At least this four-year-old applied the lipstick on his lips, or thereabouts, rather than rub it on his parent’s comforter (like one of my precious grandsons did, who of course will remain unnamed). Thanks to Julie Lamey for sending us this cute picture.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
Carolyn (for Nicole, Kristin and Janelle)
Our church had another Family Room meeting last Friday, and once again it was a wonderful time of instruction from God’s Word. This month’s topic was “Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.” Grant Layman (“Uncle Grant”) laid down four foundational truths from Scripture about our God-given roles as men and women. He then examined our sinful tendency to drift from God’s perfect design.
How do we tend to drift? Listen to this message and find out!
Hey y’all, I FINALLY added some new pics to our photo album. Check it out.
Here’s Elisabeth Elliot’s take on Titus 2:3-5:
“It would help younger women to know there are a few listening ears when they don’t know what to do with an uncommunicative husband, a 25-pound turkey, or a two-year-old’s tantrum.
It is doubtful that the Apostle Paul had in mind Bible classes or seminars or books when he spoke of teaching younger women. He meant the simple things, the everyday example, the willingness to take time from one’s own concerns to pray with the anxious mother, to walk with her the way of the cross—with its tremendous demands of patience, selflessness, lovingkindness—and to show her, in the ordinariness of Monday through Saturday, how to keep a quiet heart.
These lessons will come perhaps most convincingly through rocking a baby, doing some mending, cooking a supper, or cleaning a refrigerator. Through such an example, one young woman—single or married, Christian or not—may glimpse the mystery of charity and the glory of womanhood.”
My sisters and I will be the first to “amen” Elisabeth on these words. We are doubly blessed as we have both a mother and mothers-in-law committed to caring for us. This week is no exception…
Nancy (Nicole’s mom-in-law) took Jack last night so that Nicole and Steve could have some time out alone. She also watches Jack every Tuesday to bless Nicole with a break.
My mom is doing Kristin’s and my laundry (which is no small pile) even as I write. We leave on a church retreat tomorrow and she wanted to take something off our to-do list. She will also be watching Owen during the retreat.
Kaye (that’s Kristin’s mother-in-law) will be watching Kristin’s two oldest kiddos for the retreat. This requires time off work, but Kaye is happy to do it.
Kim (mom-in-law to me) will be taking Caly while we attend the retreat. Kim also takes Caly each and every Wednesday so that I can as she puts it, “do anything I want.” Wow!
Mom, Nancy, Kaye, and Kim, we cannot thank you enough for the way that you sacrificially serve each of us. You are living the Apostle Paul’s words in Titus 2 and we younger women couldn’t be more grateful!
You don’t have to be a mother or a mother-in-law to apply Titus 2:3-5. Just take a look around and you will find many motherless women in need of that listening ear and practical advice. Give them a call. Offer to babysit or make a meal. Be their friend. “Show her, in the ordinariness of Monday through Saturday, how to keep a quiet heart” so that she “may glimpse the mystery of charity and the glory of womanhood.”
(Quote taken from Elisabeth Elliot, “A Woman’s Mandate,” from Family Practice, ed. R.C. Sproul, Jr. (Phillipsbur, N.J.: P&R Publishing, 2001), p. 62)
Last week, my wonderful husband sent me the following quote from Theodore Roosevelt. I certainly don’t qualify for praise as high as this; but I post it today to encourage all you women who didn’t get much sleep last night or who have been housebound for three weeks with sick children or who just had your clean carpets tracked on by little feet. Yours is no ordinary work. And yet, even more true is the fact that we serve No Ordinary Savior! He will sustain you and enable you to do all that He has called you to do. By His grace, “as your days, so shall your strength be” (Deut. 33:25).
“No ordinary work done by a man is either as hard or as responsible as the work of a woman who is bringing up a family of small children; for upon her time and strength demands are made not only every hour of the day but often every hour of the night. She may have to get up night after night to take care of a sick child, and yet must by day continue to do all her household duties well; and if the family means are scant she must usually enjoy even her rare holidays taking her whole brood of children with her. The birth pangs make all men the debtors of all women. Above all our sympathy and regard are due to the struggling wives among those whom Abraham Lincoln called the plain people, and whom he so loved and trusted; for the lives of these women are often led on the lonely heights of quiet, self-sacrificing heroism. Teddy Roosevelt, 1905
Yes, yes, we are still alive. We were working on the book all weekend, so we took a break from writing today and went to lunch instead of putting up a post. Forgive us please! Here’s a picture of “the girls.”
And you thought your misunderstanding created a problem! Watch this…
Have super fun weekend. We’ll be right back here on Monday.
Janelle
for Carolyn, Nicole, and Kristin
Here we are the conclusion of our first book of the girltalk book club. What fun it has been to read along with all of you. Your enthusiasm, stories and insights have made it all the richer for us.
Our final winner shares a name with our final extraordinary woman—Lydia. She also has some wonderful thoughts to share about her namesake. Read her testimony here.
We’ll announce our next book club selection after a brief hiatus.
Tomorrow night my local church is looking forward to our second Family Room meeting. The Family Room is a time for couples and single parents young and old to come and enjoy a wonderful time of fun, fellowship, teaching and entertainment. Grant Layman (my mom’s little brother) used the first night to call us as Christians to prioritize the roles God has given us. Uncle Grant exhorted us to get the “big rocks” of our lives in the jar first. In short, he appealed to us to live intentionally. Over the past few weeks this message has made a practical difference in my every day world. So listen and enjoy applying it to your life.
Janelle, that would be “chestnuts roasting on an open fire.” (In case you missed it, see yesterday’s post.) But given your passion for food, I am not surprised that you wrote “marshmallows.”
In fact, you’ve probably been singing that song all these years inserting the word “marshmallows” in place of “chestnuts,” because that’s what you would enjoy roasting (and eating!).
