are spiritual should restore him gently. 

But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 

Galations 6:1

How many times have you read this verse and thought perhaps more of church discipline or some other scenario?

Have you ever thought about this verse regarding your children?

Think of a time when your child was not listening to you--perhaps you were patient at the beginning when you corrected them. Then they did it again and again and again and AGAIN....

Now you are not so patient any more. In fact, you might be exasperated.

WHY is this child NOT listening???

So Momma gets impatient, and angry or mad. Her blood pressure begins to boil and she begins to raise her voice....and you and I both know what can happen from here.

But what if we restored him/her gently---how different that would be from the world. What a testimony of God's outpouring grace and love!

Restoring gently...just meditate on that for a minute. How would you want to be reproofed?

What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a whip, or in love and with a gentle spirit?

1 Corinthian 4:21

Is your life characterized by a gentle spirit? Is it characterized by peace? This is how I want to be remembered by my children.


Yes, I will fail, and you will fail, but we will make this our goal. We will do our best to leave a godly legacy to our children even if we fall 1,000 times---a 1,000 times we will get up and try, TRY again.

Are you with me?

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We are linked up with The Modest Mom, Growing Home, and Far Above Rubies.

Mother is Missing from the Home

An interesting occurrence is taking place in homes throughout the land.

Mother is missing.

No, I am not talking about the mother who works or the mother who has passed away.

I am talking about your everyday mom and the  video below states what I am talking about clearly (even though it is shed in a humorous light):

 (Note: please turn off the music at the bottom of the blog before watching)

Yes, there is a pull from Satan to pluck mothers out of the home so that she cannot raise her children effectively. Satan has found yet another way to distract us! It is through our online use.

 It is very easy to set out to do a simple task that should only take a few minutes and then get sucked into the world of being online--Facebooking, tweeting, blogging and the list goes on and before you know it you have lost precious time out of your day.

The danger is very real so we need to truly guard our time online.

For some of us it is easier said than done. Many of us have businesses and so forth that we run online. As a blog consultant I even teach people how to use the internet, but I also try to be careful to give some wise advice to go along with it.

I like to suggest that if you need to be online there are services out there to help you manage your day more effectively. There are sites like Hootsuite that help you schedule out updates so that you can have an online presence while minimizing presence time online.
 
Sometimes we may need accountability (your husband is a good person to oversee), others might just need to take a break and some will feel convicted to get offline altogether. Others find using a timer and scheduling short spurts to go on is helpful. Pray and ask God what would be best for you and then actually listen and do what He is nudging your heart to do.

Social networking and the internet is a wonderful tool to master,

but don't let it master you!

Protect your home and family time, dear Mamas!

Manage your days and don't let what is treasured be stolen from you.

It is precious and you won't get those fleeting lost moments back.

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The Sacredness of Life and CPT Worldwide {& 20 Pregnancy Tests Giveaway!}

Life is sacred. 

Every soul a gift from God.


 "Behold, children are a gift of the LORD,
         The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
         So are the children of one’s youth.
How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;
         They will not be ashamed
         When they speak with their enemies in the gate."

-Psalm 127:3-5

  If you think you might be expecting a precious little one--you don't want to wait...you want to find out as soon as possible!

This is true for any parent-to-be and especially those that are trying hard to get pregnant.

I want to tell you about a company called CPT Worldwide. CPT stands for Cheap Pregnancy Tests and are Christian owned.

From the website:

"We offer reliable ovulation tests and pregnancy tests worldwide at wholesale prices with professional quality results.  Our tests are as accurate as store-bought, brand-name tests and allow you to order your early pregnancy and ovulation tests from the privacy of your own home. For couples trying to conceive, check out our low cost ovulation tests and fertility kits.   Easy to use and FDA-approved with results in 5 minutes!

Our hcg urine pregnancy tests are designed for both clinical and home use.  They detect hcg levels at 25mIU, so you are able to test 3-5 days before your missed period.  Shipped within 1 business day!"

 (Domestic and international orders shipped within 1 business day of receiving cleared payment.)

Wise Woman Tip

 CPT Worldwide is having a special right now with FREE SHIPPING for orders over $19.99, including international orders.  They will be running specials off and on using discount codes, as well as giveaways!

The Giveaway 

    CPT Worldwide is generously giving away 20 free pregnancy strips-- 10 each for two winners!

 Please enter below and hope you win!



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Would you like to advertise on A Wise Woman Builds Her Home? Only here can you advertise on THREE blogs for the price of one!  Click here for rates and inquire about our sale or email me privately at wisewomanads@gmail.com.


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When Motherhood Feels Too Hard eBook {& Giveaway} and $1 for 1 Day!

My sweet friend, Kelly Crawford, over at Generation Cedar just released her new ebook today entitled Devotions, Advice and Renewal for When Motherhood Feels Too Hard.
  
Kelly shares:

"I know about the days when you want to give up. I know about feelings of helplessness as you face your failures day after day. But I also know about a resolve that can be planted in the heart of every saint to bear them up on those days and give them what they need to carry out the task to which they have been called.

This book is full, and it will fill you too. Practical tips for getting through a busy day, real devotions that address why our spiritual strength is often zapped and how to get it back, and constant refreshing of the vision–our lifeblood for this mission field–it’s all here and generations can be changed by it."

Check out the video:

(Note:turn off the music at the bottom of the page before viewing)

“This eBook is Kelly’s “cup of cold water” to mothers. We all need refreshment and encouragement when the hard days come, and Kelly has provided bite-sized (but meaty and thought-provoking) daily devotionals that urge us to take our calling as mothers seriously but remember at the same time that we are vessels of clay in need of God’s filling. These words are true whether you are the mother of one or the mother of ten! Thank you, Kelly, for sharing your beautiful insights into the calling of motherhood “from the trenches!” -Jennie Chancey, Ladies Against Feminism

Kelly is now giving away this book for only $1 for one day! You heard me right, it is just one dollar--get it now by clicking HERE.  

Or get it on your Kindle for just $4.97!

And we are also giving away
 THREE free copies!

Just enter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hope you win!

And-- we are having some more great giveaways this week
just for you
so be sure to check back...you won't want to miss it!

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Need more encouragement?

We are linked up with The Modest Mom 
and Homestead Revival

***If you would like to advertise on A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, click here for rates and inquire about our sale or email me at wisewomanads@gmail.com***