Thursday's Thought: Marriage/Relationships

Mr. Right probably has high standards too.

Thursday's Thought: Home, Sweet Home

Home is never sweet unless the people in it are sweet.

Thursday's Thought: Contentment

Contentment enjoys what it has and gratefully accepts what is given to it.

Thursday's Thought: Marriage

The most important key to success in unselfishness. The most significant reason for failure is selfishness.

Tuesday's Tip: Organization

Store things in logical places—near where you will use them, for example.

Thursday's Thought: Modesty

Modesty is an attitude. It just has a tendency to express itself in the way you dress.

Thursday's Thought: Relationships

Seek to understand other people with the same intensity with which you desire to be understood.

Thursday's Thought: Character

The way people around you behave is not really a good measure of how people should behave.

Thoughts on Learning and Critical Thinking

Read widely,
. . . . but don't believe everything you read.


Listen carefully,
. . . . but don't believe everything you hear.


Look around,
. . . . but don't believe everything you see.


Think hard,
. . . . but don't believe everything you think.



If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. ~ James 1:5 

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. ~ Proverbs 9:10 

When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee. . . ~ Proverbs 2: 10, 11.

A good reminder, especially for maidens at home

And if ye have not been faithful 

in that which is another man's, 

who shall give you that 

which is your own? 

~ Luke 16:12 

Womanhood Challenge of the Month: May 2010

This month's womanhood challenge is to cultivate yourself. This isn't a contrast to May's Girlhood Challenge to let God garden your heart, it's just a different way of applying to concept of gardening to oneself.

Have you ever thought about cultivating yourself? Do you watch how you grow?

Do you weed your heart, your mind, your life of things that don't belong in it and choke out the good stuff?

Do you provide yourself with plenty of light?

Is the place you are planted good for you and meeting your needs? If not, can you amend that soil or at least give yourself some extra food somehow?

Do you protect yourself from predators (outside influences that may harm you) and diseases (inside conditions that will hurt you)?

Do you get enough water ~ literally (your body and brain won't work their best if you don't get enough water, which most people don't) and figuratively (the water of life)?

If you have carefully studied these questions and answered them, and carefully considered the answers you gave, you've met the challenge!

Reality Check: If You Were a Garden

If you were a garden, what kind of garden would you be?

Would you be a a welcome, restful retreat?

Would you be a colorful cottage garden ~ casual, friendly, and full of surprises?

Would you be a formal garden ~ symmetrical, predictable, sophisticated, regal?

Would you be sunny, cheerful, and fragrant?

Would you be chaotic, a catchall of color and form?

Full of weeds, briers, and thistles?

Would your plants be diseased and bug-eaten?

Think of yourself as a garden. What kind would you be in terms of your temperament, personality, character, appearance, manners, association with others, activities, behavior, etc. How would you describe yourself, as a garden?

If you were a garden what experience would others (including God) have as they visited your garden? Would you be ashamed to have others visit this garden ~ and inspect it closely?

Grab a few gardening books (with lots of pictures), or go walking through some gardens, and look at yourself while you look at them.

Think about this too: what kind of garden would you like to be?

Girlhood Challenge of the Month: May, 2010

Let God garden your heart. Let Him weed out the things He doesn't like. Let Him shine into your heart with His light and love.

The challenge this month is to choose to let Him do this and then ask Him to do it.

This is a very personal thing so I don't expect you to share your prayer or what you prayed for specifically, but you may share that you did it.

And ladies, this is a good idea for all of us too!

Womanhood and Girlhood Challenges of the Month: April, 2010

Due to the lateness in the month, April's challenge is going to be very small and easy. Quite simply, rejoice in the LORD.

And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the LORD thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house. . . ~ Deuteronomy 26:11

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him. ~ Psalms 28:7

Take a moment to express your praise and thanksgiving to God for anything that comes to mind, in any way that suits you.

Please share what you have done (or a part of it). You may share in the comments or leave directions to your blog posts. You may also share your praise and thanksgiving itself in the comments if you wish.

I Am a Woman

I wrote this "Anti-feminist Manifesto in 2007. I can't remember if I posted it here or not, but it has not been recently if I did. Sometimes it makes me gulp when I read it ~ especially that last line ~ and remember exactly what it is I stand for. It keeps me on track. :-) Perhaps it will bless you too!

I Am a Woman

Girlhood Challenge of the Month: March 2010

The girlhood challenge of the month is similar to the womanhood challenge of the month but is designed for girls under eighteen years (whereas the womanhood challenge is for about mid-teens and upward). It doesn't really have a lower limit so if you are a mom or big sister you can help your young daughter or sister meet the challenge if you'd like to.


This month's challenge is about cooking and has four parts.


#1 Choose to learn to cook. Choose to become a good cook, starting now, and to, throughout your life, lovingly, faithfully, and cheerfully prepare and serve satisfying and healthful meals (although not necessarily fancy ones) for your family. Your attitude toward cooking and toward those you cook for is more important than your actual cooking skills. Your comittment to becoming a good cook has nothing to do with whatever interest you may or may not have in cooking.


#2 With your mother (or whoever is in charge of you and of cooking), make a plan for how you can take a regular part in planning, preparing, serving, and cleaning up after meals (this is obviously a very small part for little girls!).

#3 Cook something this month. It doesn't have to involve actual cooking or baking, but it does have to involve the preparation or serving of food. Choose something appropriate for your skills and abilities. Little girls may just learn to make toast (in a toaster) or stir food without spilling it. Older girls and teenagers, however, should be able to do more even if they have no real cooking experience.


#4 Share what you are doing to meet the challenge. You can share in the comments or leave directions to your blog posts.

Womanhood Challenge of the Month: March 2010

Choose to live healthfully, and particularly in what you eat and drink. 

Why? Here are a few reasons.

#1: Your body belongs to God. If you intentionally hurt it you are damaging God's property.

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

~ 1 Corinthians 6:19 and 20 

#2: It's your "reasonable service".

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
~Romans 12:1 

Notice it says living sacrifice. Not one your personal habits have made sickly and half dead. You may not have perfect health in this world, but give God your best.

#3: Thou shalt not murder. That includes yourself.

#4: Thou shalt not steal. When you abuse your body you rob your family of your service and maybe even yourself. You also rob God.

#5 A lifestyle of self-gratification is degrading to womanhood. Satisfying one's wants is a good thing, within reason. Making the satisfaction of one's desires paramount is disgraceful and beneath the dignity of a true woman of God.

#6 The results of an unhealthful lifestyle interfere with a woman's ability to do what she has been called to do.

The challenge? 

Choose to live a healthful lifestyle. For God. For your family. For yourself. For your future family.

In particular, choose to eat and drink healthfully.

Do something this month to improve your eating and drinking habits.

Do something this month to set the stage for further improvement, or for the maintenance of good health practices, in eating and drinking.

Share what you are doing to meet the challenge. You may share here or leave directions to your blog posts.

Womanhood Challenge of the Month: Read the Bible!

If you have never read the entire Bible, I challenge you to do so starting this month. If you have read it before, read it again!

• You don't have to read it entirely through in a year. I personally don't like that way of doing it because I want time to absorb what I'm reading and benefit from it. I can't do that on four chapters a day! 
• But if four chapters a day suits you, go for it. Many people like to read three chapters from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament each day. Remember that you only need to read an average of four chapters each day. You could read fewer on some days and more on others. 
• Straight through from Genesis to Revelation isn't the only way to read it, although it's a good way if you're just getting to know the Bible. I've heard of a lot of people getting bogged down (usually in Leviticus!) so it might not be the best way for you. 
• You could read a portion from the OT and one from the NT each day.
• Read the books in chronological order. The books of the Bible aren't in the order they were written. They're grouped in categories like history, prophecies, the gospels, the epistles, etc. If you can figure out the historical context of each (or get a chronological Bible) you can read them in order, which may be especially helpful if you're new to Biblical chronology. 
• Another way to read the Bible is book by book in any order you please. Just take your pick, read it, and check it off in the front of your Bible (if it has a list of the books). You don't even have to read each book in its entirety before switching to another one. Maybe you feel like Genesis one day, John the next, and then the Psalms. No problem, as long as you have a way of keeping track of which chapters you've read!

However you choose to read the Bible, just read it!

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God [and that means you too] may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. 

                                                     ~ 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

A Thought for This Week

"Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered."

~ Romans 4:7

Women and Homemaking

Surely, it is a pernicious and mistaken idea, that the duties which
tax a woman's mind are petty, trivial, or unworthy of the highest grade
of intellect and moral worth. Instead of allowing this feeling, every
woman should imbibe, from early youth, the impression that she is in
training for the discharge of the most important, the most difficult,
and the most sacred and interesting duties that can possibly employ
the highest intellect. She ought to feel that her station and
responsibilities in the great drama of life are second to none, either
as viewed by her Maker, or in the estimation of all minds whose judgment
is most worthy of respect.
From American Woman's Home by Catherine E. Beecher and Harriet Beecher Stowe