Finding Joy in Your Home

Motherhood is such an incredible blessing but there are days when it's really tough. Days when we feel overwhelmed and weary. Days when we desperately need just a little encouragement. 

And today, I am delighted to introduce you to two ladies who are going to do just that. Between the two of them they have 16 kids and each one knows a thing or two about being discouraged in their motherhood. 

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.

Feeling weary and overwhelmed is a common issue within motherhood. Honestly, much of the last four years I have felt weary and overwhelmed. This first advice comes from Jennifer, mother of 11 kids and is so encouraging and convicting! In the audio above or the video below, Jennifer wisely shares three reasons why you might be feeling wearing. 

Watch the video! 

You can scroll up and listen to this podcast episode on the go. Or watch the video clips below. This is a fun option because you get to see a peek inside the academy and the mentors homes! Watch here and don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for future videos.

Please note: The following video clips are all pulled from different courses within our comprehensive online training academy – My Homemaking Mentor. The academy contains 15 FULL courses taught by 12 amazing mentors on various aspects of homemaking. It’s the only tool you will ever need in learning how to be a more efficient and effective homemaker…and you get lifetime access to all future updates and courses. But enrollment for the Spring shuts down April 3rd and won’t open up again until the Fall of 2017 (and the price will be going up then). So if you are interested in the academy, come on over and jump in today to access the full verses of each of these courses and 13 others! 

Why You Might Be Weary

1) You are doing too much

If you are weary and overwhelmed, maybe your plate is too full. You are trying to do too much and you just don't enjoy doing these anymore because there are just too many things to be done (this is my life all the time)! 

Maybe you are involved in too many activities. Too many things that pull you away from your home. Or too many distractions on the computer that are competing for your attention. Or maybe your kids are involved in too many activities. Running around seven times a week to different soccer practices and piano recitals can quickly lead to overwhelm. 

If you are feeling overwhelmed, try to take some time to think through those BIG priorities in your life. What is it that you should be focusing on in this season of life you are in? 

If you need a little help thinking through and prioritizing those big things in your life, then read this: Creating a Personal Priorities List for Your Life & Homemaking.

2) Not Doing Enough

Okay, I know this one sounds counter-intuitive. Sometimes, we are not weary from doing too much in general, but rather, not doing enough of the right things! Are you spending too much time on the computer, watching tv, running too many errands, etc? And not enough time focusing on your kids, laughing with your husband, or taking care of your home?

Do you get distracted and frazzled in your home so much so that you get to 5pm each day and have no idea what's for dinner, always run out of any sort of clean clothing, or miss important appointments? Theses all might be signs that you are not doing enough of the right things and are pulled in too many directions. This can lead any mom to becoming weary!

Years ago, when Jason and I were first married, I was browsing through a thrift store on my lunch break. I was casually looking through the books when a well loved book caught my attention. 

The title was Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. Now normally I don't just pick up any old book that labels itself "Christian." But this particular book had endorsements on the back from some pastors I greatly respected. So I snagged it for $2.00 and began reading. 

And the result has been one of the biggest impacts on my spiritual life ever. I have since gone on to read his newer books Praying the Bible and Family Worship. Since then, Donald Whitney has become one of my favorite authors and I have shared his books and wisdom here in my ministry countless times. And this weekend, I got the chance to meet him. 

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.

This past weekend we had the privilege of hosting a conference at our church where Donald Whitney spoke. He taught sessions on how to cultivate a deeper prayer life and Bible study life. The conference was incredible! 

And after the conference, I got 15 amazing minutes to interview him. I had some burning questions about how to practice Spiritual Disciplines when you are super strapped for time and feel like you can't add anything else to your to-do list (Anyone else feel like this??). You can go up and listen to the full audio podcast or watch the video interview below. 

Watch the interview here and don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for future videos. 

What Are Spiritual Disciplines? 

Now that I have become so familiar with his books and ministry, I use the term "Spiritual Disciplines" a lot. But I understand it can be a little strange if you are not familiar with that wording. 

"The Spiritual Disciplines are those practices found in Scripture that promote spiritual growth among believers in the gospel of Jesus Christ. They are the habits of devotion and experiential Christianity that have been practiced by the people of God since biblical times." - Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, page 4

Basically, Spiritual Disciplines are these things we can do to promote spiritual growth and grow closer to God such as fasting, journaling, Scripture memorization, and chief among them: Bible reading & prayer. Throughout the last two years, the emphasis I've placed on Spiritual Disciplines in my own life and on my blog has been on Bible reading and prayer as these are the two most important disciplines. 

What do we do when we have NO time?

One of the biggest struggles, as a mom of five young kids who is busy managing a household, is finding the time to read and pray. And when I do manage to find some time, the struggle comes in trying to stay awake! It can be tough to develop these practices into habits and then to actually get something out of it. 

Donald Whitney addresses this so well in the video and gives some incredible encouragement. But I think the thing I took most away from the conference and from speaking to Donald, is that the Spiritual Disciplines do take work and discipline. They are not always easy to cultivate and sometimes it's going to take some sacrifice on my part to make happen. 

If I am so busy and tired in this season that I can't stay awake to read my Bible, then I can stand by my bed so I won't accidentally fall asleep, and read for 5 minutes. Or play the Bible via my favorite Bible app while I cook breakfast and clean up the dishes. 

Marriage has been a hop topic around the blog lately. We've been discussing how you can encourage your husband to lead with love and I even brought Jason on the podcast to share his advice on leading your family from an easy going husband. 

This week I am so excited to brining on the expertise and wisdom from two fabulous ladies: Jolene Engle from JoleneEngle.com and Lisa Jacobson from Club 31 Women. They each have their own approaches to sharing about marriage but they both have the Bible as their basis and their own way of encouraging wives. 

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.

The Foundations of a Good Marriage

The last few weeks we've been discussing a lot about respect within in marriage and today we are going to talk about how that can lead to a deeper friendship in marriage. Lisa is going to share some great encouragement for developing that deep friendship and Jolene is going to get practical (and real) on what to do when you don't respect your husband. 

Watch the video! 

You can scroll up and listen to this podcast episode on the go. Or watch the video clips below. This is a fun option because you get to see a peek inside the academy and the mentors homes! Watch here and don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for future videos.

Please note: The following video clips are all pulled from different courses within our comprehensive online training academy – My Homemaking Mentor. The academy contains 15 FULL courses taught by 12 amazing mentors on various aspects of homemaking. It’s the only tool you will ever need in learning how to be a more efficient and effective homemaker…and you get lifetime access to all future updates and courses. But enrollment for the Spring shuts down April 3rd and won’t open up again until the Fall of 2017 (and the price will be going up then). So if you are interested in the academy, come on over and jump in today to access the full verses of each of these courses and 13 others! 

When Marriage is Rough

I know that sometimes it's hard to talk about marriage because from the outside, it can seem like everyone else has perfect and deep marriages. Maybe you are struggling today and don't know where to turn. Maybe you are angry and upset and don't want to respect your husband. 

I want to encourage you to scroll back up and listen to Jolene in the video or audio podcast. She's been there. She knows that struggle in marriage and she is going to give you some Biblical advice on how you can move forward.

The following clip is a sneak peek into Jolene's full course within My Homemaking Mentor, our online training academy for Christian women. I really appreciate her open and honest look at marriage while always pointing us back to Christ and God's Word! 

Enrollment for the Academy closes down April 3rd and won't open up again until the Fall! So now's your time to enroll if you have any interest (plus the price will be going up in the Fall when enrollment opens again). We have some really fun and exciting things planned for the Academy this year so nows the time to jump in! (PLUS you get lifetime access to all future courses to watch when and where you want - forever!)

Find Out More & Enroll Today

Learning to Respect

As wives, we know that we have a lot of needs. We want to be loved, we want to be cherished, we want to feel close and connected to our husbands, and often we want some form of romance or another. But our husbands have needs as well. And one of those biggest needs is that they want to...

When you think of Biblical Womanhood, when you think of a godly woman from Scripture, it doesn't take long for our minds to go to the Proverbs 31 woman. She seems to have it all.

She's got it together, she does an insane amount of work each day (or so it seems), and she works from sun up to sun down and is never lazy. In fact, her children and her husband rise up and called her blessed. Her husband cherishes her like a treasure or a rare jewel. 

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.

It's easy to look at this woman as the perfect model of Biblical womanhood. And then if we are honest, it's super easy to get discouraged about her. 

I've been to women's events and heard the negative comments. "Oh great, are we going to hear about the Proverbs 31 woman again?" And I get it. I've been there. Instead of looking to her as a good example, it's easy to try and measure ourselves up against her...and when we do that, all we see is failure. 

When we look at the Proverbs 31 woman, it's so easy to get discouraged, overwhelmed, and to want to move on to other passages. But we also know that everything in God's Word is profitable, it teaches us, it trains us, and corrects us. And when God shows us what an excellent woman is, it's important that we try to understand her story in the right context. 

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" - 2 Timothy 3:16

So how then should we view this final chapter of the book of Proverbs? How can we take the lessons found in Proverbs 31, and learn from them, rather than get discouraged by them? 

Looking at the Book of Proverbs

The first lesson is that we have to first accurately understand the book of Proverbs. We have to see the larger purpose in the book of Proverbs so that we can then understand what it's final chapter is trying to teach us. 

We have many modern Proverbs today such as:

“A chain is no stronger than its weakest link.”

“A fool and his money are soon parted.”

“A penny saved is a penny earned.”

These are wise sayings that we generally see as true. If someone is foolish and not wise with their money, they soon won’t have it. But this is not always true, is it? There are many foolish people who are wealthy.

These sayings are generally true but not always. A similar comparison can be drawn with the book of Proverbs in the Bible. Proverb means, “a short pithy saying in general use, stating a general truth or piece of advice.”

So the book of Proverbs is full of these wise sayings that we can apply to our lives. It gives us direction and motivation for right living before our God. And we can recognize that if we follow these Proverbs, they will direct us to right living but they won't always work out exactly how we would like. 

“Proverbs is both a pattern for the tender impartation of truth from generation to generation, as well as a vast resource for the content of the truth to be imparted. Proverbs contains the principles and applications of Scripture which the godly characters of the Bible illustrate in their lives.” - Grace to You introduction of Proverbs

As you read through and study the book of Proverbs, one idea should end up taking center stage: The book of Proverbs calls us and encourages us to live a God-Centered life. And that becomes of central importance as we turn to discussing the Proverbs 31 woman.

There's a lot more to be said about understandin...

I have a passion for homemaking and love encouraging women in their roles as homemakers. Earlier in the week, I shared a post and podcast episode on what it mean to be a modern homemaker. 

Once you understand the theory behind your homemaking and how it affects our lives on a day to day basis through the Gospel, then things really start falling into place in your home. We have to first understand the spiritual side to our homemaking in order to really start thriving. 

So that's where it starts, but at the end of the day, the practical aspects of running our home are still really important. But it can be hard to know where to begin or where to turn in better managing your home. 

And that's what we are talking about today. 

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.

There are so many moving pieces of running a home. So many things (and people) to juggle. We have to figure out good routines, how to manage the growing laundry piles, how to stay on top of the never ending dishes, how to meal plan and stick to a budget, the best cleaners to use, fitting in time with the Lord...and knowing how to do this all for God's Glory! 

It can be tough to know where to even start. Or who to turn to for advice. 

Today, I want to make your life just a little bit easier by giving you some places to begin! I've got advice and wisdom from Leigh Ann, Hilary, and Marci (as well as myself) in better homemaking routines and getting things back under control. 

Please note: The following video clips are all pulled from different courses within our comprehensive online training academy - My Homemaking Mentor. The academy contains 15 FULL courses taught by 12 amazing mentors on various aspects of homemaking. It's the only tool you will ever need in learning how to be a more efficient and effective homemaker...and you get lifetime access to all future updates and courses. But enrollment for the Spring shuts down April 3rd and won't open up again until the Fall of 2017 (and the price will be going up then). So if you are interested in the academy, come on over and jump in today to access the full verses of each of these courses and 10 others! 

Watch the video! 

You can scroll up and listen to this podcast episode on the go. Or watch the video clips below. This is a fun option because you get to see a peek inside the academy and the mentors homes! Watch here and don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for future videos.

Biblical Foundations in our Homemaking

Running a Gospel-Centered home means purposefully and intentionally creating the goals, activities, and atmosphere within your home to be firmly centered on the Gospel. But this doesn't simply mean you are running a "Christian" home, because in and of itself, that's not very descriptive. 

A Gospel-Centered home means intentionally focusing on the Gospel of Jesus Christ in all aspects of our lives. From parenting our children, to our relationship with our husbands, to the cooking and the cleaning, how we spend our time, and the priorities we choose to focus on throughout the week. 

The Gospel should impact and inform all of that. But if we are honest with ourselves, how often does the Gospel actually impact these small details of our day? 

RELATED: Hf #12: What does it really mean to manage a Gospel-Centered home?

The Purpose in Our Routines

Building routines into our day doesn't have to be boring! In fact,