Today we study several different passages, but they all point to 3 principles:

1) God has a plan for your child. (Jeremiah 29:11)

2) God has gifted your child to bring glory to Him and know Him through these plans. (Romans 12:6-8)

3)  You are a vessel to let God’s Spirit pour encouragement of these gifts to be cultivated and to point them to hold Jesus’s hand and let Jesus walk them step by step into these plans for good, for a future, and for a hope!

I enjoyed going through the passage in Romans 12 and reflecting on which of these gifts I see emerging in my children.  I hope you did too!

6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

This week I have been quick to encourage my daughter as she serves our family by helping me cook and prepare meals.  She ALWAYS wants to pull a chair up to the stove and help me.  Two nights ago, she insisted on making us our salads. I knew this passage was coming up in our bible study, so I encouraged her using the word “serving” and telling her God had given her a special heart to serve others.  I lifted up some prayers asking God to continue to stir her heart to serve others through the love of Christ.  And I will continue to allow her to help me serve.

EVEN THOUGH IT IS MESSY!  EVEN THOUGH IT TAKES A LOT MORE TIME!

Why?

Because I see the radiant fulfillment and joy on her face when she hands her daddy his salad, with half the juice from the green olive jar mixed in with his salad dressing.

Because this is how God builds and encourages his church.  We were ALL given a special gift that makes all the parts of his body work together in perfect harmony.

Because God knows the plans he has for my daughter.  And you can be sure, he will not let this gift go to waste.  I don’t know how, or where, or when she will be serving others in the future, but He knows.

So we will keep praying, bringing the decisions that we make for them to the ONE who knows what their future holds.  I pray we all do this and trust the ONE who knows their future.

New Here? See whats going on below!

New Year Bible Challenge

I’ll be honest, I get sidetracked in life, how about you, friend? A few years ago, I was tired of spinning on a hamster wheel, feeling like I was making no progress in areas of my life. I prayed and God told me that this was not the way He desired for me to live. He showed me through His word that I AM His daughter, and that there is a better way. A refocused, narrower way.

We can ask God to make our vision clearer for our lives, more effective to know Him better and see Him more clearly right where we are. To have more peace and fulfillment in our relationship with Him, our marriages, our mothering, and our homes. He will flood those areas of our lives with new clarity and breath and life and beauty when we ask Him and meditate on His Word towards those areas in our lives.

His Word brings beauty to the most mundane parts of our lives! By the end of January, if you join us, you will be folding laundry, or reading to your children, or having a conversation with a friend, realizing you are standing on Holy Ground with Jesus, doing exactly what He created you to do, communing with Him and doing good work for His glory, right where He has placed you!

Join us here at Refocused Bible Study to REFOCUS through His Word! It started New Year’s Eve, but jump in anytime!

You can buy the study here: Buy Refocused Bible Study

If you can’t buy the study, no worries! Take the Reading/Verse writing challenge for FREE: Refocused Bible Reading/Verse Writing Plan

Join our online group on FB HERE: Facebook Group

CHALLENGE: Monday through Friday, before looking at social media,

Engage in God’s Word using the study or reading plan and prayer.

Then, comment on this blog, the FB page, or Instagram and answer the question I pose. If you don’t have time to say much, just say, “I did it!” And we will cheer you on!  Interact and be held accountable by myself and others to start this year out remembering WHO GOD IS, that YOU ARE HIS DAUGHTER, and the GOOD WORK HE HAS FOR YOU on the road ahead!

Praying for you!

Amy

Matthew 7

7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 

I hope you have had a great day Refocusing on praying for your children! I posted a video on Youtube to go along with the study today. Unfortunately it is not the best quality but I’m trading in perfection for snuggles with my kids now, so here it is! Hope it blesses you and you can look beyond the quality of the video! ASK SEEK KNOCK for them!!! What are you praying over your kids for the year ahead? Lay it at the feet our their Heavenly Father! He is good!

New Here? See whats going on below!

New Year Bible Challenge

I’ll be honest, I get sidetracked in life, how about you, friend? A few years ago, I was tired of spinning on a hamster wheel, feeling like I was making no progress in areas of my life. I prayed and God told me that this was not the way He desired for me to live. He showed me through His word that I AM His daughter, and that there is a better way. A refocused, narrower way.

We can ask God to make our vision clearer for our lives, more effective to know Him better and see Him more clearly right where we are. To have more peace and fulfillment in our relationship with Him, our marriages, our mothering, and our homes. He will flood those areas of our lives with new clarity and breath and life and beauty when we ask Him and meditate on His Word towards those areas in our lives.

His Word brings beauty to the most mundane parts of our lives! By the end of January, if you join us, you will be folding laundry, or reading to your children, or having a conversation with a friend, realizing you are standing on Holy Ground with Jesus, doing exactly what He created you to do, communing with Him and doing good work for His glory, right where He has placed you!

Join us here at Refocused Bible Study to REFOCUS through His Word! It started New Year’s Eve, but jump in anytime!

You can buy the study here: Buy Refocused Bible Study

If you can’t buy the study, no worries! Take the Reading/Verse writing challenge for FREE: Refocused Bible Reading/Verse Writing Plan

Join our online group on FB HERE: Facebook Group

CHALLENGE: Monday through Friday, before looking at social media,

Engage in God’s Word using the study or reading plan and prayer.

Then, comment on this blog, the FB page, or Instagram and answer the question I pose. If you don’t have time to say much, just say, “I did it!” And we will cheer you on!  Interact and be held accountable by myself and others to start this year out remembering WHO GOD IS, that YOU ARE HIS DAUGHTER, and the GOOD WORK HE HAS FOR YOU on the road ahead!

Praying for you!

Amy

“Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.”

Psalm 127:3

Challenge: BE PRESENT WITH YOUR “PRESENTS” TODAY!!!

This is a good way to remember to enjoy and engage with the children God gave us as our best gifts from Him!

I think about mothers in the bible and how it must have been easier to treasure their children “back in the day.” The pace of life was slower. There were no cars, no computers, no smart phones! Let’s commit to letting nothing get in the way from being fully present in our children’s lives. Listen to them intently. Play with them. Read to them. HAVE FUN WITH THEM!

The Lord is going to be watching and loving seeing us enjoy the most precious gifts He has given us!

Let’s commit to making this a reality this year. Everyday we will be pulling back a layer of the wrapping paper from these incredible gifts from God as we watch our children mature and grow.

Question: How does viewing our children as a gift from the Lord, as Psalm 127:3 says, change our parenting? What small change can you make to create a better big difference? (Less phone, etc?)

Another Challenge: Think about (meditate) on this verse today:

“Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from Him.” Psalm 127:3

I have good news for you: Thinking and praying about God’s word can be very powerful. Simply do this if nothing else! I want to encourage you to be on the “do what you can plan.” A little of God’s Word is better than none at all!

I’m going to sign off and be “PRESENT with my PRESENTS!” Thanking God for these most precious gifts! Praying you will do the same!

New Here? See whats going on below!

New Year Bible Challenge

I’ll be honest, I get sidetracked in life, how about you, friend? A few years ago, I was tired of spinning on a hamster wheel, feeling like I was making no progress in areas of my life. I prayed and God told me that this was not the way He desired for me to live. He showed me through His word that I AM His daughter, and that there is a better way. A refocused, narrower way.

We can ask God to make our vision clearer for our lives, more effective to know Him better and see Him more clearly right where we are. To have more peace and fulfillment in our relationship with Him, our marriages, our mothering, and our homes. He will flood those areas of our lives with new clarity and breath and life and beauty when we ask Him and meditate on His Word towards those areas in our lives.

His Word brings beauty to the most mundane parts of our lives! By the end of January, if you join us, you will be folding laundry, or reading to your children, or having a conversation with a friend, realizing you are standing on Holy Ground with Jesus, doing exactly what He created you to do, communing with Him and doing good work for His glory, right where He has placed you!

Join us here at Refocused Bible Study to REFOCUS through His Word! It started New Year’s Eve, but jump in anytime!

You can buy the study here: Buy Refocused Bible Study

If you can’t buy the study, no worries! Take the Reading/Verse writing challenge for FREE: Refocused Bible Reading/Verse Writing Plan

Join our online group on FB HERE: Facebook Group

CHALLENGE: Monday through Friday, before looking at social media,

Engage in God’s Word using the study or reading plan and prayer.

Then, comment on this blog, the FB page, or Instagram and answer the question I pose. If you don’t have time to say much, just say, “I did it!” And we will cheer you on!  Interact and be held accountable by myself and others to start this year out remembering WHO GOD IS, that YOU ARE HIS DAUGHTER, and the GOOD WORK HE HAS FOR YOU on the road ahead!

Praying for you!

Amy

Let my beloved come to his garden, and eat it’s choicest fruits. Song of Solomon 4:16

The world has done well at taking physical intimacy away from a married man and woman and putting it on every channel of our televisions.  But the church has a hard time talking about it.  I get it.  It is hard to talk about something God created to be so good and pure and right inside of marriage with sacredness when we are all sinful people.

But you know what?  God can handle it.  He wants you to go to him, in prayer and in his Word  and rediscover, see with new beauty what he created physical intimacy in marriage to be.

So I hope and pray that if you are doing this bible study or reading/write it out plan with us that you do not skimp over this day of study.  That you do not flip through and passively throw up a quick prayer about your married sex life.  Yes I typed the three letter word. It is a good word if you are using it in the way God intended.

I challenge you to really write out verse 16 –

post it on your bedside table, light a candle, and put the kids to bed!  Have a great time and check back in here Monday when the kids are awake driving you crazy, and join us to refocus on parenting! Happy Friday!!!

FAR MORE THAN RUBIES

That is your worth as a a “virtuous and capable” wife. Your strength comes and capability comes from the Lord your God as you wake up everyday and choose to let the love of Jesus flow through you onto these precious containers on your blessing table, your husband and children.

The first exercise today was to “translate” verses 13-16 into ways you can help your husband in the year 2017.

13She finds wool and flax and busily spins it:

She sees her man needs some new clothes and goes to Kohl’s to buy them.

14She is like a merchant’s ship,

bringing her food from afar:

She goes to the grocery store and buys the food to prepare home cooked meals. She may drive 3o minutes away to get organic food from Harris Teeter or Trader Joes. Or she may go to Aldi and Walmart to get good deals and stretch her dollar.

15She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her householdand plan the day’s work for her servant girls:

She rises early to spend a few quiet moments with the Lord, writing out a to do list an asking Him to help her prioritize and get done what needs to be done. She doesn’t have servant girls, BUT she has a washer, dyer, dishwasher, indoor stove, and microwave to help her.

16She goes to inspect a field and buys it;

with her earnings she plants a vineyard:

She puts great thought into how she spends her money and thinks about how she can invest not only her money, but her time and skills for earthly and eternal profit.

These are just a few thoughts about how “Provie 31” can be translated into a real woman in 2017:

To further engage with the passage, you were asked to ENVISION yourself as this virtuous woman, complete with all the gifts and talents you use to serve your family everyday.

And last, but not least, Your coloring illustration was Proverbs 31:12, in the Message.  
I pray this day of studying the Proverbs 31 woman has encouraged you. Let’s stop striving and walk with Jesus to love and serve our families! Check back tomorrow for a very intense topic!!!

New Here? See whats going on below!

New Year Bible Challenge

I’ll be honest, I get sidetracked in life, how about you, friend? A few years ago, I was tired of spinning on a hamster wheel, feeling like I was making no progress in areas of my life. I prayed and God told me that this was not the way He desired for me to live. He showed me through His word that I AM His daughter, and that there is a better way. A refocused, narrower way.

We can ask God to make our vision clearer for our lives, more effective to know Him better and see Him more clearly right where we are. To have more peace and fulfillment in our relationship with Him, our marriages, our mothering, and our homes. He will flood those areas of our lives with new clarity and breath and life and beauty when we ask Him and meditate on His Word towards those areas in our lives.

His Word brings beauty to the most mundane parts of our lives! By the end of January, if you join us, you will be folding laundry, or reading to your children, or having a conversation with a friend, realizing you are standing on Holy Ground with Jesus, doing exactly what He created you to do, communing with Him and doing good work for His glory, right where He has placed you!

Join us here at Refocused Bible Study to REFOCUS through His Word! It started New Year’s Eve, but jump in anytime!

You can buy the study here: Buy Refocused Bible Study

If you can’t buy the study, no worries! Take the Reading/Verse writing challenge for FREE: Refocused Bible Reading/Verse Writing Plan

Join our online group on FB HERE: Facebook Group

CHALLENGE: Monday through Friday, before looking at social media,

Engage in God’s Word using the study or reading plan and prayer.

Then, comment on this blog, the FB page, or Instagram and answer the question I pose. If you don’t have time to say much, just say, “I did it!” And we will cheer you on!  Interact and be held accountable by myself and others to start this year out remembering WHO GOD IS, that YOU ARE HIS DAUGHTER, and the GOOD WORK HE HAS FOR YOU on the road ahead!

Praying for you!

Amy