This week on Loving Life at Home I'm answering a couple of questions about starting a family during medical school, but the principles also apply to other decisions people put off while waiting for perfect timing.

- Ecclesiastes 4:12 - "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."

- Psalm 127:3 - "Children are a blessing and a gift from the LORD."

- Philippians 4:19 - "And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus."

- Having Babies in Medical School? - the post I wrote 17 years ago on this same topic

- Then Comes Baby in a Baby Carriage - having babies matures us in important ways

- Postponing Motherhood: At What Cost? - another good argument for not waiting for "the perfect time"

- Subscribe: Flanders Family Freebies - (weekly themed link lists of free resources)

- Instagram: follow @flanders_family for more great content

- Shop my books: Flanders Family Store

- Family Blog: Flanders Family Home Life (parenting tips, homeschool help, free printables) 

- Marriage Blog: Loving Life at Home  (encouragement in your roles as wife, mother, believer)

- John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life."

- Romans 12:10 - “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”

- A Prayer for Singles - free printable prayer guide

- The State of a Union - How grows your marriage?

- In Praise of the Manly Man - a poem I wrote for my husband

- A Fish wihout Fins - one of my very first poems to my husband

- A Hero in the Making - yet another poem I wrote me husband

- 30-Day Love Your Wife Challenge - free email challenge for husbands

- 30-Day Respect Challenge - free email challenge for wives

- Subscribe: Flanders Family Freebies - (weekly themed link lists of free resources)

- Instagram: follow @flanders_family for more great content

- Shop my books: Flanders Family Store

- Family Blog: Flanders Family Home Life (parenting tips, homeschool help, free printables) 

- Marriage Blog: Loving Life at Home  (encouragement in your roles as wife, mother, believer)

Pop quiz: Which would you prefer?

(a) That your husband focus his thoughts on your loveliest, most noble and praiseworthy characteristics?

(b) That he ignore your good points completely and concentrate instead on your most annoying and bothersome flaws?

That's an easy answer, as far as I'm concerned. So shouldn't you make every effort to treat your spouse the way you'd want to be treated yourself by emphasizing your husband's good points?

- Philippians 4:8 - "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

- EP 10 - We Find What We Look For

- Love Is a Verb by Gary Chapman

- Subscribe: Flanders Family Freebies -(weekly themed link lists of free resources)

- Instagram: follow @flanders_family for more great content

- Shop my books: Flanders Family Store

- Family Blog: Flanders Family Home Life (parenting tips, homeschool help, lots of free printables!) 

- Marriage Blog: Loving Life at Home  (encouragement in your roles as wife, mother, believer)

My youngest daughter and I just got home from a fun-filled mother-daughter retreat our homeschool co-op sponsors every January. The theme of this year's retreat was "Standing in the Truth," and in this week's episode, I'm sharing the major points of a talk I gave at the retreat on that same topic. I hope you'll listen in and let me know what you think in the comment section below.

- John 14:6 - ""I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

- Acts 4:12 - "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

- James 2:19 - "You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder."

- 2 Peter 1:10 - "Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble."

- Matthew 7:22-23 - "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? ..."

- Ephesians 4:13-14 - "...no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine...."

- Psalm 139:13 - "For You created my innermost parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb."

- 1 Corinthians 10:31 - "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

- 1 Thessalonians 5:17 - "Pray without ceasing."

- Philippians 4:6 - "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God."

- James 4:8 - "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you..."

- Heb 10:23-25 - "Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful...."

- Isaiah 64:6 - "...all our righteous acts are like filthy rags...."

- Eph 6:10-18 - "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God..."

- EP 27: God Wants the Whole Pie

- EP 28: Bible Memory Tips

- One-Year Bible Reading Plan

- Free Printable Prayer Guides

- Armor of God Printables

- Subscribe: Flanders Family Freebies -(weekly themed link lists of free resources)

- Instagram: follow @flanders_family for more great content

- Shop my books: Flanders Family Store

- Family Blog: Flanders Family Home Life (parenting tips, homeschool help, lots of free printables!) 

- Marriage Blog: Loving Life at Home  (encouragement in your roles as wife, mother, believer)

Are sibling squabbles driving you crazy? Do you crave a respite from all your kids' bickering? Then listen in today as I answer another reader's question: "How can I get my kids to stop fighting?"

-1 John 4:20-21 - "...the one who loves God should love his brother also."

- Luke 6:31 - "Do to others as you would have them do to you."

- Galatians 5:13 - "...do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love."

- Proverbs 6:16-19 - "... things which the LORD hates... one who spreads strife among brothers."

- Galatians 6:9 - "Let us not grow weary of doing good, in due season we shall reap."

- Psalm 133:1 - "Behold how good and how pleasant it is For brothers to live together in unity!"

- EP 44: Cultivating Friendships between Siblings

- Stop Sibling Squabbles in 5 Simple Steps

- Help! My Kids Won't Stop Fighting!

- Teaching Kindness (Free Printable)

- Subscribe: Flanders Family Freebies -(weekly themed link lists of free resources)

- Instagram: follow @flanders_family for more great content

- Shop my books: Flanders Family Store

- Family Blog: Flanders Family Home Life (parenting tips, homeschool help, lots of free printables!) 

- Marriage Blog: Loving Life at Home  (encouragement in your roles as wife, mother, believer)

For the new year, I want to tackle some of the questions that have been piling up in my inbox, starting with how to deal with neighbors who aren’t very neighborly. Listen in for four tips on getting through to the people who live nearby.

- Matthew 5:14  - “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.”  

- Proverbs 27:10 – “...Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother who is far away.”

- Matthew 22:36-39 - "... You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

- 25 Ways to Be a Good Neighbor -  a blog post I wrote several years ago

- On Loving Your Neighbor - more about our move into the Mayberry-ish neighborhood

- Love Your Neighbor Coloring Page - hand-drawn design featuring Mark 12:31

- Good Neighbor Conversation Starters - to prompt good family discussions on this topic

- The Gospel Comes with a House Key - book by Rosaria Butterfield

- Loving My Actual Neighbor - book by Alexandra Kuykendall

- Subscribe: Flanders Family Freebies -(weekly themed link lists of free resources)

- Instagram: follow @flanders_family for more great content

- Shop my books: Flanders Family Store

- Family Blog: Flanders Family Home Life (parenting tips, homeschool help, lots of free printables!) 

- Marriage Blog: Loving Life at Home  (encouragement in your roles as wife, mother, believer)

There is great power in prayer, and Christians should be careful never to neglect this amazing privilege and vital discipline. That's why God commands us to "pray without ceasing.

What's more, God will always answer our prayers -- though not necessarily in the manner we hope or expect.

- 1 Thess. 5:17 - "Pray without ceasing."

- Psalm 139:13-16 - "For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb...."

- Matthew 9:35 - "Jesus went through all the towns...healing every disease and sickness."

- John 9:39 - "...the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”

- Mark 2:9-12 - "Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up...'"

- Isaiah 55:8-9 - "'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD."

- John 9:2-3 - "Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?”

- James 5:14-15 - "Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray..."

- James 4:2 - "You have not because you ask not.”

- Matthew 7:7 - “Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find....”

- Our Daily Lifeline  - We should pray hardest when it's hardest to pray

- A Good Reminder - If you pray only when you're in trouble, you're in trouble

- Free Printable Prayer Guides - You'll find a full listing here of all the guides we offer, ready for downloading

- The Complete Collection - This time-saving bundle includes my prayer guides and other related resources

- Colossians 1:16-17 – “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”

- John 10:28-29 – “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand. / My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand.”

- Romans 8:28 – “And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.”

- Proverbs 24:5 - “The wise prevail through great power, and those who have knowledge muster their strength.”

- Proverbs 24:6 - “Only with sound guidance should you wage war, and victory lies in a multitude of counselors.”

- Matthew 6:34 - “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

- Philippians 4:7 - "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

- Psalm 139:16 - "Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them."

- Ephesians 2:10 - "For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

- Psalm 90:12 - “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.”

- Psalm 127:2 - "It is vain for you to rise up early, To retire late, To eat the bread of painful labors; For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep."

- Suffering by Paul David Tripp

- Leaning on the Everlasting Arms

- How Firm a Foundation

The best laid plans sometimes go awry. How should we respond when that happens? That's what we're discussing on Loving Life at Home this week: What should one do when things don't go as planned?

- Proverbs 16:9 - “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” 

- Matt 10:29-31 - “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

-James 4:13-15 - “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.’  Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. For you are just a vapor that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.’” 

-Philippians 2:4 - “Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”

- Proverbs 17:22 - “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.” 

- Philippians 2:3 - “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility consider one another as more important than yourselves.”

- 1 Thessalonians 5:8-24 - "But since we are of the day, let’s be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.  For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him...."

- Episode 23: A Hill Country Christmas

- Thai Lucky Sushi Bar

- Yanaguana Gardens & Playground

- Pioneer Museum of Fredricksburg

- FBC Mainstreet Bethlehem in Burnet, TX

It's Thanksgiving week, so I'm counting my blessings, and my 12 children are right up there at the top of the list.

Another thing I'm grateful for? The fact my husband didn't cut my childbearing years short by getting a vasectomy, though he definitely considered it at one point.

Listen to this week's episode to hear why, and to learn what stopped him from going through with it. 

- Colossians 1:16-17 - "...all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together."

- Hebrews 1:3 - "The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word."

- Revelation 4:11 - “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

- 1 Corinthians 8:6 - "...there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through Whom all things came and through Whom we live."

- More than Meets the Eye - this is the book by Richard Swenson that made such an impression on my husband (I don't think I gave the title in the podcast)

- Always Open: 5 Reasons I Love Having My Tubes Intact - my response to an article from the other side of the issue, written by a woman who was grateful to have hers tied

- Postponing Motherhood: At What Cost? - my review of Holly Grigg-Spall's Sweetening the Pill