Finding Joy in Your Home

We are on a quest here with this ministry...to find joy in the everyday. And that's no easy task. We've talked about. 1. The Ministry of Home 2. How the Gospel Impacts Our Homes. 3. Finding Glory in the Mundane Moments. And now, practical ways to find joy. 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 episode is based today on this article published in 2016. If you want to read along to everything we discussed, you can hop over and read it here. In this episode we discuss: Finding Joy in the Early Morning Hours Fill the House with Worship Music Open the Bible Count Your Blessings Keeping a Joyful Heart in the Mundane Tasks of Home Keeping Pray Over Your Home Listen to Something Inspirational Have a Plan Create Room for Fun In the next episode we are going to jump into the importance of REST in our homes and lives. Links & Resources: 2016 Article on Finding Joy My Spiritual Disciplines Notebook Set Hf #143: Cultivating Gratitude in Everyday Life Hf #141: Growing in Gratitude with Mary Mohler Hf #50: Choosing to be Thankful in Troubled Times Our Sponsor: Go to HelloFresh.com/homemaking12 and use code: homemaking12 for 12 free meals, including free shipping! Our Sponsor: Get 20% off your smart subscription for shampoo and conditioner for Gemmist with code: HOME

In episode #1 (of our new relaunch of the podcast) we talked about the ministry of home and #2 focused on how the Gospel impacts all we do. Today we are chatting about finding glory in the mundane moments. 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. Most of us spend our days in the mundane. You see, I struggle sometimes with finding worth in the mundane. I struggle finding glory in the ordinary. I sometimes struggle knowing how the second load of dishes or sweeping the sidewalk is worth anything. Do you ever struggle with this? Do you ever struggle knowing how our work in the home matters to God? I feel like I've gone on a similar journey as the author has in Glory in the Ordinary. I love how she's open about her struggle with this as well: "Like all major changes, my early days as a stay-at-home mom rocked me to the core. I had gone from days filled with fruitful conversations to days filled with crying and blank stares from two needy babies. Over time I began to see that being home had inherent value, but what I couldn't immediately see was how the work at home had value as well. It was not merely about staying home to take care of the children (which made sense to my exhausted brain); I had to learn there was value in the laundry and cleaning too." – Glory in the Ordinary page 25 This is the impactful part, she goes on to say: "What I've learned is that God is glorified in the mundane work as much as he is in the magnificent. In fact, it is in the mundane moments, the moments where we live each and every day, where we come to see the true greatness of God and his love for us." – Glory in the Ordinary page 25 Life is lived out in these tiny moments. I may not always have the mental capacity to remember and realize that I am doing big, grand work, even when I'm scrubbing toilets, but that doesn't mean it isn't true. Something that I love throughout her book is this concept of how our culture views work in the home versus how God does. Our culture views work as simply a means to an end. We work just enough to be able to afford leisure time. And we look down on those blue collar jobs or work that seem to have little worth, such as working McDonald's. We value big important jobs. We admire people who are in charge of large ministries who are making changes in the world. That's not a bad thing to admire those people, but we tend to put all our value into these jobs or those people. So we tend to think then, even if we don't say it out loud, that our work doesn't matter if we are not accomplishing something big. And then we apply that to life in the home. When I'm caring for these five souls that God has entrusted to my care, it's easier for me to see the worth. I can glimpse the Gospel-work that I am doing, even if I don't always verbalize it or even remember it. But when I can take a step back, I can more easily see that the work I do with my kids, is big and important. But scrubbing the toilets? Cleaning out the garbage can so it stops smelling? Pulling a red crayon out of the dryer which has now stained an entire load of laundry? How are these moments important when they don't seem to accomplish anything big or important? And Courtney makes an important point: we have to choose the middle of the road when it comes to the work in our home. Because on one hand we can completely devalue the work at home and on the other, we can make it an idol! We don't have the time to cover all of these in detail today, but I love that God so cares about the everyday details of our lives. Here are some ways we can think about the work in our home: 1) We are loving God and serving Him through serving others

Last week we talked about our ministry at home. We need to have a focus on Christ that is all encompassing of our life. And this leads us to our 2nd foundational episode: The Gospel as our central focus within the home. 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. As Christians, the thing that we need to stand upon, the thing that unites us, and the thing that our homemaking should be based upon - is the gospel. Starting with the Basics Having a Gospel-Centered home means purposefully and intentionally creating the goals, activities, and atmosphere in the home to be firmly centered on the Gospel. So, What IS the Gospel? The Gospel is powerful: "I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes." Romans 1:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 1) First, Paul tells his readers that it is God to whom they are accountable. Romans 1:18 - For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men" 2) Second, Paul tells his readers that their problem is that they rebelled against God. Roman 3:10 - "None is righteous, no, not one." Romans 3:23 - "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 6:23 - "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." 3) Third, Paul says that God's solution to humanity's sin is the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Romans 5:8 - "But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." 4) Finally, Paul tells his readers how they themselves can be included in this salvation. Romans 10:9-10 - "Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved." So Gospel-Centered living first starts with a thorough understanding of the Gospel, daily reminding ourselves about the beauty and the truth of the Gospel, and finally, having a firm vision of eternity. Bringing it all together 1) For our own sanctification 2) Relying on and needing God's GRACE 3) Winning our husband's to Christ - or encouraging his faith 1 peter 3:1-2 "Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct." 4) The Gospel in our Parenting Deuteronomy 6:6-9 - "And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." 5) Out into the world Train up our children so THEY can present the Gospel Spreading the Gospel through Hospitality Next week we I'll turn to how this plays out in ordinary life. It's one thing to say that we want a focus on the Gospel...it's another to live it out in the mundane. So next week we are going to discuss: Glory in the Mundane and finding joy in that. Join our New Community App! The other very exciting news I have for you today is that our brand new community app has launched. You can come join our FREE app where you can join in on the discussion of THIS podcast episode and so much more. If you are looking for a safe and encouraging place...

Welcome!! It's relaunch day of our podcast! For 330 episodes, we've been the Homemaking Foundations Podcast. But we are rebranding everything under our new name, including the podcast. So welcome to season 1, episode 1 of the Finding Joy in Your Home podcast. We are kicking off the new season with 25 foundational episodes. Today we are talking about what the Ministry of Home is and more specifically: What is the purpose of life and how should we spend our time? So let's dive into our first official episode under our new name. And don't worry - ALL 330 episodes are still there! 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. As a society, we are all searching for meaning. We deeply want to use our lives (and our time) well. We want to have purpose and meaning in our days. The big question we all want answered: What does it mean to have a successful life? And where should we spend our time? As Christians, this has to first and foremost start with God. How does God define a successful life? How does he say we should spend our time? <-- This is where we are starting in this discussion. You see, as Christians, God's Word should be the back bone of how we spend our life and our days. But sadly, for many, being a Christian has become a secondary or even tertiary influence in our lives. Many Christians today focus on a worldly life and worldly pursuits and might fit God in when it's convienent. So as Christians, what is our point in life? The Westminster Shorter Catechism says this: "Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever." Well there you go. That's the entire mission behind our ministry and new name of: Finding Joy in Your Home. How do we find that joy in our homes? When we seek to follow God and glorify Him. How do we glorify God? By loving him and obeying his commands. "The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man."- Ecclesiastes 12:13 "Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?" - Matthew 16:24-26 So we see, as soon as we dive into Scripture, that our primary purpose is to love and serve God. A big way of serving God is loving and serving others. "For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." - Galatians 5:13-14 So what does this mean for us in the context of loving and raising our families? Our Ministry At Home A successful life is not marked by: How much money we have in the bank How many degrees or titles after our names we amass How beautiful our homes are or how trendy we stay By juggling a giant career and being a mom Losing the baby weight so fast that no one even knows you are a mom ...or a myriad of other things we find out worth in. Those things are not bad in and of themselves. But they become bad when we mark these as a successful life. Rather, a successful life is marked by a life of service and a joy that can only come through the Lord. "So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit,

As we've embarked on full time travel this past year, we've learned so much! As of the day I'm recording this, we have been traveling full time for exactly 11 months. And while I feel like we are always refining the process, we've also gotten so much better at it! This episode is inspired by the fact that I've gotten a handful of friends messaging me, asking for travel tips for this summer. Some are going camping for the weekend, one friend is taking an 8 week trip staying in cabins, another friend is embarking on a 3 month RV trip, and others are venturing out in their local areas for day trips. So after thinking about it, here are my travel tips for families (especially those with little kids). 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. Psst: This is our very last episode under the name of Homemaking Foundations. ALL of my episodes will still be here in the feed for you, but all 330 episodes will be set to episode 0. The next episode to come out will be episode 1, under season 1 of Finding Joy in Your Home. All the same amazing content...just under a new name to better capture what we do here! 1. Just do it. Go. Make it happen. It might sound overwhelming. It might be overwhelming as you pack and get ready. It might be a lot more work than just staying home...but go. The memories and experiences are worth it. And you'll get better at it with time. 2. Plan as best you can, but go with the flow. For those of us planner types, we can get deep into the details of planning out summer plans. In fact, I actually LOVE planning out our trips. I get very geeky and excited about mapping out the perfect route, where we will stay, and what we will do. Whether you dread or love this step...you have to remember to take it all in stride. It's NOT going to be perfect, in fact, it's often in the imperfect that we remember things the most. We've had RV plans fall through last minute, which ended up being huge blessings in the things we ended up doing. On moving days, we are always so exhausted after taking down camp, driving to a new location, and setting up again. But then the sun dawns the next day and we are ready for fresh exploring. 3. Stock up on activities for kids...and slowly release them. Don't give them all out at once. On long travel days, we usually let the kids just read or do their own thing for the first 2 hours or so. Usually until our first rest or gas stop. Then we will pull out a craft or activity and let them play with that for a while. A few hours later when we are starting to get tired, I'll pull out something else new! The key, for when you are traveling a lot, is to find cheap stuff! The dollar tree is my favorite place to grab stuff and I've gotten creative with the things I'll get for the kids to do. Some ideas: $1 crayon and picture packs $1 Felt pictures with markers $1 magic market packets. Or get the $5 from Walmart, they usually come with several pens and sheets of paper. I'll buy random stickers and scrapbooking stuff + packet of markets + $1 notebook for each kid and have them write their own book. $1 activity books Walmart as these cool glitter poster boards for $1 each. Give them stickers + pens and make a poster Print off mazes, activites, and pages from Pinterest and bind into a book for each one. Etch a sketches, Melissa and Doug Water wow books, etc. It's not until usually the final hour or so that we break out the Kindle fires and let them watch a movie. I'm not against using screens on long card rides, but since we do it SO often, I like to save it until the very end so they are not asking from minute #1 of being in the car. 4. SNACKS

Anxiety is no stranger to both Phylicia and myself. In this episode, my guest Phylicia Masonheimer, is going to share her journey with battling anxiety from a Biblical and practical stand point. It's a very encouraging chat. Let's dive in! Listen to the Podcast: 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: This interview originally appeared in the 2021 Homemaking Ministries Online Conference. If you would like access to the other 39+ conference sessions. Check it out here Our Sponsor: For 50% off your first Care/of order, go to TakeCareOf.com/home50 and enter code: home50

In our culture, we run from hard things. We tend to think that hard = bad or wrong. But today I'm going to give you some encouragement that hard doesn't necessarily mean bad. In fact, God often does His biggest work in Hard. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast: And don't forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. We get asked a lot how we do certain things: run a business from home with 6 kids, travel full time, go out to eat with said kids, homeschool all of them without losing our minds, etc. And honestly, most of what we do doesn't seem overly mystifying to us, but some of it is really hard. A big theme in our life has become: hard doesn't mean bad. Often in our culture, we equate hard with bad. We think that if things are hard, they must be wrong. Or that we are doing them wrong. For example: Newborn days and entering motherhood can be HARD. That doesn't mean we are doing it wrong. Some homeschool days are terrible. It doesn't mean the sacrifice isn't worth it. Traveling all around the country with 6 young kids can be exhausting. It doesn't mean the education and exploration isn't worth every single second. In our culture today, we've been trained to think that hard is bad. We feel like life should be easy and good, not tough and hard. So we either assume we are doing something wrong or that the hard isn't worth pushing through. The thing is: most worthwhile things in life ARE hard. Getting a college degree is HARD. But it can be worth every single bit of work. Pregnancy and labor is hard. But it produces new life. Discipleship is hard, and exhausting, and frustrating at times...But it's God's work in our children's lives (and in our own lives). God disciplines us and it's often so hard. But it produces the fruit of the Spirit. "God's sovereignty is exercised primarily for His glory. But because you and I are in Christ Jesus, His glory and our good are linked together. Because we are united with Christ, whatever is for His glory is also for our good. And whatever is for our good is for His glory." "God does not willingly bring affliction or grief to us. He does not delight in causing us to experience pain or heartache. He always has a purpose for the grief He brings or allows to come into our lives. Most often we do not know what that purpose is, but it is enough to know that His infinite wisdom and perfect love have determined that the particular sorrow is best for us. God never wastes pain. He always uses is to accomplish His purpose. And His purpose is for His glory and our good. Therefore, we can trust Him when our hearts are aching or our bodies are racked with pain." ― Jerry Bridges, Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts Links & Resources: Book recommendation: Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts Our Sponsor: Go to HelloFresh.com/homemaking12 and use code homemaking12 for 12 free meals, including free shipping!