Resources for Christian Women, Encouragement for Families

Family

Oma Again!

What an exciting time in my life! I’m an Oma again; the next grandchild will be born, Lord-willing, early next May ’08. What a blessing and joy to my heart! I tell my family, “I’m growing old gracefully.” It drives my 12 year old (almost 13) nuts when I say that, but I’m just trying to accept change and my changing roles. I look forward to visiting my grandson this Fall and holding him, talking to him, telling him about Jesus. He’s 6 months now and soaking things up like a sponge.

This Fall I am homeschooling my almost 13 year old and ministering to my family: 3 young ladies commuting to college and hubby who takes a bus to work in the computer field downtown. I also teach English as a Second Language as a volunteer for one class period of an hour and 20 minutes per week.

12 years old - almost 13

Today, my almost 13 yr. old and I tilled the garden boxes that never got planted this past Spring; by the time we went to the greenhouse for our plants they were sold out. We bought a few tomato plants and did enjoy a small harvest of those. What we found, though, in the unused garden boxes that they were infiltrated with weeds galore. We talked about our hearts how we need to guard them “for out of the hearts come the springs of life”. When we let our guard down and don’t care what we watch, read, talk about, think about, etc., we open up the gate to all kinds of junk to seep into our hearts……like the untilled garden beds.

Fall Time

Summer is coming to a gentle close and this time of year brings many changes. The children are a year older from last Fall, some have completed k-12 schooling and are onto other endeavors. Perhaps there’s been a wedding in the past year. Or, maybe a grandchild has been born.

Fall colors

Like January, there seems some folks also like to start new habits in the Fall. With the family a year older maybe an older child can help with more food preparation, or food shopping, gardening, lawn care, baby care, housework, family projects.

Do the parents in the home need a little more exercise? If there isn’t farm-work, how about taking a few walks together each week? Perhaps some folks are finding themselves in a whole new phase of life….empty-nesters looking for service or ministry opportunities or almost empty-nesters taking a little more time to connect with adult children who may need some emotional support, encouragement or advice.

As far as service opportunities, they are aplenty. Someone in the immediate family may need help, or a relative or someone from church. A phone call may help, running an errand, an impromptu visit or helping weekly at a newer ministry in the area, reaching out to immigrants from other countries.

Wherever you find yourself at this Fall, give thanks for the great Lord who is the Maker and Sustainer. If you have several younger children in the home, enjoy each day….the baby/toddler/young child days do pass by quickly. As the honeybee fills the honeycomb with honey, savor each moment the Lord gives you. Look at the day’s happenings as opportunities to serve the Lord, to see His hand. Do not grow weary in well-doing.

E-Book Review

On the right side-bar of this page under Business you will see Hearts for Family.? That is the website of the Crawford Family.? In this short entry I will review the E-Book offered at their site.? The E-Book is called “How I Make Money Sellling Homemade Skin Products (And how you can too!)”.

The E-Book begins with a description of the Crawford Family, a single income large family, and a project they had of making more homemade gifts.? This soon became their home-business.? There are many helpful tips on starting up, about how much money you need to start up, helpful websites, where to find recipes and such.? Also, Mrs. Crawford also gives suggestions on pricing, keeping financial records, and marketing.

I would recommend the E-book for anyone wanting to start a small business, especially a skin-care business.

Above Rubies Resources

Well, the wonders of computer technology, ha! Yesterday I spent a good bit of time reviewing 3 books from Above Rubies and when I pressed the publish button, they seemed to have disappeared into cyberspace. So, I will try again but will give a more simple description this time.

Above Rubies is a ministry that reaches out to the moms/families of the world. They also offer an array of helpful resources. I would like to briefly mention a few and would encourage you to check out the website (Above Rubies).

Above Rubies - flowers

1. Rejuvenate Your Life – Recipes for Energy is a no-cook book chock full of recipes that have been tried, information about the benefits of eating fresh foods, living on a tight budget and eating well, and more. This is written by Serene Allison.

Rejuvenate Your Life
2. Be Fruitful & Multiply – What the Bible Says About Having Children is a very forthright book about the blessing of children. On the back cover we read, “There is no escaping the fact that the Bible is dogmatically pro-child. In fact, it declares unapologetically that the birth of many children is a source of blessing, that a key reason for marriage is to bring forth many children for the glory of God, and that parents should actively seek such blessings.” Some chapter headings are as follows: Gifts from God, Trust and Obey, God’s Provision, The Vision, What Do Children Say? and many others.

3. The Power of Motherhood – What the Bible Says about Mothers is a wonderful volume that talks about the most influential career in the nation. Loaded with Scripture, this volume is a great springboard into a lifelong study of motherhood and what God has to say about it. If you are wondering if the role of mothering is worth it, this volume would be helpful. There are 24 chapters and more!

Power of Motherhood

So, check out the Above Rubies website and consider reading one of the books recommended.

Stay tuned for a brief review of a family and the natural soap business they started a while back.