Finding Joy in Your Home

Over the past few weeks, I've been receiving email after email from women who are wondering how to begin studying the Bible.

I share a lot of Bible study resources on my blog, but a few weeks ago I shared an episode on "Does my quiet time need to be first thing in the morning?" And I think that spurred on a lot of questions. 

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.

So my intention with this episode is to give you a complete beginner's guide to reading the Bible. We will cover the purpose and the methods.

So this episode is for you if: 1) You've never studied the bible on your own and want to know where to start, or 2) You've read the bible here or there but don't know if you are doing it correctly or how to go deeper or 3) You want to be able to help other study the bible for themselves as well. So hopefully all of you fall into one of these three categories.

WHY do we study the Bible?

Jesus commands us to love him and know him,

"And he said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." - Matthew 22:37

We are to be hearers and doers of His word:

"But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing." - James 1:25

God's Word is meant to sustain us in a way that food alone cannot: 

“Man shall not live by bread alone,

but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” - Matthew 4:4

To carry the food analogy farther, we are to CRAVE God's Word:

"Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—" - 1 Peter 2:2

To be true discipline of Christ:

"So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”" - John 8:31-32

We are to share this treasure with others:

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God." - Colossians 3:16

God's Word is profitable for everything,

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."

And we know that God's Word is powerful!

"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."- Hebrews 4:12

HOW do we study the Bible? 

On some days, it feels like it would be great if God had left very clear instructions on HOW to study the Bible. But as I've grown, I've seen the beauty that God has given us the freedom to study God's word how it works best for us and our learning style. Now with that said, there are good practices to follow and some helpful tips. 

So let's do an overview of the different methods for studying the Bible and the pros or cons of each.

While there are different ways to explain these methods of reading/studying God's Word, I love how Jen Wilkin explains them in her book, Women of the Word. You can read about all 6 approaches here. 

The Personal Shopper Approach

The Xanax Approach

At the beginning of June, I shared a summer reading challenge and some ideas for reading more this Summer. Now more than a month later, I wanted to do a quick update. 

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.

I have several reasons for loving to read so much. I really enjoy it and it fills me up Spiritually. But I also think it can be an excellent way to fill into my kids. I love this idea from Mother culture.

“Mothers should cultivate their souls so that in turn they may cultivate the souls of their children.” 

How I'm doing on my challenge:

As of June 5th I had read 31 books. Today I'm at 37. So I guess I read 6 in June, which isn't bad! It's not enough to get me caught up, but not bad.

I am currently in the middle of 16 books. So hopefully if I can start wrapping those up, I could actually start to catch up! I should be at 54 books this week. 

So today I just want to encourage you that if you are behind on your reading goals, or you haven't picked up a single book this year, that's totally fine! Give yourself some grace. Try to get into a book if you want, and just get through as much as you can. 

What I'm reading right now: 

Audio book: The Passionate preaching of Marytyn Lloyd-Jones by Steve Lawson

Audio book: The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber

Audio book: Firefight - The Reckoners series book two by Brandon Sanderson

Kindle: EntreLeadership by Dave Ramsey

Kindle: The Eye of the World - Book one in the Wheel of Time Series

Christian Heroes: Then & Now: Nate Saint, Gladys Aylward, and Amy Carmichael. 

Just read George Mueler and Hudson Taylor

Housewife Theologian by Aimee Byrd

Get two FREE books from Audible

Jason and I have used Audible for our audiobooks for several years now and we love it! We have tried several other services but time and again Audible has the most books in Christian, fiction, kids, business, and anything else we could want. If you want to try out Audible, you can sign up for a FREE 30 day trial and get two free audiobooks. Just sign up with the link below. 

Try Audible and Get Two Free Audiobooks

My hope would be to wrap up all 16 books I'm in throughout July but that probably won't happen at this point. Maybe in August ;) 

I'm also starting to look into more homeschool theory books. We are starting to homeschool this year and there are so many philosphies and ways to approach homeschooling. So I want to do more research on those topics. So far I really like the Charlotte Mason approach to homeschooling with a few tweaks. But we'll see! 

Welcome to our Sponsor! 

I am so excited to once again be partnering with Jelly Telly for the month of July! We have been using Jelly Telly now for about 6 months and my boys are hooked (so am I)! Think of Jelly Telly as a sort of Christian Netflix for kids. 

They have become my boys’ very favorite iPhone app as they have over 100 Bible based Christian tv shows for kids! Whether they’re discovering God’s great rescue plan in What’s in the Bible?, singing along with Yancy and Friends about how much God loves them, or discovering what it means to follow Jesus with the beautifully animated series Owlegories, I know they are safe as they browse. 

I love that it’s all Bible based and I don’t have to worry about what they are watching. I love to hear them singing along to hymns in Theo and learning deep theology through What’s in the Bible.

I know how overwhelming hospitality can be. I felt really overwhelmed as a new wife inviting people into my home. I didn't feel confident in my homemaking skills. And I certainly didn't feel confident in my cooking skills. 

One of my biggest concerns was knowing what to cook for other people! And I know this is a big concern for many. But Summer is the perfect time to start diving into hospitality, or invite someone new over. So today we are going to be sharing a few tips for summer hospitality! 

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.

Here's a question I got from a reader recently that sparked the idea for this episode: 

"For now, I was wondering if you could perhaps share via podcast or blog post some practical menu plans for hospitality. A lot of the time I feel like I'm hesitant to have people over just because I don't know exactly what to fix. Planning menus for my own family isn't a huge challenge to me, but I feel like a lot of the meals I normally make for just us aren't really good "company meals." Either they can't be prepared ahead of time or I don't know what to have with them or they don't work with the season or they're just a little too unusual to have for company. I love doing soup/bread/salad, but with the warmer weather that doesn't work very well (I'm serving that tonight for company in 85 degree weather . . . oops!). Could you share some super practical suggestions for planning hospitality menus that are simple and frugal? And then maybe share some of your tips on how to pull it all together so you're not stressed out like crazy and exhausted by the time company comes (I've been there too many times!!)? With babies and their unpredictable schedules (as you know!) plus a super tight budget, I'm needing a better way to do hospitality so that I'm able to do it more frequently and actually look forward to it! :)" - Catherine

So today hopefully I've got some good ideas for you when extending hospitality (and how to make it easy during the Summer)!

Remember the REASON for your hospitality

I think a REALLY important thing (at least for me) is to again and again remember my REASON for hospitality. When I get too focused on the food, or the decor, or the activities...it's so easy for my heart to be in the WRONG place when extending hospitality. 

When it comes down to it, hospitality is about your HEART and the service you are providing. Because hospitality is about serving others, not empty entertaining for the sake of showing off your cooking or decorating skills. 

“First Peter 4:9 builds on the instructions to practice hospitality and reminds me that my attitude is of utmost important – I am to practice hospitality without complaining! This verse challenges me to conduct a heart search to discern what my attitude is and whether I am approaching this opportunity to minister enthusiastically (Colossians 3:23).” ~ Practicing Hospitality, Pg 23

So what's the purpose of hospitality? 

The ultimate purpose of hospitality is to minister to those around us – both believers and unbelievers. Our hospitality is a form of ministry and is a way that we show love, care, and concern, and how we can serve others!

“Hospitality from a Biblical perspective is to recognize that God is more interested in caring relationships than the mold behind the shower curtain…It need not matter if we live in a single-room apartment or a split-level ranch, the only real requirement is allowing God to use our lives and our possessions…Our homes and our lives are indeed the most powerful combination of minis...

Most of us know that we should be reading God's Word. We want to work it into our schedule, but some days it just feels so overwhelming. 

Maybe you don't even know where to start. Or maybe you are asking "does my Bible reading time reallllllly need to be first thing in the morning?" Someone else had that same question as well. Today on the podcast I'll be covering that - as well as other tips for your Bible reading time.  

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.

A couple of weeks ago I got this question from a reader. As I started writing her back, I was thinking about how much I can resonate with her feelings on this topic. And I realized that I am probably NOT alone (and neither is she) in this. So I decided to address it here on the blog and podcast. Here's what she asked: 

"Hello!  I am a mother to a one year old and currently pregnant again.  I was 27 before I had my 1st child so I had many years of working and time prior to around the clock responsibility (children). So I had many years with morning quiet time with God almost daily and of course I walk with him through my day. I just have this perfectionist gene in me that says I must have 1st thing in the morning quiet time with God before all else. I just do not know if I should be attempting to get up before my son to have quiet time or continue to do it during his nap time.

It's been a difficult adjustment for me because I do feel like it has to be done 1st thing in the morning. I can't seem to feel like I ever have enough time with Him now though and it's always interrupted or while strolling a baby etc. It's been such a hard adjustment. I'm terrified of what it will be like when I have the next baby. My one year old just started sleeping. I don't know if I need to make different efforts or need to stop being a perfectionist but I don't want to not grow in my faith and knowledge of God or be stunted by the motherhood season as I need him even more during it. Any advice??? I'm a horrible multitasker!"

Most of us have a picture of what the  "ideal" Bible reading time and place is. We might picture first thing in the morning with a cup of coffee and an hour and a half devoted to deep study. Others might picture the ideal place being out in nature, hearing the birds chirp as you dig in. For me, it would be in a huge leather chair by the fire in my own personal library with hours of time to dig in, study, and take notes. Aaah - that sounds so lovely. 

While we may every once in a while get time like these "ideal" situations, it doesn't happen often. In fact, I've been no where near any of these ideals since having kids. So what's a busy mom to do? What does our Bible reading time need to look like?

What Does God's Word Say About Reading God's Word? 

I know you might be tempted to skip over these verses - especially if you've read them before. But I encourage you to keep reading through them because they are going to establish our basis for our conversation today. (PLUS this talk today is about how to get in God's Word more - so here you go!!). 

"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success." - Joshua 1:8

"But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” - Matthew 4:4

"For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction,

Today is a little big different. Instead of talking about a homemaking topic, I've got Jason with me today and we are going to share a little update about our family and our ministry. 

About 18 months ago we shared a ministry update in episode #26. This was our announcement that Jason had left his full time job in sales to run our ministry full time. So that was a fun announcement but a LOT has happened in the last 18 months. So we wanted to do a NEW update on what's going on. 

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.

Listen to the full interview above with Jason and I and then skim through what we talked about below. 

Family & Ministry Update

We had a busy 2016! We started off the year with a bang and went right into our kickstarter campaign for our online training academy, My Homemaking Mentor. The kickstarter campaign was a giant success and in July of 2016, My Homemaking Mentor was released to the public. 

Psst: My Homemaking Mentor is currently closed down for enrollment, but will open up again in the Fall of 2017. You can sign up here to get notified when enrollment opens. 

Then in August we rolled right into our Homeschooling Conference and got right into preparing for our 2016 Homemaking Ministries Online Conference. This was our third annual online conference and it was amazing! Then this carried us through the end of October and into Christmas. 

We had a great full year of business and running it full time. It was a really exciting and full year. But for our family, we also had some exciting things happening. 

Our Growing Family

In the first week of May 2016, we got a very special surprise blessing. Malachi & Micah were 3 years old and Remington & Ryder were only 9 months old...and we found out we were expecting! 

We later came to find out that we were expecting a single girl due in January 2017. She is now 4 months old and doing so well! 

We were not expecting to be pregnant in our first full year of business but we are so thankful now that God's plans are not our own plans. It made 2016 a little tricky in certain ways, but we are loving our family with five kids four and under. 

By the way - Do you want to keep up on our family happenings every week? Come check out our weekly YouTube videos - A Week in the Life of the Balmet Family! We show a peek into our life with five kids under five and running a growing business from home.

2017 and Beyond

It's June now and I feel like each day is getting easier and easier. Malachi and Micah are almost 4 and a half. Remington & Ryder turn 2 in about 2 weeks. And Magnolia is nearly 5 months old. We are all setting into our new normal and picking our routines back up. 

On the business front, we have some exciting plans for 2017!! Here's a sneak peek of what we have coming up: 

Homemaking Ministries Store

This is kind of my baby project this year that I am pouring a lot of love and time into. We are working on building up our store with physical products!! Right now we have Christian t-shirts and Scripture memory cards. But we are slowly working on building our store up into 15-20 items by the end of 2017. 

In fact, we have a shipment of new products on our way to our house right now! It's been so fun play with mailing out these amazing goodies! Jason and I have some really incredible plans and ideas for this store for this year. 

Homemaking Ministries Online Conference 2017