Finding Joy in Your Home

Welcome to the second part in our new series: The Family & Culture: How to bring glory to God within our households in a hostile culture. Last week, we took a deep dive into the joys & duties of a Christian household and it was a good introduction to this topic. We've got some terrific topics coming up in this series. But today we are tackling a really important lesson for all of us today: We need to be brave in faith before the Lord. We need to lead and love our families with Bravery. We need to teach and train our kids to be brave. And it starts with us. Listen in today: Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. We need to learn how to be brave. We need to be brave women. We need to be brave mothers. We need to help inspire our men to be brave. And we need to instill bravery in our children as they grow. We need to be brave, in order to follow God's leading. Especially in an increasingly hostile culture. If we don't cultivate bravery, we may very well bow the knee to false gods and idols. Learning how to be brave in a hostile culture Something that the past 2 years has brought to a lot of our attention is how hostile our culture is against Christians. We've become so use to comfort and ease, that with the world getting a little shaking, we don't know how to respond. We need to become braver. We need to become brave Christians. And THIS is going to heavily affect how we respond now and especially into the future. We've seen this shift in the western world over the past 20 years. Those perhaps in the UK or Australia have been feeling this shift for a decade. And those of us here in the US are finally feeling it now as well. "This world is not my home, I'm just a-passing through. My treasures are laid up Somewhere beyond the blue. "In reality, for us in the English-speaking West this world has tended to feel very much like home and our treasures have been right before our eyes. But now we are finally facing the fact that this broken, sinful world in which we live is not actually our home - that what the Bible says concerning believers in this world is really true: That we really are aliens and that we really are strangers. The fact of the matter is that it has been true that we are strangers in and to this world. It has just been clouded, obscured by the size and influence and legal protection of the church in most of the Western world. But this world is not actually our home. We're not supposed to be treating this life the way other people treat it, as if this is the be-all and end-all of everything, or as if as Christians we can have a comfortable, respectable, prosperous life here and look forward to even more of those things in eternity. "Secularism pushes back again and again against what the Bible says about sexual ethics, about salvation, about education, about the role and reach of the state, or about matters of public welfare. Public opinion has turned against Christians." - Brave by Faith We've become so comfortable in our world, that we are not ready or willing to make sacrifices. I can't even begin to count how many times those around me (and myself) have uttered the past 2 years "I just can't wait until things get back to normal." But what if God is teaching us some profound truths through all of this. What if he is exposing the true Church, cutting the wheat from the chaff and teaching all of us in the Western world how to stand firm in the Lord once again. But God is Sovereign. He is in control. He is foreseeing all that is happening and He is working it all out to His Glory (and for our good to those of us in His Church). We freak out at the slightest inconvenience. We fear for the future and what kind of society our kids will inherit. I'm not saying it's wrong to speculate about what's coming and it's certainly not wrong to be proactive in protecti...

Welcome to my new series here on the podcast: The Family & Culture: How to bring glory to God within our households in a hostile culture. We are at a time, as a society and as the Church, where we need to be thinking really critically about our families, our households, and the larger culture. We need to figure out how and when we are going to interact with the culture and what it means to share the Gospel and also protect our families. This is a BIG and incredibly important topic, so today kicks off an entire series on this topic. In this series that will span into 2022, we will cover topics like: Equipping our family to be brave for the coming future, How to prepare your family to weather the storm in a hostile culture, how to prepare your home to nurture your family, The mother's role in developing a family culture, The father's role, The children's role and responsibility, defending our faith, and more! Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. So today we are kicking off this discussion first by discussing the household. After all, that's what this podcast is for, Finding Joy in Your Home...all for God's Glory! So then, as we jump into these even greater topics, I want to first make sure we see how essential the household is. In the past 50 years or so, Christianity in the West has become progressively more individualistic. We've wanted to shed any ideas of religion in favor or a "relationship". We want to emphasize our own personal walks with the Lord over corporate walks. We've lost how community oriented the Christian life is suppose to be and this has deeply affected our households and how we teach our children about Christ. We need to fight for the households again. We need to fight hard for time as a family, time with our kids, time to slowly teach them about Christ. We've become a very individualistic society that goes a thousand separate ways. And in some ways, I think this has been made worse the past 2 years. We need to start thinking to our great grand children. What are we building for future generations? How are we training up parents and grandparents. Over the course of the next couple of hundred of years, I cannot even begin to calculate how many descendants that Jason and I will have. The Whole Armor of God 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. Ephesians 6:10-20 There are great joys in a Christian household. There is fellowship and intimacy. There is working through problems and conflicts as Christians. There is the deep love and support of a life lived for Christ. There are male and female,

In between series here on the podcast, we are sneaking in a holiday episode. Are you READY and excited for the holidays? Or perhaps dreading the effort and the time coming up? Whether you feel excited or are dreading the upcoming holidays, we can all use a good dose of perspective for finding Joy in the Lord this year! Listen in: Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. A call to be generous & servant hearted "In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' " - Acts 20:35 We can witness to unsaved family and friends this way and be a good model for our kids. "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." - Matthew 5:16 We are called to use the life and resources that God has given us to serve. "You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh ; rather, serve one another humbly in love." - Galatians 5:13 Examine our expectations With this in mind, let's be ultra clear on what our expectations are for the holidays. Many of us go into the day with grand ideas and an agenda. We have a picture of how this family get together will be and what we will do. Plans don't always go our way. So plan for the day, expect God's glory to be shone, and let all the little things go. If we have unrealistic expectations, the holidays will never be fun and we will probably be upset or angry. Let's remember to serve and glorify God with these days. Remember those who are hurting this holiday season I never understood how hard the holidays could be until my mom passed away. My eyes were opened to the fact that the holidays can be incredible for so many and incredibly sad for so many others. Look out for who you can serve. Who needs some encouragement or a hug this holiday season? Who doesn't have any family to spend the holidays with? Watch for ways that you and your family can serve. Make the holidays about Christ I love November and December. I adore putting up Christmas lights and walking down the oldest street in town, hot chocolate in hand, and ooing over all the lights and houses. I love Christmas carols and sitting by the fire. I love the ambiance and the time of year. But above all of those things, we love Christ. And as in everyday life, we should seek to make the holidays firmly about Christ. Let's make sure to center our celebrations and our joy around HIM. Christmas carols: https://uribrito.com/optimism-christmas-carols/ I have a few goals as I head into the holiday season: Recognize that this is a busy season. This is not the time for mama to kick her feet up and have the perfect holiday. It's the time we can serve and love our families in the best possible way. Adjust your expectations accordingly. If you go into this season with the right perspective, it can change everything. I want to have a servants heart - and look for ways I can serve Bring my family together. More family time, not less, is my goal during the busy holiday season. For our young ages, this sometimes looks like saying no to friends things so we can just be home as a family of 8 together. Finally and most importantly: Bring glory to God. Make our mission about Christ in all we do. From thanksgiving praises, to working hard in the kitchen, from thinking ahead as to how we can be a blessing at relatives houses, to being the first to offer to clean up, from focusing on Scripture to singing joyful Christmas caroles together: We can aim to be bring glory to God in everything we do. Cleaning House for the Holidays sermon series: Gaining a clear consciences before God Finding relief from regrets

Whew! We are here. Today we are wrapping up our 25 foundational episodes to kick off the relaunch of my podcast. These 25 episodes are to stand as the foundation of the idea of Finding Joy in Your Home. Go back and catch up on the ones you missed. Next week we are kicking off our NEXT 25 episodes. The theme for those? The Family & Culture: How to bring glory to God within our households in a hostile culture. It's gonna be good 🔥 Today we are wrapping up our discussion on drawing closer to the Lord through spiritual disciplines and a Q&A. Listen in here: Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. We need to put in the work and the discipline and the time. So often we cry that we want a deeper spiritual life, but we don't want to put in the work. We want one or two slides on Instagram to teach us how to do it. We don't want to go through the work of listening to an entire podcast episode or reading a book. We want fast and quick results. But a life that becomes more and more like Christ…takes small daily steps. Every single day of your life. Small little steps that don't seem like anything earth shattering until you look back after 5 years, 10 years, 50 years and you are suddenly a different person. Questions we chat about today: How to get into consistent Bible reading. It's such a struggle for me. Why as moms we should read our bibles? How to read the Bible to young kids Thoughts on fasting —> READ THIS Family worship. —> Listen to episode #17 Scripture memorization? Favorite kids devotionals? see below Favorite Kid's Devotionals: The Ology - Marty Machowski Wonderfull: Ancient Psalms Ever New 30 Prophecies: One story Links & Resources: Book on the Puritans I'm reading that I mentioned: Thriving in Grace: Twelve Ways the Puritans Fuel Spiritual Growth Join our community!! Grab your ticket to the 2022 Finding Joy in Your Home Online Conference Make sure to return next week as we kick off our next 25 episodes. The theme is: The Family & Culture: How to bring glory to God within our households in a hostile culture

As a newer Christian, I often struggled knowing how to have a deeper prayer life. Even a 3 or 4 minute prayer could get boring and I didn't know how to make it deeper or what a truly rich prayer life looked like. In this episode, we are going to discuss a few ways we can approach prayer, how we can have a deeper prayer life, and what that means to mature in our Spiritual walk with the Lord. This is a hands on and practical episode, so let's dive in!! Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: Book recommendation: Everyday Faitfhfulness – my current read Book recommendation: Praying the Bible by Donald Whitney My interview with Donald Whitney Check out the 2022 homemaking online conference here!! This year's theme is: Homemaking in Light of Eternity! Join our FREE Community!! All kinds of great things going on AND a Bible Study through James in October Our book store is open November 8-15th! Grab any books and Christmas presents you want before our shop closes until March 2022

In this episode, we are going to dive into some practical ways to be in God's Word more. But first, we are going to discuss WHY it's so important to be in His Word often. Let's dive into this practical episode! Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: Bible verses mentioned: 2 Timothy 2:15, Romans 15:4, Psalm 119:105, 2 Timothy 3:16 Book recommendation: Everyday Faitfhfulness - my current read Book recommendation: Women of the Word - a great book on studying God's Word! My interview with Jen Wilkin on Women of the Word Podcast recommendation: The Verity Podcast with Phylicia Masonheimer (a podcast on theology!) Website recommendation: Katie Orr has some fabulous resources for deeper Bible study Podcast recommendation: Household Hermeneutics with Jason and Jami (our new podcast on deep theology - made fun and engaging!) Podcast episode: Going deeper when you have no time (episode 115) Podcast episode: A Bible Study Q&A (Episode 116) Podcast episode: Help, I can't find the time to read God's Word (episode 241) Our sponsor: Go to MoinkBox.com/HOME right now and listeners to this show get FREE bacon for a year!. Check out the 2022 homemaking online conference here!! This year's theme is: Homemaking in Light of Eternity! Join our FREE Community!! All kinds of great things going on AND a Bible Study through James in October

Being faithful in everyday life can be tough. Add in a busy or exhausting season and it can sometimes feel impossible. Today's episode is meant to give you encouragement in those busy seasons, while also directing you to getting into God's Word more! Listen in: Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. I love this encouragement from the book, Everyday Faithfulness. She says, "As you press forward with regular faithfulness admit a mountain of laundry, a rotation of diaper changes and nighttime feedings, or basic acts of care for an aging parent, the Lord sees you. He knows you are weary, and he is working good from it. He has compassion on you when you struggle to pick up your Bible or sleep through prayer. Christ is your example, but he is also your helper as he intercedes for you to keep following him in faithfulness (rom. 8:34). Links & Resources: Check out the 2022 homemaking online conference here!! This year's theme is: Homemaking in Light of Eternity! Join our FREE Community!! All kinds of great things going on AND a Bible Study through James in October Our sponsor: Go to GreenChef.com/homemaking125 and use code: homemaking125 to get $125 off including free shipping! Our sponsor: To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/home

Welcome back to the second part of our everyday faithfulness mini series. Last week we talked about becoming a student of God. Now we are chatting about finding joy in God's Word with our special guest, Brittany Ann from Equipping Godly Women. Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

Today we are kicking off a mini series on Spiritual Disciples & drawing closer to the Lord. We will dive later on to practical Bible study tips and a deeper prayer life. But today we are talking about what it means to practice everyday faithfulness. I might step on your toes a little bit in this episode, but listen in anyway! ;) Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: Check out the 2022 homemaking online conference here!! This year's theme is: Homemaking in Light of Eternity! Join our FREE Community!! All kinds of great things going on AND a Bible Study through James in October For 50% off your first Care/of order, go to TakeCareOf.com and enter code: home50