Life with Sally

A special treat for me today was the opportunity of having Ellie Holcomb as my guest on my podcast. We spoke of music, life stories, our table and planting a flag. You will love her story about how her new album came about and the story of her family holding fast together during some trials will touch your heart.

I am so excited to share this mini-podcast today with you. My sweet friend, Heather MacFadyen, has four little boys, and she knows the reality of trying to help them move toward maturity. She also knows what it feels like to fail and fall short of your own expectations when your own children act in an immature way.

Heather is the host of a wonderful podcast called The God Centered Mom. You can read more about her here and find her podcasts HERE Hope you are encouraged by our time together.

As Christians and mothers, we can feel overwhelmed with the daily battles. From piles of laundry, bad attitudes in our children, sibling arguing, hormonal teenagers, loneliness and isolation, all of the meals to be prepared, and wanting to do it all with excellence, we can often feel defeated before we even begin. When we look to God's Word and in particular Ephesians 6, we can better understand that we are truly in a battle by observing Paul's inspiring metaphor.

In this episode, we, Sally and Kristen look at each piece of armor, and share how we can be prepared along with preparing and training our children, too. We can grow from feeling defeated and on the defense, to becoming more than conquerors and prepared for battle through the mighty power of the Holy Spirit.

-What a soldier needs before he enters into battle

-What it means to stand your ground

-How we can know what is true

-Why Jesus says, "If you continue in my Word" is a condition of knowing the truth?

-What it means to guard your heart on a daily basis

-How God's word protects our heart

-What it means to walk in peace

-What it means to move forward instead of staying stagnant in our faith

-Why having a shield of faith pre-supposes that we will have arrows thrust at us from the enemy that it is meant to protect us from

-What we know about the emotional,spiritual and relational battles of life

-The significance of only one piece of armor mentioned that is an offensive weapon and how we should use it

Ephesians 6:10-13 Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.2 For we[a] are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.

Charles Spurgeon quote: "To be a Christian is to be a warrior. The good soldier of Jesus Christ must not expect to find ease in this world: it is a battle-field."

-John 8:31-32 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."

Proverbs 4:23 Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

Luke 6:45 The good man brings good things out of the good treasure of his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil treasure of his heart. For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.

Ephesians 6:15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 6:16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.

1 John 5:4-5 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world-our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Isaiah 12:2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation.

-Hebrews 4:12-13 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.

The first of a two part series, Sally and Kristen will encourage you to understand your identity in light of God's view of you, which is a stability that will serve your children through their whole lives.

-How surprising circumstances in our own lives caused us to re-imagine our roles and personal convictions this summer.

-How being faced with difficult tasks can become a blessing

-The glory and beauty of womanhood and the gifts given to women as cultivators and civilizers

-New research about what gives women a sense of contentment and fulfillment

-How God has called us to be mothers because He intends for us to be a part of His kingdom work. Building souls, enriching minds, giving a sense of confident morality, inspiring a heart to believe in the story God has for them to tell is the way that healthy souls are shaped.

-Why a sense of cohesive belonging is significant to your child.

-Why you can't become someone of eternal significance if you don't know who you are and where you are going.

In this episode, Sally is joined by her daughter Sarah and they discuss the deep roots and moral imagination and character that develops through books. They discuss the gifts cultivated by a reading life, and the capacity to pour those gifts back into the world as a result. Sally and Sarah will inspire your understanding of the importance of books as central to the rhythms of home life and our interior souls and personhood. Then Sally is joined by her friend, Terri Moon who shares about the gift of music and how to help our children have a love of classical composers, and some of her favorite books to share with your children to introduce them to music.

-How reading furnishes in us an ability and increased capacity to see the world through another person's eyes

-The connection between faith and imagination

- How reading expands what we view as possible

-How reading provides a place for contemplation in our lives

-How reading trains us in focused and deep attention

-How reading helps to cultivate wonder in our lives and our ability to see the world as a gift

-How the words we read and use teach us to pay attention to the world around us

-How reading creates in us a true sense of self

-How to give our children a love of classical music

-Giving our children a sense of legacy by passing on what we love and appreciate

Find all the links to this episode at www.sallyclarkson.com/podcast

Do your children hold wonder about God? Do they have an imagination that allows them to enter into the mystery of all He has made and all He has done? A Grateful heart is a humble heart, one that does not demand, but receives and then looks for how to give again to others with joy- but it begins by understanding the wonder of being a child of the God of the Universe and experiencing all of the goodness of God's world as a gift. In this episode, Sally and Kristen discuss how to protect and preserve a sense of wonder in our children, how to cultivate daily habits of thanks, and what it looks like to embrace God's will for us to "rejoice always," regardless of circumstance. They share about what it has looked like in their own homes to raise children who are content, how to battle the demands and entitlements of modern culture facing children and parents alike, and how God has used unexpected times of difficulty to build gratefulness into the culture of their families.

-Cultivating a habit of wonder and gratefulness in the lives of our children

-What is means practically to rejoice always and in everything give thanks

-The importance of learning to see God's personal provision and work in our lives

-How to battle discontent, boredom, envy and jealousy

-How to navigate a consumer culture of entitlement in our homes

-How developing a heart of gratitude is becomes a source of courage for our children when they leave home

-The importance of Feasting and special celebrations

-Recognizing Grace in our own lives and serving others from the overflow of what God has given us.

1 Thessalonians 5:18- "In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

James 2: 15-16- "Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the father is not in him. for all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world."

Galatians 5:22-23

1 John 1:7a- "Walk in the Light as He[God]Himself is in the Light."

Compassion International

What are you bearing today that feels impossible to you? Are there circumstances, difficulties or burdens that drain your heart and soul? Often times, when we are called upon to grow in character and endurance, when we need others to help encourage us most of all, is when we can feel the most isolated and utterly alone. In this podcast, Sally and Kristen want to encourage you and give you tools to overcome what you are facing today by giving FIVE practical ways to cultivate a heart of patience and peace in your own life and in the hearts of your children. They talk candidly about their own struggles, verses that have helped to bolster their hearts and have meant so much to their own families, and what it has meant to them to learn how to trust God's story for their lives.

Then, Kristen is joined by Mom Heart national team member, Gretchen Roberts who shares her heart for ministry and has an exciting announcement about a new membership site called Cultivating Life With Sally that is opening in September! So many of you have asked for more teaching, training and opportunities to learn from Sally for so long and our entire team is thrilled that there is now a place where you can do just that! Check out more information below and be sure to subscribe to SallyClarkson.com to stay in the loop on updates about when membership opens.

-5 Things you can cultivate in your life to be able to endure faithfully

-How to embrace faithfulness as a daily choice in your life

-Learning to believe that God truly cares for you, that He will be faithful in His time, and believe that your faith has value.

-How to gain an eternal perspective and allow our character to be formed in suffering.

-When and why it is important to get help and counseling to encourage you.

-Why it is important to rest and refresh in the midst of stress and ideas for how to find simple ways to delight in life and find strength to keep going.

-Learning how to invest yourself in Truth, and take every thought captive when anxiety and fear creep in.

LINKS:

Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

James 5: 7-8 "Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being A HEART FOR PATIENCE 162 patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near."

Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Him [Christ] who strengthens me."

Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline."

Hebrews 10:35-36, 39 "Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. … But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul."

1 Corinthians 10:13 "No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it."

Psalm 18:31-32 "For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God, the God who girds me with strength and makes my way blameless? He makes my feet like hinds' feet, and sets me upon my high places."

Cultivating Life with Sally Membership Site