Have you ever wondered why gratitude comes before joy? Everything changes when your heart is filled with thanksgiving and gratefulness. Then joy comes! It reminds me of an unbecoming caterpillar which compared to a butterfly isn't beautiful at all! After it weaves itself into a cocoon, in time it breaks out into a gorgeous butterfly. Are you the kind of woman that is constantly complaining about this and that? I've been there! When you take the initiative to start keeping a gratitude list, you will be like the caterpillar that goes into a cocoon and comes out as a beautifully created … [Read more...]
How To Create Simple Lettering for Beginners
Have you ever seen the Bible journaling art and wished that you could create beautiful illustrations in your Bible too? You might not be a born artist, yet you have a desire to illustrate verses in your Bible. There are some simple techniques that I want to share with you. They are doable even for the beginner. You can do this! When I was learning to write in cursive, we had to trace over the letters to learn the handwriting style being taught. I was expected to write with a fountain pen with perfect form and sizing of the letters. It wasn't easy! Even as an adult it is difficult … [Read more...]
Preparing for Christmas in 4 Easy Steps
Are You Preparing for Christmas? It is so doable. You really can do this. You can prepare for Christmas without the stress or at least lessen the stress and enjoy your kids and family this year! There is so much to do in the weeks and days before Christmas that we can get so stressed over a holiday that we love. It is so easy to forget the reason for the season! God gave us the best gift of all in sending Jesus as a baby to earth so that He could die for our sins and give us Eternal Life. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned … [Read more...]
Do You Really Know How To Magnify The Lord?
How much do we really magnify the Lord? I think most of us only understand a tiny bit of what it really means to magnify our Lord and Savior! Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together. Psalm 34:3 We were created to praise and glorify the Lord. That is our whole purpose on earth. But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 1 Peter 2:9 A microscope magnifies things that are too small to be seen by our eye. A telescope … [Read more...]
Simple Bible Journaling Ideas When You’re Not Artistic
Have you been held back from learning creative Bible journaling art because you are not very artistic? If you are like me, you have seen gorgeous illustrations on Pinterest but couldn't imagine how to begin! I am so excited to share a few essential ideas that will help you get started. I want to build your confidence that God created you to have the ability to express your praise to Him in a unique way. Is there something deep in your heart that makes you want to give this thing a try? God is the creator of the whole entire universe. He is the Artist of all artists. I know that … [Read more...]
How To Memorize with these 12 Scripture Memory Cards
Are you so busy that it is hard to memorize Scripture? To be honest, I struggle with this and that is why I am sharing my tips today as we make gratitude part of our journey through life. If you think you NEED this, so do I! Let's join in this together as we Make Your Home a Haven. I have often said that I am terrible at memorizing Scripture but if the truth be told, I think it has more to do with making the time than how my brain works! Do You Make Time for These Things? We all have the same 24 hours in a day and with those hours, we choose how we will spend them. How often minutes … [Read more...]
You Are Invited to Join Me this Fall
You are invited to join me this fall as once again, as I participate in Good Morning Girls. I have been sharing about Gratitude over the past few weeks and it ties in so wonderfully well with the Free Bible Journaling Workshop as part of Making Your Home a Haven Challenge. Let me explain from the beginning. Good Morning Girls in the Word Good Morning Girls in the Word is a group of women who read the Bible from cover to cover. Good Morning Girls is an online Bible study that was started by Courtney Joseph in her church. In 2009 she took it to the internet where she shared it with … [Read more...]
Does Joy Have Anything To Do With Happiness?
Is there a difference between true happiness and joy? Well, it depends on who you ask! I am going to show you why you need to have happiness and how it will help you as a wife and mother to find joy and satisfaction in Jesus. Let's look at the lives of two different moms. Could one of these moms be just like you? Mom #1: Life as a mom is so rewarding but it is also filled with struggles. Exhaustion, fussy babies, whiny kids, and a mountain of laundry can taint the picture she once had of motherhood. It can steal her joy, and happiness might not be there when she collapses into bed at … [Read more...]
Count it All Joy When You are Suffering the Impossible
God desires for us to have total confidence in His sovereign grace even when we are suffering. More than anything, God is glorified when we have complete joy and satisfaction in Him. (James 1:2-8) Suffering comes in all different ways that most of us hope to never experience. I can't imagine what suffering is really like and feel at a loss in writing about it. The ways that I have 'suffered' are nothing compared to what you might have experienced and usually, there is someone who has experienced far worse! We are never fully prepared for the 'bad' things that come in life. I could … [Read more...]
How God Corrects You When You Sin
God does correct you when you sin! How often we see something that happens in terms of being 'unfortunate' or 'bad' instead of seeing that it might actually be God's merciful discipline! I want to show you how God's correction really isn't a 'bad' thing when we accept what He is doing in our life. God isn't a harsh judge but a loving father. “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” Hebrews 12:6 There are 4 Points in this Verse Do NOT … [Read more...]
5 Reasons You Need to Cultivate Gratitude Today
Do you lack gratitude in your day? Here are 5 reasons you need to cultivate gratitude today. You will find how being thankful changes everything even though circumstances stays the same! 1. A Song to Defeat the Foe! We have a foe that is deadly but when we sing a song of gratitude to the One who died for our sins, that deadly foe is defeated! What if you learned along with me to sing more often? We often have mellow Christian music playing in the background of our home. That makes it easy to remember to sing. It is not for the sake of singing that I sing. I often forget that … [Read more...]
5 Simple Ways To Wake Up Grateful Every Day
What is the first thought that crosses your mind when you wake up every day? As the fog starts lifting from your brain, do you think grumpy thoughts or grateful thoughts? Typically I start my day wondering how everything can possibly get done in the next 18 hours. It seems like most things have to be accomplished in the first hour! I have been working at changing my mindset as I start each day. You might still be worn and weary. The problems in your life will probably still be there but shifting to a grateful heart can make all the difference in the world! O God, You are my … [Read more...]
Up-Rooting Moodiness and How to Choose Gratitude
Marriage has a way of exposing our moodiness as women and unless you are an exception, I hope my experience will resonate with you and give you some solutions. How to choose gratitude wasn't exactly on my radar when I was struggling the most with my irritability. I know that there are a lot of reasons for moodiness. I know for myself that for years I dealt with imbalance because of issues related to my menstrual cycle and the pregnancies that God blessed me with. Pre-menstrual and post-partum issues are real. They are mood influencers. Each month I had migraines and often they lasted the … [Read more...]
7 Powerful Quotes to Unlock Gratitude from Your Heart
Have you ever noticed how powerful quotes can unlock something deep in your heart? These 7 quotes from Nancy DeMoss Wolgemoth will do just that for you. That is why you see so many graphics floating through your Facebook or Pinterest feeds with Bible verses and thoughtful or hilarious quotes! Who Doesn't Love Quotes?! A picture with a quote creates an emotional response that imprints the verse into your heart. A serious quote might resonate and stay with you longer because the picture creates a mental image. You might identify with an element of truth in that quote that cracked you … [Read more...]
3 Ways to Be Thankful to God
Any time of the year it is good to be thankful to God. We tend to rush around too much, not slowing our pace long enough to be thankful to God for all that He has done. When we do, we find our stress melting away. How often we ask God for something without ever stopping to thank Him. We pray, asking God to heal people (which is good) but do we stop and pray our praise for something concerning that person? We pray, asking God to work in an impossible situation (again this is good) but how often do we stop to thank Him for something about that situation? Today I am giving you a challenge. I … [Read more...]