Finding Joy in Your Home

Contentment has become a major theme in my life. It's something that I keep coming back to again and again - especially in the past 2 years. Today I'm sharing about contentment, discontentment, trusting in God, and 3 questions to ask yourself to determine the areas you are discontent in! Listen in here: 

Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

Throughout all of this, I know God is teaching me one huge important lesson: How to be content in all things. 

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing,  give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Trusting God

One of those big lessons in all of this is learning what it truly means to Trust God more! 

"What does providence mean? In short, it refers to God's work in which he upholds, governs, and sustains all things by his infinite power. The definition from the Heidelberg Catechism bears repeating:

'God's providence is his almighty and ever present power, whereby, as with his hand, he still upholds heaven and earth and all creatures, and so governs them so that: leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, food and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, indeed, all things come to us not by chance but by his fatherly hand.'

The main thing to remember about God's providence is that he is not disconnected from or disinterested in hat is happening in the world today. There is no such thing as chance, luck, or fate. Rather, God is upholding, governing, and ordering all things with his very hand. Nothing escapes God's sovereign control." - Chasing Contentment, pages 113-114

Are you discontent? 

The thing about discontentment, is that it sneaks up on us. So many issues in our life our caused by our discontentment: stress and anxiety being among some of the biggest. In his book, Chasing Contentment Erik Raymond goes through 3 questions in chapter 7 to determine if you are being discontent in different areas of your life and I think it's a really helpful exercise to go through! Ask yourself: 

1) Am I grumbling about the present?

"If we are grumbling about something we're going through right now, we are arguing with God. We are saying that we shouldn't have to endure this. Our present experiences are like a magnet drawing out either our discontentment or our contentment. If you are grumbling, we can be sure we are not content. We are essentially saying that God is getting it wrong. Such discontentment questions God's wisdom, goodness, and power."

2) Am I bitter about the past?

"Everyone has faced hard days. Some people's pasts are harder than others, but all hvae felt the string of sin and pain in our fallen world. Many people live under the cloud of their past hardships and become increasingly bitter. Over time they revisit and analyze the situations from the perspective of a victim, only to feed their bitterness. We cannot be content in the present when we are nursing bitterness about the past. We are basically saying that God has failed us. This discontentment too questions God's wisdom, goodness, and power."

3) Am I worrying about the future?

"What is going to happen tomorrow? How do I know it's really going to be okay? Where will I work? Whom will I marry? We can ask hundreds of questions about the future, but the bottom line is that we don't know. And we can't know. Sadly, many people sit in bondage to worry about the future and lose the joy of contentment in the present. Jesus saw this as the trait of the unbeliever (Matt. 6:25-34) rather than the believer, who knows and trusts God. If we are worrying, we are as much as saying that God won't get it right. This is yet another form of discontentment tha...

A good evening routine is KEY to a good day and routine for me! But it took me along time to figure this out. I focused so long on an effective morning routine but I finally discovered that the key to a good morning, is an awesome and functional evening routine! 

Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

Links & Resources: 

Sign up for Beth Anne's FREE Webinar here! 

TTM #31: Establishing Better Evening Routines

HF #196: 6 Secrets for Staying Organized with Laura Smith

Hf #193: How I free up 1-2 hours a week for the things I love

HF #101: When you have too much to do and too little time

Visit our sponsor for today's episode: Wix.com/podcasting

The podcast is ALL about productivity and organization this week and we are kicking off the discussion with one of my favorite planning gals, Laura Smith from i Heart Planners. She's share her 6 secrets for staying organized! 

Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. 

Links & Resources: 

Find the full 2017 Homemaking Ministries Online Conference here

Follow Laura over at i Heart Planners

Download Laura's note sheets from this episode

Check out our sponsor: VistaPrint.com

Check out our sponsor: Wix.com

Sign up for the FREE workshop!! 

Join me later this week for an awesome free workshop taught by one of my favorite bloggers and authors, Beth Anne from Brilliant Business Moms. She is teaching a free class called Craft Your Perfect Evening Routine and it's going to be SO good! In fact, in the next episode, I am going to share all the lessons I've been learning this week from Beth Anne - so make sure to sign up to so you can follow along too. 

Sign up for the free workshop here!

When life is hard - you add another baby, you lose someone close to you, financial or job loss hits, and the list goes on - it can be hard if you don't know where to turn. In today's episode I'm sharing a bit about some of my struggles over the past 6 years and how God has used those things so powerfully to remind me where I need to turn in the hard (and the good) times! 

Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

Links & Resources mentioned today: 

Memorize: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Memorize: James 1:2-4

Memorize: Colossians 3:14-17 

Memorize: Nehemiah 8:10

Book recommendation: Growing in Gratitude by Mary Mohler

Book recommendation:  Treasuring Christ When Your Hands are Full by Gloria Furman

Book recommendation: Choosing Gratitude by Nancy Demoss Wolgemuth

Visit our sponsor: HelloFresh.com/Foundation80 and use coupon code foundation80

Visit our sponsor: Zola.com/home to start your free wedding website

The idea that I need to return to again and again in my life and daily routine: is treasuring the Gospel in my home. So in today's episode, we will be discussing what it means to make the Gospel known in your home and some practical ideas for making it a true priority throughout your day. 

Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

What is the “goal” of the Christian life?

"For I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better." - Philippians 1:19-23

Desiring God, "Our Grand Obligation": http://www.desiringgod.org/messages/our-grand-obligation 

Hf #74: The Goal of Our Christian Life: https://findingjoyinyourhome.com/goal-christian-life-practical-theology-homemakers-part-2/ 

How do we treasure the Gospel? 

Book recommendation: What is the Gospel? By Greg Gilbert

And free resources: The Centrality of the Gospel by Tim Keller: http://www.newcityindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/centrality-of-gospel.-keller.pdf 

Practical Ideas & Suggestions

A Catachism for boys and girls: http://www.reformedreader.org/ccc/acbg.htm 

The New City Catechism: http://newcitycatechism.com/ 

Seeds Family Worship 

Where to get: Seed’s Family Worship | on Amazon | Listen free on Spotify

Jellytelly – Christian tv for kids

JellyTelly is a sort of Christian netflix for kids. It has over 100 different tv shows for kids that are all Bible based. We have been very impressed with it! To get a subscription, it is $4.99 a month or $49.99 a month. You can try out a FREE week here with coupon code: HMF. 

They do have some great family devotional guides on their blog that are FREE. You can browse through them here.

Reading Gospel-Centered Books

Obviously, I have of book recommendations for the adults! But Jason and I also compiled our favorite Gospel-Centered books for kids: https://findingjoyinyourhome.com/our-favorite-gospel-centered-books-for-kids-ages-3-10/ 

Book Suggestions:

Peacemaking for Families by Ken Sande

No Little Women by Aimee Byrd

What is the Gospel? By Greg Gilbert

Family Shepherds by Voddie Baucham

Word-Filled Families

 

To purchase access to all of the other amazing sessions during the 2017 Homemaking Ministries Online Conference you can do so here! 

Check out the sponsor for today's episode: Mylola.com and use coupon code HOMEMAKING at checkout to get 40% off all subscriptions.