When Wonder Never Ceases

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psalm 71

Every spring for the past five years or so, we’ve watched caterpillars climb to the top of a tiny cup, flip themselves upside down, spin a chrysalis, and emerge a week later as butterflies.

This year, though, my daughters suggested doing something different.

After all, we’re old hands at this metamorphosis thing.

How about something new?

What if we ordered a frog kit instead?  The company sends us a tadpole. We watch it become a frog and then we release it in a local pond.  Perfect!

So, I started researching frog kits and we were all excited until I read the comments.  These frogs live for 20-30 years.

I wasn’t sure I wanted such a long-term commitment.  My children should be off living adult lives by then and I’d still be home tending to our everlasting frog.

And we couldn’t release this frog to any old outdoor body of water either.  The frogs in the kit aren’t native to our area, and that could devastate the local wildlife population.

So, we decided that unless we found a local tadpole who we could raise to become a local frog, we’d stick to caterpillars in a cup.

I’m so glad we did.

Those caterpillars arrived and my son watched their centimeter long bodies creep around the plastic.

He learned how to say ‘caterpillar’ and he said it over and over and over, pointing at them to make sure I’d seen them and knew they were in our house sitting on our fireplace mantle.

He couldn’t wait to share the good news about the caterpillars. He told me. He told his dad.  He told his sisters.  He told the air.  “Caterpillar, caterpillar, caterpillar.”

And then each caterpillar spun into a chrysalis and my son learned a new word and made more grand announcements.

The translation went something like this:

“Caterpillar go up.  Sleeping in chrysalis.”

Who knew an unmoving chrysalis could be so entertaining?  He’d watch the cup just as happily as if the caterpillars were still crawling around in there.

Then the most exciting day came.  We peeked into the bug carrier and saw our first butterfly, completely still, waiting for his wings to dry.

My son now had big news.  Big, big news.

“Caterpillar go up.  Sleep in chrysalis.  Butterfly.”

As more butterflies emerged, they began fluttering around and hopping onto the flowers we’d left for them.

And my son giggled.  He just laughed and laughed at the sight.

In all our planning and thinking that maybe the butterfly thing was old-news and maybe we should try something different, I’d forgotten that even though we’d seen the butterflies transform year after year, he hadn’t.

For my son, this was newfound joy.  This was childlike wonder and living amazed at the beauty of new life.

In Luke 5, I read about the disciples limping onto shore after a long and unsuccessful night of fishing.

They’d caught nothing.

Yet, Jesus sends them back out.  He tells them to set down those same nets into that same water.

Simon Peter protests at first but chooses to obey.  They take the boat out.  They put down the nets yet again.

And they haul in the catch of all catches.

Their nets broke with the weight of the fish.  They yelled for partners to join them out on the water to haul in the load faster.

Luke writes:

…he (Peter) and all those with him were amazed at the catch of fish they took  (Luke 5:9 HCSB).

They were amazed.  They were flabbergasted and overwhelmed by awe.  They were made breathless by the wonder.

I bet they were pulling with all their might, load after load, like the fish just wouldn’t stop coming, and they must have been breathless and laughing in astonishment.

They’d yanked nets of fish into their boats many times before.  This was different.  This was God-at-work.

Years from then, those disciples would see the lame dance, the blind see, the deaf hear, food multiplied to feed a crowd, and their crucified Savior resurrected.

But right at this moment, they marveled at a boat weighed down with fish.

I pause and ask for this:

Lord, help me be amazed. Like my son standing on a kitchen stool so he can watch butterflies bounce around their home…..like the disciples exclaiming over an inexplicable abundance of fish….let me rejoice in you.

Don’t let me lose the wonder, not the wonder of the cross, the wonder of your creation, the wonder of your grace poured out in every detail of my life.

Help me to see afresh.  Help me to consider anew.  Fill me with such childlike joy in the Good News that I can’t help but share it over and over and over.

This is the LORD’S doing; It is marvelous in our eyes (Psalm 118:23).

Bible verses about Good Friday

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good friday

Accounts of the crucifixion:

Bible Verses about the cross and the purpose of Good Friday

  • Psalm 22:1, 14-18 ESV
    My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
        Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?

    I am poured out like water,
        and all my bones are out of joint;
    my heart is like wax;
        it is melted within my breast;
    15 my strength is dried up like a potsherd,
        and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
        you lay me in the dust of death.

    16 For dogs encompass me;
        a company of evildoers encircles me;
    they have pierced my hands and feet—
    17 I can count all my bones—
    they stare and gloat over me;
    18 they divide my garments among them,
        and for my clothing they cast lots.

  • Isaiah 53:3-6 ESV
    He was despised and rejected by men;
        a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
    and as one from whom men hide their faces
        he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
    4 Surely he has borne our griefs
        and carried our sorrows;
    yet we esteemed him stricken,
        smitten by God, and afflicted.
    5 But he was pierced for our transgressions;
        he was crushed for our iniquities;
    upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
        and with his wounds we are healed.
    6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
        we have turned—every one—to his own way;
    and the Lord has laid on him
        the iniquity of us all.
  • Zechariah 12:10 ESV
    “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.
  • Mark 9:31 ESV

    for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.”

  • John 3:16-17 ESV
    “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
  • Romans 5:6-10 ESV
     For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.
  • 1 Corinthians 1:18 ESV
    For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
  • Philippians 2:8 ESV
    And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
  • Colossians 1:20 ESV
    and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
  • Colossians 2:14 ESV
    by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
  • Hebrews 12:2 ESV
    looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
  • 1 Peter 2:24 ESV
    He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
  • 1 Peter 3:18 ESV
    For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous,that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit
  • 1 John 3:16 ESV
    By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

Choosing Words that Heal

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proverbs 12

As a girl, my dream height was 5 feet 8 inches.

I didn’t quite make it.

When I eventually made it to oh, about 5 feet 6 inches, though, I thought that was a nice, comfortable height, not tall, but not short either.

Then in my early 20’s, a doctor measured me for the first time in years.

Turns out I’m only 5 feet 4-1/2 inches.

That rocked my world a bit. That’s short.  Not extremely short.  But short.  It’s not tall or even a comfortable in-between.

I walked in and out of that doctor’s office exactly the same, but my perception of myself changed, and it felt a little disheartening.

Now, I have one daughter built long and lean and another daughter built more like me.

This is difficult.

My daughter complains about her lack of height all the time.  How she’s the shortest.  How EVERYONE in her WHOLE class is taller than she is.

I’ve navigated this body image issue for years, but it’s a tempestuous journey.

I ask her—So, you’re built like your mom.  Is that terrible?

I remind her she’ll grow.  It just takes time.

I tell her God made her beautiful, just right, totally lovely.

But this is the tender part of her soul, the soft-skinned place where Satan wreaks havoc and she’s easily bruised.

Any hint whatsoever about her size sends her into a 5-minute diatribe and withers her spirit.

A friend tells me what she said to her own daughter and I hold onto these words of wisdom until just the right moment.

It’s at church.  My daughter launches into another session of, “What’s wrong with me and why am I so short?”

I step in close, look into her eyes and say the words I’ve been storing up:  “The best things come in small packages. Diamonds come in the tiniest of boxes and yet they are a treasure.”

She blinks in surprise.  She never expected those words, this new thought to take hold of her heart.  It changes everything.

I haven’t mocked her or ignored her. I haven’t reasoned and rationalized.

I’ve cradled the most tender part of her soul in my hands and shown gentleness and unfailing love.

This is what we need to give and to receive from those we love most: our husbands, our children, the dearest friends whose secrets weaknesses we’re privileged enough to see.

They entrust us with their messes, weaknesses and failures.

We know their most honest struggles and their most common sins.

We know when the gray hairs arrive and when the scale numbers rise.

We know the flaws and the blemishes.

We know them at their grumpiest and saddest.

We know the things they dislike most about themselves and the things they wish other won’t see.

In fits of rage and bursts of anger, right in the most intense point of conflict, we have to choose:  Use our knowledge as a weapon and wound them where they are most sensitive….or lay it aside, choosing to protect the most tender parts of their soul.

Proverbs says:

Rash language cuts and maims,
    but there is healing in the words of the wise (Proverbs 12:18 MSG).

Our words can wound or they can heal.

Let us be healers.

We are the ones who can say: I  see you.  I love you.  I think you’re beautiful.

Jesus made that choice.

He was abrupt and forthright when necessary, confronting pharisees and those who lacked faith with blunt firmness.

But when he cradled a broken heart in the palm of His hand, it’s what He doesn’t say that is striking.

A sinful woman washed Jesus’ feet with her tears, dried them with her hair, and anointed Him with ointment from her alabaster box.

The pharisees criticized.  Jesus could have done the same.  Instead, he defends her, saying:

Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little (Luke 7:47).

Her sins—her many sins—are forgiven.  He didn’t list them.  He didn’t drag them out for public examination.  He  protected her honor and gave her dignity.

He did the same for the woman caught in adultery and dragged out for public stoning.  She was likely thrown onto the ground naked, exposed, humiliated.

Jesus saw the weakest, most vulnerable moment of her life.

Instead of capitalizing on it and sermonizing about her sins, he covered her shame with His gentleness and grace:

Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more (John 8:11).

When we entrust our hearts to Jesus, weak as they are, sinful as we are, He covers us with His gentle grace and unconditional love.

He sees the ugliest parts of our soul and says, “I love you.  I forgive you.  You are beautiful to me.”

How can we show this gentleness to those we love?

Devotionals and Storybook Bibles for families

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Devotionalsand Storybook Biblesfor Families

Easter is a great time to evaluate and refresh your family devotional time.  If you’re looking for the perfect devotional or storybook Bible to read with your kids, I have some ideas for you!

We’ve had our share of duds—devotionals that were too superficial and lacked any spiritual depth.  Some of the ones listed below our our favorite finds that stand out as digging deeper and providing a solid biblical foundation for our kids.  Other items on the list are ones that are on my “I want to do this next list” because they look so good!

Don’t worry about starting a 365-day devotional in the spring.  Either begin at the beginning and just keep going to the end.  Or, start on the actual date and wrap around through the new year until you’ve finished.

Feel free to browse and find the book that might be the best for your family! Any of these could make a great Easter gift for children or grandchildren, as well.

For Toddlers and Early Preschoolers:

  • My Good Night Bible by Susan Lingo
    These are the very first devotion books we used with my kids starting at late two-years-old and on through the early preschool years.  They are short and sweet and, unfortunately out of print.  But you can still buy used copies from sellers on Amazon!
    good night bible
  • My Good Night Prayers by Susan Lingo
    good night prayers

Devotional for families with older children (tweens and teens):

Storybook Bibles

  • The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones
    Every story in The Jesus Storybook Bible points to Jesus, creating one overarching message of salvation.  I read this to my youngest daughter when she was finishing up preschool.  I think that’s really too soon to fully appreciate the message of the book and think it’d be a good fit for younger elementary years instead.
    jesus storybook bible
  • My First Message by Eugene Peterson
    my first message
  • The Beginner’s Biblebeginners bible
  • The Action Bible
    The Action Bible     was a huge hit with one of my daughters who loves graphic novels.  She devoured this during her reading time.  It has solid biblical content with artwork and a style she loved.  She first received the Action Bible when she was 8 and that seemed like a good age, but it would likely appeal to any of the upper elementary grades.
    action bible
  • The Story for Children, a Storybook Bible
    The Story     is at times a good storybook Bible, although my kids weren’t always happy with the details or stories that were left out. I think my own children were just getting too old and were ready to read the Bible itself instead of the abbreviated version.
    story for children

Easter Devotional:

As our children get older, we’re moving away from storybook Bibles and devotionals and spending the majority of our time reading Scripture itself as a family.  If you’d like to begin reading the Bible aloud with your kids, here is a plan that takes you through the book of Mark in 30 days:
30 Days in the Book of Mark

Book Review | Hope Unfolding

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Hope Unfolding: Grace-Filled Truth for the Momma’s Heart
by Becky Thompson

I think what every mom truly needs deep down is for someone to say, “I see you.  You’re doing a great job.  We’re in this together.”  That’s Becky Thompson’s message in her book, Hope Unfolding.  She’s giving all the moms out there, especially the young moms in those toddler/preschool/early elementary years, the promise of hope and the encouragement we need when we’re weary.hopeunfolding

The book includes 10 messages moms need to hear like: You’re Not Alone, God Hasn’t Forgotten About You, You Are Not Your Mess, God Loves You Just As You Are, You Are Enough, etc.  She uses her own personal stories, both funny and sad, and adds in a light touch of Scripture for each theme.  The chapters conclude with “Let’s Talk” where she ‘chats’ a bit with the reader, “Let’s Pray” and “Let’s Hope,” which picks out the big-idea and shares it in just a sentence or two.

Hope Unfolding isn’t a parenting how-to book and it’s not a Bible study.  The looks at Scripture are quick and encouraging without digging very deep.  It’s a lovely look into another mom’s heart and a reminder that we’re in this together, and reads very much like extended mommy-blog posts.  The book could also make a wonderful gift for young moms who maybe just need 5 minutes of ‘hope,’ a cup of tea and some chocolate to help them remember the beauty of this holy calling despite the mess of the moment.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Disclaimer:   Heather King is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com

What my reactions say about my faith

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proverbs 27

He wasn’t but a few hours old when the questions began.

“Who does he look like?”

We crowded around my newborn son and tried to puzzle out his features.
069

The debate is familiar.  I’ve swaddled three daughters and one son in hospital blankets and visitors have glanced into their faces and declared each time:

Just like dad.

Just like mom.

The opinions differ, this person…that person….there’s no consensus here.

So they ask me and what to say?  I fail at this every time, not seeing all him, all me.  Seeing only “our baby.”

That’s what we decide as a family, not so much that my son looks like dad or mom.  Instead, he looks like a “King baby” and the comparisons are less with his parents and more with his sisters—his sibling counterparts with shared DNA.

I think of my own reflection and how people have told me my whole life that I look exactly like my mom.

But this light brown hair, my blue eyes, my fair skin….those aren’t my mom’s features.  Those belong to my father.

What they see in me isn’t a physical copy of my mom, but a personality, a laugh, a voice that make me her “spitting image.”

So maybe the essence of who we are truly overcomes the external and influences—maybe even determines—the way others see us.

People can look right at me and see past all that is physical to the spirit within.

And so the apostle Paul could see past body frailty to find faith in a man.

In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk (Acts 14:8-10). 

How many people had looked directly at that man and seen only external limitation?  From his birth, he’d been crippled and all through childhood he’d been defined by disability.

Yet, his faith was so great, so overpowering, as to be his greatest noticeable characteristic.  Among a mob of many, his faith made him stand out.

What does such faith look like?  What are its features?

If someone looked at me in a crowd, would they see this faith above all else in me?

He must have had mountain-moving faith, the kind that makes room for miracles and doesn’t crowd them out with doubt rooted in practicalities and self-reliance.

Me?

Could I have faith so bold?

And daily faith, what about that?  Would Paul have seen faith in me amidst the most minor of daily annoyances, the stresses of the schedule, the disappointments of the moment and the way I have to face up to my very own mistakes and failings?

Doesn’t that take faith also?

To choose not to make a forgotten phone call a crisis or a lost library book or the 5 minutes on the clock screaming at me that we’re late or my mistake from rushing too much (yet again).

How we react in the most mundane of stressors reflects our faith (or lack of it).

Do we trust that God has everything under control?

Everything?

Yes, the overwhelming issues we can’t possibly handle, but can we trust Him even with our calendar and our kids’ homework and our grocery bill?

And, if He is so trustworthy, why then fret and fear instead of relax easy into faith in a God so mighty and so merciful?

The Proverbs 31 woman “can laugh at the days to come” (Proverbs 31:25).

She has no fear of tomorrow or any days after that and no worries over what-if’s and hypotheticals.

She has faith.  And it shows up in her demeanor, in her belly of laughter instead of a wrinkled face of worry.

Proverbs also tells me this:

As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person (Proverbs 27:19 NLT).

My reflection should radiate faith, the confident assurance that God is who says He is and He will do what He says He will do.

It’s the firm, unshakeable belief that whatever I face any day in this world is in His hands and never beyond His control or His caring.

Who do I look like, then?

Oh, I hope it’s a woman of deep, unshakeable faith.  I hope people see Jesus in me. I hope people could pick me out of a crowd and know that I was His.

Book Review | 5 Minutes with Jesus

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5 Minutes with Jesus: Peace for Today 
by Sheila Walsh

Peace for Today is the second book in the 5 Minutes with Jesus series, written by bestselling author, Sheila Walsh.  I have loved both of the books in the series so much, I’ve begun giving them as gifts to friends. They are encouraging and perfect for busy women on the go.  The books themselves are also absolutely beautiful.  The size, feel, color and style of the binding and cover are definitely worthy of a gift!!peace for today

I started reading the first book on January 1st of this year and I loved it, so I was excited to read Sheila’s second book in the same format.  The devotions are quick and easy to read, definitely the “5 minutes” the book promises! The stories are funny, heartfelt, tender, and interesting, ranging from personal anecdotes to Biblical accounts to historical events.  She ties each story to a lesson for the day and then concludes with several Scriptures for you to read that go with the theme.

These little devotionals could be the first thing you read each day, the quick time with Jesus you need during your lunch break or while waiting in a carpool line to pick up your kids, or the last thing you read each night before you go to sleep.  There are lessons here for new Christians, women struggling in a difficult season, or seasoned believers who are looking to be refreshed.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Disclaimer:   Heather King is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com

So we worship with abandon

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psalm 150

I can hear my son dancing in his carseat as I drive the minivan around town.

He dances with a particular sense of abandon, throwing his whole body into his head-banging, side to side, forward and back.   He snaps his elbows out and pulls his hands to his chest and then kicks his feet.

When he breaks into dancing at home, he does a combination of skipping/leaping/running in circles that is breathlessly exciting.

He is into it.

I know he’s dancing wildly back there in the minivan (as wildly as one can dance when strapped into a 5-point harness car seat), so I pull down my rear-view mirror for a moment to see what he’s doing.

He immediately freezes in mid-boogie and looks away trying not to catch my gaze.

All of that joyful movement stops in an instant and gives way to bashful embarrassment.

My son is a secret dancer.

Even though I never criticize him for it, he has this innate pulling back, an automatic embarrassment that we never overcome no matter how many times I tell him: “It’s okay to dance.”

I wonder if we also are secret-dancers, secret-worshipers, holding back, hiding away, not wanting to look too wild or too ‘into it.’

Like Nicodemus, maybe we clothe our time with Jesus in darkness and privacy.

Even among other Christians, we might pull back.  Don’t get too serious.  Don’t worship too passionately.  Don’t change your priorities too much.  Don’t talk about God too often.  Don’t let the Bible actually change you.

Jesus has a way, though, of busting through all of the layers of propriety and face-saving, people-pleasing, status-quo-following.

No matter how hard we may try at times to stuff our faith into acceptable packages of behavior, God can stir us to abandon.

In Luke 7, Jesus watched as a widow followed the casket of her only son while wailing with sorrow.  Seeing her pain, Jesus responded with compassion, touched the coffin and commanded that her precious son rise up from the dead.

The son sat up and started talking.

We’re told that “they were all filled with awe and praised God.  ‘A great prophet has appeared among us,’ they said. ‘God has come to help his people.’ This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country (Luke 7:16-17 NIV).

The Message describes the scene:

They all realized they were in a place of holy mystery, that God was at work among them. They were quietly worshipful—and then noisily grateful, calling out among themselves, “God is back, looking to the needs of his people!” The news of Jesus spread all through the country (Luke 7:16-17 MSG).

God’s presence, always with us, should awaken the sense that we’re in a “place of holy mystery.”  Yes, God is at work here and we are amazed!

We may begin ‘quietly worshipful,’ but then we can’t hold it in!  We praise God!  We are ‘noisily grateful!”  We tell everyone what Jesus has done.

Just like these worshipers, we shout: “Praise God, He is at work among us!  Praise God, I’ve seen His hand and He’s real, our God is real!!  Praise God, He has not abandoned us, but He is looking after the needs of His people!!”

We all have these moments when we can choose to dance and sing about all that God has done or remain hidden in the shadows as night-time Jesus-seekers too frightened of popular opinion for all-out discipleship.

This was Nicodemus’s choice. He came in the darkness to ask Jesus just what being “born again” really meant.

But later, after Jesus died,  it wasn’t the disciples or the women at the cross who arranged for his burial.

Instead, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for Jesus’ body.  He was “a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders” (John 19:38).

And who was with him?  None other than Nicodemus, who brought about 75 pounds of lotions and spices to anoint Jesus’ body.  Together, they wrapped their Savior with linen and placed him in a garden tomb (John 19:38-42).

Two secret worshipers, frightened of others’ opinions, ashamed to go public with their faith, now honored Jesus with reverent awe and unhidden love.

Suddenly, religious position, public opinion, and power didn’t matter very much.

Jesus had abandoned all for them, so they worshiped with abandon.

Jesus abandoned everything for us also, so we can also worship with abandon!

God is with us!  Jesus is risen!  He is real!  He is at work among us!

 

 

Book Review | Having a Martha Home the Mary Way

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Having a Martha Home the Mary Way: 31 Days to a Clean House and a Satisfied Soul
by Sarah Mae

In her new book, Having a Martha Home the Mary Way, Sarah Mae gives you tips, encouragement and a lot of grace as you spend 31 days achieving a “clean house and a satisfied soul.”  As Sarah Mae puts it, this isn’t a book about ‘good housekeeping;’ it’s about “‘gentle homemaking’, which is the ability to be gentle and kind with ourselves in the process of making and keeping a home while being gentle and kind to those around us.”  Her dedication is also beautiful:  “This book is for everyone out there who needs to know that being a ‘good’ homemaker has less to do with having a clean home and more to do with loving others well.”Having-a-Martha-Home-the-Mary-Way-by-Sarah-Mae-Cover

One of the things that set this book apart for me was Sarah Mae’s confession that she isn’t naturally great at cleaning!  Since she doesn’t like cleaning herself, she isn’t looking down on the reader. She’s coming alongside the readers and cheering us on.  The tone of the book, as a result, is so full of humor and grace. She’s not lecturing; she’s encouraging.  She’s honest about her own struggles and constantly offers room for mistakes and learning and differences in personality and style.

The other things that sets this book apart is the beautiful balance of Mary and Martha, spiritual and practical, emotional and physical.  I’ve seen blog posts that preach the organization/cleanliness gospel with rigid expectations.  So many of us jump into plans and programs and then fail because there’s no grace or flexibility.  At the same time, I’ve seen blog posts touting the benefits of a messy and even dirty house because that means you love your kids and spend time with them.  Neither extreme is actually healthy!

Instead of camping out in either extreme, Sarah Mae is encouraging us to spend time with Jesus, to love our family well, and to keep our homes comfortably clean and cozy.  Each day’s entry includes a brief devotional/inspirational reading and then includes two challenges: A Mary Challenge, and a Martha Challenge.  The Mary Challenges typically involve a short Scripture reading, responding to a thoughtful question or maybe a simple assignment that connects cleaning our house with the state of our own hearts.  Each Mary Challenge also includes the space you need to write answers or journal thoughts right there within the book itself instead of needing a separate journal.

The Martha Challenges begin super-simple:  Wash the dishes. Fold all the laundry.  They expand from there, though, into organizing junk drawers, cleaning out the fridge, sorting through papers, and more.  The goal is to take on one project a day so that you’ll have a cleaner, more organized home by the end of 31 days.

Here’s where the flexibility comes in.  You can adapt the plan based on the size of your family and the size of your home.  I think you could also easily adapt it to your schedule.  Are you a working mom who can only do project on the weekends?  Then do two days each week.  Or, maybe you have three days a week where you can work on projects.  Do that!  Obviously, there’s something powerful about the momentum and focus on doing projects for 31 days straight, but if you can’t, then just adjust the plan to something you can do.

Sarah Mae includes plenty of opportunities for you to get your kids involved in the cleaning process.  She also adds in extra tips and suggestions such as “5 ways to create a sense of ‘Welcome! Put Your Feet Up” and other elements of hospitality from “don’t make everything perfect.  Let your house be lived in….” to “be a listener.”  She writes, “The goal of homemaking isn’t to have perfectly decorated, perfectly clean homes.  The whole point is to have a place that is welcoming, and you know where that begins? In your own heart.  Your home is a reflection of who you are.  If you are warm and welcoming, your home will be.  The cleaning? That’s just the cherry on top, you know, so no one trips on the way to your couch!”

One of the beautiful take-aways for me is the reminder that caring for my home doesn’t need to be mundane or insignificant.  She talks about creating beauty, peace, and safe places.  I can make my home a refuge for my family, a place of gentleness and calm.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Disclaimer:   Heather King is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com

30 Bible Verses on Seeking the Lord

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verses-on-seeking-God

  • Deuteronomy 4:29 ESV
    But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.
  • 1 Kings 22:5 ESV
    And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Inquire first for the word of the Lord.”
  • 1 Chronicles 16:11 ESV
    Seek the Lord and his strength;
        seek his presence continually!
  • 1 Chronicles 28:9 ESV
    And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.
  • 2 Chronicles 7:14 ESV
     if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
  • 2 Chronicles 15:2 ESV
    and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The Lord is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.
  • Psalm 9:10 ESV
    And those who know your name put their trust in you,
        for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.
  • Psalm 14:2 ESV
    The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man,
        to see if there are any who understand,
        who seek after God.
  • Psalm 22:26 ESV
    The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied;
        those who seek him shall praise the Lord!
        May your hearts live forever!
  • Psalm 27:8 ESV
    You have said, “Seek my face.”
    My heart says to you,
        “Your face, Lord, do I seek.”
  • Psalm 34:4 ESV
    I sought the Lord, and he answered me
        and delivered me from all my fears.
  • Psalm 34:10 ESV
    The young lions suffer want and hunger;
        but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
  • Psalm 40:16 ESV
    But may all who seek you
        rejoice and be glad in you;
    may those who love your salvation
        say continually, “Great is the Lord!”
  • Psalm 50:15 ESV
    and call upon me in the day of trouble;
        I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.
  • Psalm 63:1 ESV
    O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
        my soul thirsts for you;
    my flesh faints for you,
        as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
  • Psalm 105:4 ESV
    Seek the Lord and his strength;
        seek his presence continually!
  • Psalm 119:2 ESV
    Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,
        who seek him with their whole heart,
  • Psalm 119:10 ESV
    With my whole heart I seek you;
        let me not wander from your commandments!
  • Proverbs 8:17 ESV
    I love those who love me,
        and those who seek me diligently find me.
  • Isaiah 55:6-7 ESV
    “Seek the Lord while he may be found;
        call upon him while he is near;
    7 let the wicked forsake his way,
        and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
    let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him,
        and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
  • Jeremiah 29:12-14 ESV
    12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.
  • Lamentations 3:25 ESV
    The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
        to the soul who seeks him.
  • Hosea 10:12 ESV
    Sow for yourselves righteousness;
        reap steadfast love;
        break up your fallow ground,
    for it is the time to seek the Lord,
        that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.
  • Amos 5:4 ESV
    For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel:
    “Seek me and live;
  • Zephaniah 2:3 ESV
    Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land,
        who do his just commands;
    seek righteousness; seek humility;
        perhaps you may be hidden
        on the day of the anger of the Lord.
  • Matthew 6:33 ESV
    But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
  • Matthew 7:7 ESV
    “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
  • Acts 17:27-28 ESV
    that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’;
    as even some of your own poets have said,
    “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’
  • Hebrews 11:6 ESV
    And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
  • James 4:8 ESV
    Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.