How do we determine what is the best use of our time? We know amid the mundaneness of our days, the work the Lord has given us in our homes matters for eternity. God has a purpose in all things. There is no secular work in Christ; all is sacred.

As homemakers, we desire to be productive and accomplish much in the time we’re given. It feels good when we check those tasks off our to-do lists and then the reality hits that most of them are back on it again tomorrow. It’s hard sometimes to determine how to prioritize our days and feel like we are getting things done.

How do we determine what to do next? I’ve quoted Elisabeth Elliot’s words to you often of “Do the Next Thing,” but what is the next best thing to do? How do we determine we are using our time wisely?

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What does it look like to live a fruitful life in the empty nest years?  What do I do now? What does my day to day life look like? Am I needed anymore? These are questions that raced through my mind as the empty nest season approached and was quickly upon me.

I don't have all the answers, but I desire to share some thoughts with you on lessons the Lord has taught me and what He continues to teach me in this season that I've grown to cherish much more than I initially thought I would.

Do you desire to flourish in your empty nest years? What about my younger readers? Please don't pass this one up because it will hopefully give you something to think about and to encourage you as you interact with the older women in your life.

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Most of us have been impacted by the writings of Charles Spurgeon, whether it’s through books, his sermons or even the many quotes we come across as we scroll through our social media feeds. Susannah Spurgeon is probably not as familiar to us except for the knowledge that we know she was married to Charles.

My first introduction to Susannah’s writings was in a favored devotional of mine called Seasons of the Heart. Susannah’s writings are appealing as Ray Rhodes Jr. explained so beautifully:

“for she brings her readers into her thoughts of her heart, as if she has poured a cup of tea for her guests, invited them to draw near to the fire, and engaged them in conversation. She respected her readers, treating them as friends.”

Reading Susie: The Life and Legacy of Susannah Spurgeon, wife of Charles H. Spurgeon, has made me feel as if I just got to spend time with a dear friend and I didn’t want our time to come to an end. It is a well written, complete biography filled with historical records, personal writings from the Spurgeon’s and wonderful testimonies from family and friends.

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Fasting is a way to show the Lord we enjoy Him more than His gifts. It turns our focus on Jesus because we know He is the only one who can satisfy our spiritual hunger. We desire to be filled with the Lord.

You can find all podcasts on the Spiritual Disciplines in this series here. The two books I'm utilizing the most for the series are Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life and Habits of Grace. 

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We are called in Ephesians 4:29 to respond with words that give grace, encourage, and build up. This includes those hard moments when our kids are sinfully disobedient. If my motives to correct are focused on my pride or being inconvenienced, then it's not going to come out in a way that is going to be in the spirit of Ephesians 4:29.

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What is evangelism? The dictionary definition defines it as the spreading of the Christian gospel by public preaching or personal witness.

So evangelism is the announcement, proclamation, and preaching of the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), which is the good news of and about Jesus Christ. It is a verbal message.

As Christians, we are all called to be God’s mouthpieces. Along with being salt and light to a lost world, we are called to open our mouths and share the good news—the best news we could ever share. 

Donald Whitney defines evangelism:

"It is clearly presenting Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit to sinful people with the hope that they may see their sinfulness against a holy God and repent and put their faith and trust in Christ alone for salvation."

You can find all podcasts on the Spiritual Disciplines in this series here. The two books I'm utilizing the most for the series are Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life and Habits of Grace. 

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As I am now over half a century old, I wanted to share some of the thoughts that go through my mind as I look back over the years of my marriage and raising our family.  There are so many good memories and things I wouldn't change, but there are many things I wish I would have grasped at a younger age.  

If I could go back here are some of the most important things I would like to tell my younger self:

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Spiritual journaling is a way to slow our lives down and ponder deeply over the events of the day. In my life journaling has helped me to grow spiritually by discerning my thoughts and motives. It has shown me areas where I need to give thanks and praise to the Lord. My journaling time has reminded me of situations or people I need to be in prayer for.

Journaling is an excellent time for me to see areas of weakness and set spiritual goals and not always just spiritual but other areas of my life that need some help too. Maybe I need to be better disciplined in my internet habits, or my homekeeping or some of my relationships may need time and attention. This is a good time to evaluate all areas of my life.

God’s Word doesn’t specifically talk about journaling it is a spiritual discipline that many saints over the years have benefitted from and I think of how we have profited by the journals of the saints of the past. I think of the journals like the diary of David Brainerd by Jonathan Edwards, or George Mueller’s autobiography or Jim Elliot’s journal put together by Elisabeth Elliot. These are treasures we have of how the Lord worked in and through their lives. 

You can find all podcasts on the Spiritual Disciplines in this series here. The two books I'm utilizing the most for the series are Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life and Habits of Grace. 

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Prayer is simply talking to God. As believers, we have access to God the Father through our relationship with Jesus Christ. Prayer reminds us we are dependent on God for every aspect of our lives and we grow in that relationship by communing with Him in prayer. Donald Whitney reminds us in regards to the spiritual disciplines that prayer is second only to Bible intake in the order of importance.

Prayer is not demanding but we are coming before the Lord with open hands to what He knows is best for us. 

You can find all podcasts on the Spiritual Disciplines in this series here. The two books I'm utilizing the most for the series are Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life and Habits of Grace. 

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We're continuing in a series on the Spiritual Disciplines and today's episode is on Bible Study. We're going to talk about the benefits, explain some basic Bible study methods, share some resources to help you get started digging into the Word.

Jerry Bridges says in regard to God’s Word - "Reading gives us breadth, but study gives us depth."

*I stated in the podcast the next episode in the Spiritual Disciplines series will be on prayer, and it will be up on Tuesday, April 23rd instead of April 22nd. 

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