We’ve been reading the book, Lies Women Believe and the Truth that Sets them Free by Nancy Leigh DeMoss as a ladies’ book study.

Most of us have an older edition, but a few of the ladies have this newer edition, and I have discovered that she has changed it quite a bit. A new chapter was added and so a few new “lies” were added, there is different formatting to the book, and some of the content has been changed.

Even with the new information, we have still been able to follow along with each other and have a great book study. I have made printables that go with the older version of the book, but I am hoping to borrow someone’s book when the book study is over and add printables for the new edition.

The chapter we will be going over this next week is
Lies Women Believe . . .  About Circumstances

I think the lie that resonated the most with me from that chapter was Lie 39:

LIE 39: I just can’t take any more.

I know that I can get overwhelmed. It is 1:20 a.m.; I have a busy VBS day tomorrow, and I am finishing this post. I can feel like I can’t take any more at times. But look at this beautiful truth:

TRUTH 39:  Regardless of what my emotions or my circumstances may tell me, God’s Word says, “My grace is sufficient for you.” His divine resources are available to meet my need — no matter how great.

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 12:9

I also liked Lie 40:

LIE 40: It’s all about me.

TRUTH 40: I exist to live for the glory and the pleasure of God. It’s all about Him.

Even though I don’t usually think, “It’s all about me,” I also don’t always remember that it’s all about Him. Many times, it’s about my kids, or my responsibilities, or my church. Even though those are great things, my first focus should be to bring Him honor and glory with what I do.

Nancy shared this Latin phrase:

CORAM DEO

Living all of life in the presence of God under the authority of God and to the glory of God.

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. Revelation 4:11

If you want to see more of the lies about circumstances, go HERE to get the printable sheet. It was a convicting chapter to read!

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For the ladies book study at our church, we are reading the book Lies Women Believe and the Truth that Sets Them Free by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. On last week’s post, I shared some highlights from chapters 2 and 3.

I have made up worksheets for chapters 4-6 as we just covered chapter 4, and I will be out of town for two of the chapters. If you want to get any of the handouts, you can print them out HERE. I still have to finish chapters 7 – 11.

Here are some of the highlights from Lies Women Believe, chapter 4-6.

• Chapter 4 discussed Lies Women Believe . . .  About Sin
  One of the lies that women believe is that my sin isn’t that bad, and another lie that some women believe is that their sin is so bad that that God can’t forgive it.

Two opposite lies — yet for each lie we have to go to the cross. If we look at how Christ died for each sin we do, then we realize that our sin IS bad. It put Him on the cross. That thought should make us want to repent of that sin, forsake it, and desire to live a holy and righteous life. Then we also go to the cross when we think our sin is so bad that God can’t forgive it. We look at the cross and remember how His blood covered our sin when we repented and put our trust in Him. He had already paid the price, whether or not we can accept it. It wasn’t so bad that He did not die for it.

• In chapter 4, there was also a discussion on how the closer we get to God, the more we see our own sinfulness. This thought went along with the lie, “ I cannot walk in consistent victory over sin.”

The truth that went with that lie is, “I am powerless to change myself; however, through the finished work of Christ on the cross, I can live in victory over sin. I have been set free through Christ.“

When we see our own sinfulness, we need to turn our eyes onto the Savior and see His awesome power and how He can give us the victory we need over that sin. I loved this quote that was in the book called The Valley of Vision.

• Chapter 5 was titled Lies Women Believe . . .  About Priorities. I liked this quote from Nancy:

Frustration is the by-product of attempting to fulfill responsibilities God does not intend for us to carry. Freedom, joy, and fruitfulness come from seeking to determine God’s priorities for each season of life, and then setting out to fulfill those priorities, in the power of His Spirit, realizing that He has provided the necessary time and ability to do everything that He has called us to do.

If you struggle with prioritizing your life, here are a few suggestions from Nancy about how to figure out what are truly the things you should be making a priority:

1. List the activities in which you are involved on a regular (daily/weekly) basis.
2. Consider the activities that are “negotiable.” Does each of these activities fit in with your (and God’s) priorities? Why or why not?
3. Prioritize each of the negotiable activities by ranking them with numbers. Are you tending to the top priorities? If not, what can you do now to simplify your schedule and your life so that you are acting on what is most important? Ask God what adjustments He wants you to make in your schedule, so that you can be sure you are glorifying Him and fulfilling His agenda for your life.
4. What do you need to do in order to be able to go to bed each night and say, “Today I finished the work that the Lord gave me to do”!

• Chapter 6 was titled Lies Women Believe . . .  About Marriage. I loved this quote from that chapter.

“The Truth is that contentment is not found in having everything we think we want but in choosing to be satisfied with what God has already provided.”

If you haven’t read the book, you should give it a chance! I think you will really enjoy it

Next week, there will be no Thoughtful Thursdays post. Have a great Fourth of July!

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Since my shoulder is healing (I can go without my sling as long as I am careful to not do things I should not be doing), I am back to the very busy lifestyle a mom of five always has. I am also leading two book studies for ladies over the summer and two book studies with my kids.

One of the ladies book studies is Lies Women Believe and the Truth that Sets them Free by Nancy Leigh DeMoss (or Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth).

I have read the book many years ago, but it is good for me to go through it again and see how I might have changed or fallen into a bad habit.

As I go along in the book, I am making a handout for each chapter that lists the lies along with the truths and verses from God’s Word that go along with each truth. That way, the ladies can have a cheat sheet for when they are struggling with a certain lie. They can run to the sheet, remind themselves of the truth and read God’s truth that will combat the lie.

I am doing all of the sheets in Google Docs on one document, so the document is a work in progress as we will do chapter 4 together next week. You can use what I have done so far HERE or come back at the end of the summer for the complete set. Each handout eventually will be a one 2-sided sheet.

Here are some highlights from chapters 2 and 3:

• Chapter 2’s lie, “God is not really enough,” really made me think, “Is God enough for me?” Would I be content if He took everything away from me like He did to Job? Would I feel complete in Him if I were to live without all the Western civilization comforts that I now enjoy?

I don’t know if I can say that He definitely would be enough in those situations, but I want Him to be enough. I want to be able to say the truth, “God is enough! If I have Him, I have all I need.” Colossians 2:9-10 says:

For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

This verse made me think of the song Complete in Thee by Ben Everson. I love the words of the following verse of the song.

• In Chapter 3, Nancy quotes a line in the companion guide from Elisabeth Elliot. The line was, “The longed-for thing is material for sacrifice.” I thought, “What does that mean?” So I went and looked it up. I found a devotional that Elisabeth Elliot wrote that contained that quote. I loved the devotional. Here is part of it:

I had been praying for something I wanted very badly. It seemed a good thing to have, a thing that would make life even more pleasant than it was and would not in any way hinder my work. God did not give it to me. Why? I do not know all of His reasons, of course. The God who orchestrates the universe has a good many things to consider that have not occurred to me, and it is well that I leave them to Him. But one thing I do understand: He offers me holiness at the price of relinquishing my own will. “Do you honestly want to know Me?” He asks. I answer yes. “Then do what I say,” He replies. “Do it when you understand it; do it when you don’t understand it. Take what I give you; be willing not to have what I do not give you. The very relinquishment of this thing that you so urgently desire is a true demonstration of the sincerity of your lifelong prayer: ‘Thy will be done.’” So instead of hammering on heaven’s door for something that it is now quite clear God does not want me to have, I make my desire an offering. The longed-for thing is material for sacrifice. “Here, Lord, it’s yours.”

Elisabeth Elliot

Isn’t that good? I hope that will enrich your soul like it has mine.

Here are some great posts that have been linked up to the last month of parties:

• I liked this quote that was in Soul Survial’s post, “When People Hurt Us.”
  Nothing happens to us that isn’t first filtered through God’s hands.

• You can get some FREE Printable Bible Devotional Worksheets from The Inspired Prairie.

• Siblings Of Special Needs Kids Get The Short End Of The Stick from An Ordinary Mom’s Musings might be a post that you need to read.

• I liked the quote on meekness that was on A New Len’s post, “Wrestling with Meekness.”
  “Meekness is the acceptance of the Master’s hands on the reins without fighting.”  

• The post, “When rest is best,” by Healthbeat is great for expectant mothers.

• Advice to My Younger Self from Jennifer Lambert is a great post.

• Disappointed Again from Being Woven

• Principles of Spiritual Warfare? from Christine Malkemes

• 5 Gifts to Give your Children from The Common Place — these gifts may surprise you.

The thoughtful topics for your posts could be related to but not limited to the following topics:

* homemaking * homeschooling * devotional or Biblical posts * Christian in nature * family/marriage * inspirational *

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Next week, I am starting a book study with the ladies in my church. We are doing the book Lies Women Believe: And the Truth that Sets Them Free by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. There is an updated version, but we had many copies of the 2006 version, so that is what we are using.

The whole premise is that Satan is a master deceiver, and we have bought into his lies; but if we turn to God’s truth, His truth can set us free.

The companion guide’s first verse that Nancy asks us to consider is John 10:10:

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

I want to have that abundant life!
Don’t you?

To have that abundant life, we have to stay centered and focused on God’s truth and not the lies our world and culture that is Satan’s playground would like us to believe.

Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:31-32

I want to know the truth! I want to be set free!
Don’t you?

We must then “continue in” His Word so that we know His truth!

Here are some verses that talk about the true nature and the deception of Satan:

• Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. John 8:44
• In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 2 Corinthians 4:4
• And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 2 Corinthians 11:14
• Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6:11-12
• Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: I Peter 5:8

“Satan promises the best, but pays with the worst; he promises honor, and pays with disgrace; he promises pleasure, and pays with pain; he promises with profit, and pays with loss; he promises life, and pays with death.” Thomas Brooks

But we have the truth! God is truth!!

• Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:5
• God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Numbers 23:19
• That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Hebrews 6:18
• And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John 1:14
• But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation. Jeremiah 10:10
• In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; Titus 1:2
• And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. 1 John 5:20
• He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true. John 3:33

We don’t need to fall to Satan’s lies! God is greater than Satan. He will overcome in the end, and we can overcome in this world if we hide the truth in our hearts. God has said:

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. I John 4:4

How do we not fall prey to Satan’s lies?

Get into God’s Word! Study it!! Ask God to guide you into all truth!

• For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth. Psalm 33:4
• Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. John 17:17
• Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15
• Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever. Psalm 119:160
• Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name. Psalm 86:11
• Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. John 16:13

These verses and thoughts go along with the Introduction and Chapter 1 in the Lies Women Believe Book. If you would like a handout that I used for the Introduction and Chapter 1, CLICK HERE. Next week, I will hopefully share what I learned in Chapter 2.

The thoughtful topics for your posts could be related to but not limited to the following topics:

* homemaking * homeschooling * devotional or Biblical posts * Christian in nature * family/marriage * inspirational *

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I know we are all busy! Let me share my busyness with you!

I am doing 4 book studies this summer. To do that, I need to be studying the books NOW! So I bought the books and all the guides (if they have them), and I am starting to read them. For a couple of them, I want to make printables I can hand out weekly to help the group stay on track.

Here are the books we are studying:

• For a ladies’s book study, we are doing Lies Women Believe: And the Truth that Sets Them Free. I have studied this book before, but the ladies in my church hadn’t. It’s easy to find this book in thrift stores  or to buy it used on Amazon, so that is a plus. For myself, I bought The Companion Guide or what is now called The Study Guide. Since I am leading the group, I like to see what the authors thought was important to include in the discussion. 
• For my 2 youngest girls, I bought Lies Girls Believe: And the Truth that Sets Them Free. This summer, I want to go someplace special with them once a week — whether it is McDonalds or a local park, and go over one chapter with them. I haven’t been able to take the time to disciple them like I want to, so I want to make that a priority this summer. For me, I bought A Mom’s Guide to Lies Girls Believe: And the Truth that Sets Them Free. I’m really excited about this book study. I’ll let you know how it goes!
• For my older two girls, we are going to do some of I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist. They will also do the curriculum spiral-bound workbook, and this will be an elective Apologetics/Bible credit for both of them when they finish it. If you buy the workbook, there is a link on the inside of the front cover where you can get a downloadable answer key for the workbook and downloadable tests. For myself, I bought The Official Study Guide to I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, as I thought it might help me direct the conversations we’ll have about what the girls have read. Both of them will be attending a local secular college in high school to get dual enrollment credits, and I want them to know what they believe and why and also to see the error in what they might hear in their classes.
• For the ladies’ Sunday School class, we are going to be doing the book Lord, I Want to Know You by Kay Arthur. I have read this book in the past, but most of our class has not done this book. It is an excellent in-depth study on the names of God.

Next year, my responsibilities are growing at our little church school — plus I am changing History curriculum next year. I have done Mystery of History and Story of the World for the past two years, with Mystery of History being my main spine. I have loved it! But I want to teach some American History, so I am switching to Sonlight for one year. I have ordered it and am trying to wrap my mind around it. I am doing History 120 and Literature 130 for my 7th and 9th graders, and going to let my 5th grade son sit in on the History portion. I will teach the History portion, with the older students reading a few of the books on their own.

Since I want them to do some of the Literature work on their own, I have ordered the three older students their own literature guide. I am going through and making up vocabulary worksheets based on their history and literature guides. Now they can fill in the definitions and study those sheets for their weekly quizzes.

I will still do a discussion with the three students about the literature reading a couple of times a week, and only my ninth grader is doing the language arts/writing portion of the curriculum. The 7th graders will continue to use Bob  Jones Grammar videos and workbooks that they are used to doing. I may change a few of their writing assignments to coincide with Sonlight’s writing assignments.

I have already done vocabulary worksheets for one half of the year. I did not include every word that Sonlight put in their guides. If there were too many words, I tried to pick words that I thought the students might hear more often so they should know what it means.  There may also be some mistakes as I didn’t proof every single sheet. If I get quizzes made to go along with these worksheets, I’ll let you know! If there is a (H) behind the word, then that means it is a vocabulary word that is in the history guide. If you are only do literature, then you would want to just disregard those words.

If you are teaching the Sonlight 100 program (American History and Literature) , then you can download these Vocabulary sheets for your child.

Click HERE to print out the vocabulary sheets!

I love it when someone does work for me. So since I need to do it for my kids; hopefully, it can benefit someone else as well.

I am working on making fill-in-the blank worksheets for when I teach History. Sonlight uses A Story of US by Joy Hakim as their main spine, so these are the books for which I am making the worksheets as well as a couple of other books that I will teach in our history class.  I am making sure that the worksheets include the information they will need for the tests that can be bought to go along with the books. I know some homeschoolers don’t do tests, but I want something very concrete for my highschooler’s transcript.

The other thing I want to do this summer is do printable worksheets for Saxon Grade 1 daily math meetings and for ABeka’s Kindergarten and 1st grade phonics. When I have to teach all these subjects in just a few hours, it helps if I don’t have to be writing all that information on a board. I can print it out and they can do it right on the paper. If I have time, I can laminate them to use over and over for future students.

All of this is very ambitious, but if I can get it all done, it will make next school year much more manageable.

How do you stay organized with your busy life?

The thoughtful topics for your posts could be related to but not limited to the following topics:

* homemaking * homeschooling * devotional or Biblical posts * Christian in nature * family/marriage * inspirational *

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How many of you make yearly goals?

I used to. In fact, I had a linky party I hosted monthly where I would share my progress with my goals and the new goals for the next month.

Goals are good. They help us focus and make priorities. However, for me they became overwhelming. They reminded me of so many things I needed to do with so little time.

The last couple of years, I made just a couple of goals; and I don’t think I kept them. So this year, I am not making hard and fast goals. My life dictates what a lot of my goals have to be. I teach daily in the school year; I take my kids where they need to go; I make dinner and do laundry. I have a full life with just regular duties.

I struggle with finding time for exercise and my personal time with God. I can make goals, but I haven’t kept them in the past. So how do I make these necessities a priority? Instead of making goals, I found a few verses that I want to focus on to help me keep some Biblical priorities this year. If you haven’t made any goals yet, maybe these verses can help you know where to focus in 2019.

Here are six good verses that can help us to make Biblical goals:

This year, I want to make sure my thought life stays focused on things that will help me be positive. That will help me to live a life that is pleasing to God. Our daily walk with God starts with what we focus on! Let’s think on these things.

I want to delight in God in 2019. I want to trust in Him and His Word, and leave my way to His leading. I know if I take time to delight in Him, He will direct me and help me to know where to prioritize my time. In stead of going through a systematic reading plan of God’s Word, I am studying in depth the Sunday school lessons and book studies I have to teach this year in my personal devotional time.

I want to try to live a life that is without offence in 2019. That when people see my life, they will know that I am sincere in the way I live my life. I don’t want to be a hypocrite. So I need to approve those things that will uplift my spiritual walk; things that are excellent. This includes how I spend my free time which includes the things I watch, read and listen to.

I want to continue running the race. To do this I need to keep my eyes on Jesus and not get distracted with all the cares of this world. I need to make sure I don’t waste my time on things that don’t really matter.

I want to be a better witness this year. As I go about my days, I want my normal lifestyle be one of praise to God so much so that those around me see God and all that He has done for them. I want to be more bold in my witness to those I meet and interact with that live in my community.

I can get tired and negative in my attitude. I want to live a life that is full of praise and thanksgiving to God for all that He has done.

If you think these verses would help you this year with your Biblical goals or priorities, you can print out the sheet below and display it somewhere.
Go HERE to print it out!

You could copy this sheet onto a magnetic sheet, cut the verses apart and put them on your refrigerator. The sheet can also be laminated and cut into individual verses that can be placed on a car dashboard or a mirror. If we are serious about running the race, we need to keep our priorities in front of us! I know I need all the help I can get to help me keep my focus!

How do you make your yearly goals? Have you made any goals for 2019?

The thoughtful topics for your posts could be related to but not limited to the following topics:

* homemaking * homeschooling * devotional or Biblical posts * Christian in nature * family/marriage * inspirational *

1. 1. Do NOT link up recipes, reviews, giveaways, diy, or crafts.
   2. Link up to three posts that have not been linked up to this linky previously!
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A couple of weeks ago, I shared some ideas on how to keep Christ in our busy Christmas celebrations.  This past week, I was making the gift bags up for our Wednesday night kids’ program, and I wanted to find a way to give them a gift that was Christ-centered.

I only needed to do 24 gifts, but since I was making the gifts personally, I had to do relatively inexpensive gifts. I gave each child some chocolate covered pretzels, a hot cocoa mix in a Styrofoam cup as well as some marshmallows, Hershey kisses, a mint, and a Rolo candy in a plastic bag.

I wanted to attach a hot cocoa poem that had some religious significance, but I couldn’t find any. Instead, I stumbled across several candy cane poems. I was pressed for time, so I was going to buy a printable on Etsy, but Etsy was saying my account was going to have to be confirmed. I didn’t have time to mess with that, so I just typed up a poem I found on Pinterest. I looked first to see if the pin led to a printable, but the pins I saw just led to a picture or to a website sharing the pin but no real link.

Here is the printable I made.

I quickly typed and printed out this printable, attached a candy cane with tape on the right hand side where there is some white space (I didn’t get all fancy with ribbon), and stuck it in the goody bags along with the hot cocoa mixes. There are two poems on each 8″ x 11 1/2″ piece of paper.

Here were my goody bags ready to go to church!

I just love this poem.  I could not find the original source, but the message is simple enough for children to understand:

The Candy Cane

It’s just a little Christmas treat, but also (did you know?)
It represents our Savior born so long ago.
The shape is like a “J” to symbolize His name.
The white is for His life, holy, without blame.
And the stripe of red is for His blood so pure and freely given
That we may spend eternity with our Lord in heaven!

Praying that you have a great Christmas celebrating the birth of our Savior!

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Christmas can be a hard season for many.

As I went through my Facebook feed tonight, I saw a news article about 5 Marines who have been declared dead after a midair crash near Japan last week.  There families are going to have a sad Christmas.

Every Christmas, I think of my friend whose husband died after a ATV accident on Christmas day a couple of years ago.

An older lady pulled me aside at church on Sunday and asked me to pray for her as Christmas was very hard for her as she had no family with which to celebrate.

Not only are many sick or remembering family members who are no longer with us, there are many other life circumstances which can make Christmas a difficult season. Financial difficulties can make some traditions impossible. Some people may find them separated from family at Christmas time. Most certainly, Christmas is a hard holiday for many people who live around us.

So how do we help those who are grieving, discouraged, sick, or helpless? Here are three simple ways that we can comfort  and help others this Christmas (and all year long!):

• We can help by being patient or offering a kind word and a ready smile.

I have been a little stressed and running around like crazy the past couple of weeks. In my hurry to get done what needs to get done, I forget that I am passing those who are hurting. People are more important that my to-do list. Maybe that cashier or store clerk is having a terrible time in her life, and she needs my patience and kindness. I know I need to think of this more as I go about my day and life responsibilities.

• See if we can help support those who are grieving or alone.

Maybe all they need is someone to pray with them. Maybe sending them a card or giving them a call so that they know they are not forgotten is all they need. If you can, invite them to your house for Christmas dinner. Take them with you to a ladies event. Think of how you would want to be included if you did not have a family.

• Take time to come apart and get alone with the Lord.

I have been so busy that I have not been as committed as I should be to my daily time with the Lord. So do you know what happens? I get testy and short. I say things I should not say. I have a bad attitude that spills over onto others.

My husband just preached a sermon from Luke 4 where Jesus did some amazing things: He stood against Satan’s temptations, He teaches at his local synagogue where his own villagers try to kill Him, He casts out a demon, He heals Simon Peter’s mother-in-law, and He heals many people. After all of these wonderful miracles and events, it says in verse 42,

And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place:

He got away from everyone to take time to rest and to commune with His Father. We need to get rest. And we need to take time to commune with our Heavenly Father. If we do not rest and get time alone with God, we will not be able to help others.

There are many other ways we can help others who are hurting at Christmas. Let’s keep our eyes open and our hearts tender towards those who need our help this Christmas season.

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December . . .  one of the busiest months of the year.

Life is crazy busy sometimes, yet it seems like December can be the craziest. Two of our kids do winter sports. One of our kids is working 5 days a week. I had registration for one child in our local college that does dual enrollment classes. There are the normal activities like school, doctor appointments, church, laundry. Then we add in the baking, shopping, wrapping of presents, Christmas cards, cantatas, caroling, and more. It can be overwhelming!

So how do we remember to keep Christ in the Christmas season?

I don’t claim to be the best at keeping the Reason for the season always in the forefront of my thoughts as I go about my busy days; yet I want to. I want my priorities to be right. So here are some things we are doing this year to keep the true meaning of Christmas in front of us.

• We go caroling to our shut-ins at our church and to a couple of local nursing homes. If we can give to others who are lonely and need some joy at this time of the year, it will help us to remember why Jesus came. I take along some our baked goodies to give to them.
• We try to give to someone in need. Sometimes we do Operation Christmas Child. This year we provided for a couple of children’s Christmas gifts using the Angel Tree organization. I sometimes will include a book like THIS in the package.
• We give to special offerings at our church to help out our missionaries to also remember that Christmas should be about giving.
• We read the Christmas story plus some fun story books such as The Candymaker’s Gift and The Crippled Lamb.

• We are in our church’s Christmas cantata.
• There are many advent readings available that we sometimes read. Here is a post about some advent readings that are available and John Piper has one available for a free download HERE. We sometimes have done What God Wants for Christmas the week of Christmas and Adorenaments the couple of weeks leading up to Christmas. (This is similar to my Adorenament set.)
• I sometimes study the Christmas stories in Matthew and Luke in my personal devotions.
• We play Christmas music that shares the real meaning of Christmas.

We also have fun doing the secular aspects of Christmas such as looking at lights and singing fun secular Christmas songs, but we try to keep the focus on Christ.

What do you do to keep the focus on Christ at Christmas time?

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On Saturday, I am giving a challenge at our ladies Christmas party. The challenge will be a little different as it is a little bit of a heavier subject that normal for ladies Christmas parties.

I’m going to talk about the five ladies mentioned in Matthew’s genealogy. Three of the five ladies had messy pasts. Four of the five ladies were Gentiles. Yet God mentions these ladies intentionally.

As I started to think about the ladies God mentioned in the Matthew genealogy of Jesus, I wondered, “Why does He include those ladies and not other ladies?”

The first four ladies mentioned are worthy of special note as examples of God’s grace. They show how God can take unlikely people and use them in great ways. As we look at a brief summary of these ladies lives, maybe you can relate to one of the ladies; and as you see how God cared for them, you can see how God also cares for you.

The first lady that is mentioned in the ancestry of Jesus is Tamar. I am calling her The Forsaken One.

We find the story of Tamar in Genesis 38, where Judah acquires her to be the son of his oldest son.Here is a very brief summary of what we know about her. She was probably a Canaanite woman. Her husband was killed by God because of his wickedness. The second son was then given to her in marriage, and he was killed after he refused to get her pregnant. She was then supposed to wait for the third son, which she probably would never been given to in marriage. She was trapped in a Jewish house where she would remain for the rest of her life with no children, the only way to have meaning in her life as a woman in her day and age. So she takes matters into her own hands and pretends to be a prostitute, and she gets pregnant with her father-in-law. Messy, right? Yet somehow, God includes her in the line of Jesus’s ancestry.

When I hear this story, many thoughts go through my head. What a disfunctional family! What a miserable life Tamar must have had! Her first husband was so wicked, God killed him. Her second husband probably hated her for being forced into marriage with her. Then everyone probably hated her when the two oldest sons of Judah died. Some commentaries speculate that Judah may have even suspected her of killing his two sons. She may have been living in a very solitary condition with no friends or family. She left her family to be married to this Jewish family. She must have felt so forsaken, so isolated, so unloved. Spurgeon said of these four ladies, “He (God) is akin to the fallen and to the lowly, and he will show his love even to the poorest and most obscure.” We see that with the inclusion of these four ladies. He saw her in her forsaken and lonely condition and He chose to use her. For anyone that feels forsaken at this time of life or you just are incredibly lonely, God sees you and He cares about you! He knows your name and He has a plan for you!

The second lady we see is Rahab. I am calling her The Courageous One.

Again, Rahab was not a Jewish lady. She is a Canaanite woman who is a “bad” women. She is an actual prostitute. Here is a terrific story of a woman of incredible faith. She hides the two Israelite men who are spying out the land of Jericho. Then she lies about knowing where they are. If she had been caught, she could have been killed!

She goes against her culture; she is considered a traitor to her people; yet she had faith that was worth dying for. That faith gave her life, here on this earth and eternal life. She believed in her heart, and when she believed, she was willing to forsake all she knew to follow the true God. We know this because of what she says in Joshua 2:11, “And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.” Not only did she have faith in her heart, she acted upon her faith! She showed her faith by her works. James says in James 2:25, “Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?” Not only does God include her in the genealogy of Christ, but he included her in Hebrews 11 as one of the heroes of faith. She married Salmon, a Jew whom tradition says was one of the spies she hid. They had a son, Boaz, who grows up to become a righteous and godly man (Ruth 2:1).

Not everyone comes from Christian homes. Rahab believed when no one around her did. Many of us have done things in our past of which we are not proud. Be courageous. Have faith to do what’s right now, even if you go against the cultural norms. Even if it means you lose friends and family. We don’t have to continue to live the way we always have. With God’s help, we can change. We can live in a way that will glorify God from here on out. Be like Rahab – trust in God alone and then start living in faith, depending on Him to help you to daily do what is right. In the end, we see how a former prostitute raises a godly son and becomes part of the lineage of Christ.

The third lady mentioned is Ruth, whom I am calling The Loyal One.

Ruth is also a Canaanite. She married a Jewish man who came to her country with his family due to famine. He dies, and her mother-in-law, Naomi decides to return to her homeland in Israel. She tells her daughter-in-laws to remain with their families, but Ruth replies with the now famous verses, “Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me. widow. (Ruth 1:16-17)

Ruth’s response is extraordinary, for she is under no obligation to care for Naomi.  “Your people shall be my people, and your God my God” is a radical thought because it signals that Ruth is changing her identity in a world where that was almost inconceivable. The ancient world had no mechanism for religious conversion or change of citizenship; the very notion was unthinkable. Religion and peoplehood defined one’s ethnic identity, and this could no more be changed than the color of one’s skin. A Moabite was always a Moabite, wherever he or she lived. And indeed, Ruth is referred to throughout the story as “the Moabitess.” But from Ruth’s point of view, she is becoming an Israelite. She is joining herself to Naomi not only on the private family level, but also on the national peoplehood level. She went against all cultural norms to do what she knew God wanted her to do.

Maybe you can identify with Ruth. Maybe you too have chosen to leave all to follow God. He will bless you when you follow Him! Maybe you can see yourself in Ruth because you have been loyal, staying true and obedient to what God has asked you to do. We see through the life of Ruth that obedience in everyday life pleases God. When we reflect His character through our interactions with others, we bring glory to Him. Continue to be faithful and loyal!

The fourth lady that is mentioned is Bathsheba. I call her either The Misunderstood One or The Forgiven One.

Bathsheba – Why did God choose to put her in the genealogy as “David the king begat Solomon of her of Urias”? I read different notes and there are different takes on the story of David and Bathsheba. Some say she was totally innocent of the adultery that happened between her and David – that it was basically rape by a powerful man. Some say that she knew that she could be seen by others (David) when she was washing. I don’t know. We do know that she was once again probably a Gentile woman as she was married to Uriah a Hittite who was one of David’s 30 most loyal and best warriors. So because we know so little about Bathsheba, it is debated as whether she was innocent or guilty. She has probably been one misunderstood woman throughout history. Maybe you can relate to her. You feel like no one has really seen you for you. That people misread your intentions and your actions. That people have judged you for your past or for what your family has done. Well, take hope! God took this Gentile woman and used her! He included her in the lineage of Jesus!

Not only did God use  her, but He forgave her! 2 Samuel 12:24 says, “And David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the LORD loved him.” Whether she seduced David or she was taken advantage of, God forgave her and David after David repented. He loved her son Solomon, and she and David brought him up to love the Lord more than any of David’s other sons.

We see from her life that we can rise above our past mistakes and still let God use us. We just have to allow Him to forgive us and to remember that we are forgiven. We have to be willing to accept His forgiveness and to leave our past behind. We can’t let our past define us; we have to let God’s grace and forgiveness define us!

The last lady we see mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus is Mary, his mother. I’m calling her The Trusting One or The Positive One.

What do we know about Mary? Again, we do not know much. We do know that she is a young teenager Jewess who is engaged to be married to a man named Joseph. I’ve always wondered why God picked her out of all the other Jewish young ladies. What made her “highly favored” of God?

Again, only a little bit is known about Mary, but what we do see is her willingness to trust and obey God. In Luke 1, she asks one question of the angel, “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” That’s a reasonable question! The angel tells her that the Holy Spirit will impregnate her. She had to know the Scriptures and many knew that the Messiah should come around this time because of prophecy. She did not question what the angel said. Her only response was, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.”

Wow! What is my response when God puts hard things into my life. Do I say, “Here I am. I will do whatever you want me to do?” She trusted God to do what was right, and she was willing to be used. Do I trust that God is good even when bad things happen? Do I trust God that He will make all things good in the end when I can’t see the end from the beginning? Mary trusted.

Mary kept her focus on the big picture, on the end result. She stayed positive. Instead of looking at the immediate rejection that would come and how she might be mocked and scorned for becoming pregnant outside of wedlock, she concentrates on how she is doing the will of God and how God will bless the world through her baby.

Listen to her testimony:

And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. Luke 1:46-49

What can we learn from Mary? Magnify God even during the hard times. Remember the big picture. One day we will be with God for eternity. He is mighty. He has done great things. He is our Savior. Holy is His name.

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