There are so many beautiful things about homemaking . . . and right here is the perfect place for us to encourage one another in this beautiful calling! Below you can share the link to a post or article on your blog about homemaking, whether it be about cleaning, character, cooking, etc.

To share a link to your post about homemaking, you can use the Linky below . . . just share your link (make sure the link goes directly to your post), title, and image (it’s easy)!

Please link back here so others can join!

Photo credit “Adoption Day”

Mothers Day, 2008.

I stood on the twenty something floor of a Chinese building waiting for the orphanage director to walk in with our daughter. One by one, the other families greeted their babies until we were the only family left waiting.

Finally, a slim man rounded the corner and walked towards us down the long corridor. In his arms is a Little Bit of a girl, eyes dark and solemn, brow furrowed in concentration. She’d never been in a vehicle before, much less to the big city to meet foreigners.

I could see it in her face…her life is turning upside down and she doesn’t know if it is for the better or not.

We had waited three years for this day, and in those three years, God had spoken to our hearts about this little girl.

Her name is Hadassah and it means “myrtle.” I must admit when I first discovered it’s meaning I was disappointed. I was hoping for something noble, something awe-inspiring, something majestic.

Instead, it simply means myrtle, a kind of tree.

But then, one day I was reading in Isaiah 41 and read this:

“I will turn the desert into pools of water,
and the parched ground into springs.
I will put in the desert
the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive.
I will set junipers in the wasteland,
the fir and the cypress together,
so that people may see and know,
may consider and understand,
that the hand of the Lord has done this,
that the Holy One of Israel has created  it.”

That day the Lord showed me that this myrtle represents His power and grace to transform a dry, barren place into a Garden of the Lord. Our myrtle represents God’s delight in taking something isolated and forsaken, without hope, and bringing transformation and beauty, all to His glory.

So…as we waited for our adopted daughter, we knew that this child, whoever and wherever she was, she represented the promise of God.

Eight months before we got Hadassah, Jackson and I were in Thailand for the birth of our biological daughter.  Jackson was walking down a street in Thailand when God whispered to his heart: “Her name is Elizabeth” and Jackson knew He was referring to Hadassah, because our biological daughter had just been born and named!

Jackson came home and told me that Hadassah’s middle name is “Elizabeth,” and that it means “Oath of God.”

That night, only by the design of God, I read Hebrews 6 in my bible, which says,

“People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged.”

That night, I was blown away by what God was up to. My hopes for this little girl only grew larger as we anticipated finally holding her in our arms.

This child represents the Promise and the Oath. Two Unmistakable, Unchangeable Things. Hadassah, the myrtle that represents the planting of the Lord. Elizabeth, the Oath of God.

On Mothers Day, 2008, I am standing there in that Chinese building with this little girl in my arms- finally. And it feels awkward. She is stiff as a board. Our son hands her a toy and she recoils. She doesn’t understand our words or our gestures.

We get her home and things don’t “go beautifully.” Her body is scarred from abuse. The other children wonder why she is standoffish. She refuses to eat when I give her food. I catch her under the table eating crumbs off the floor while her full plate sits untouched on the table. She doesn’t want to acknowledge her dependence on us as her family. At other times, she eats until she throws up and then becomes resentful when I portion her food.

She resists, withdraws, disengages, retreats, and rebels.

I wonder what I’ve gotten myself into.

And in the mundane, messiness of mothering, I lose sight of The Promise and the Oath.

One day, we had a Chinese friend in our home and he told me what her Chinese name, Cai Yun, means. “It means “colorful cloud,” he said. “Like a rainbow.”

It should have clicked then, but it didn’t.  You know, rainbow…covenant…promise…

It was a gift God saved for me, a little package to unwrap when I really needed to open a special something from Him. That time came just a few months ago, on an ordinary, messy mommy day. Jackson was working late and I sat down to dinner with the kids.

I’m sure they spilt water and brought toys to the table and jumped in and out of their chairs and I ended up eating on the fly.

The kids were all over the place and I dismissed them from the table before we even had a chance to read our Daily Light . As they scampered off, I sighed deep and opened the book and turned to the evening passage to read it alone. Right there in front of me was the reading:

“A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. This is the sign of the covenant I am making between Me and you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged.”

~Feb 26 evening reading from Daily Light

I couldn’t have come up with that if I had tried. Never in a million years could I have orchestrated all of that!

I sat at the dinner table that night flooded with a deep sense of God’s involvement in mothering. He is so there. The kids screamed and fought and tracked sand all into their bedrooms and the dishes piled in the sink and I sat there a mess…nothing changed.

Except I was aware of the sovereign hand of God orchestrating my life and the confidence that if He did all that… if He went to those means… surely He walks with me through each ordinary day.

Surely He is faithful. Surely He will give Presence to my mothering. Surely He will give provision. Surely He will give protection. Surely He will give purpose.

Surely, there is no lack.

As believing moms, we all have the two unchangeable things. We all have the promise and the Oath of God. Even when we lose sight of it…even in the messiness of mothering….the grit and the sweat and the failures….we still have the unchangeable word of God.

And our God cannot lie.

Mother, I share this to testify to the good news: What God has promised He has and will fulfill. When nothing else remains, we can take hope in His Word.

What Promise are you clinging to today?

(Young Shepherdess - William-Adolphe Bouguereau)

Just a few days ago, I was in the grocery store carrying a 5 pound bag of flour. A little boy wandered past me and patted his mother on her arm.

“Mommy, do ladies have muscles?” She smiled as she looked down at her son. “Ladies do actually have muscles, just not as big and strong as men’s muscles.” Despite his mother’s answer, the little boy confidently concluded, “I’m quite sure that ladies have no muscles at all.” I chuckled as I finished my purchase, but it set me to thinking.

In today’s culture we have seen the de-feminization of women in every area of womanhood. The Bible makes it clear that men and women are equal, although we as women are under the authority of men, and we have separate roles; yet our culture has become expert at blurring that distinction. And this blurriness has led to an expression of femininity which often looks very masculine.

Believing women understand that the culture has it all wrong. But in our sincere desire to be feminine and biblical, we may fall into the trap of becoming lazy, complaining, and complacent women – even to the point of believing that fragility might be properly equated with femininity. Hmm . . . sounds like a woman with no muscles at all.

But is that really what the Bible calls us to be? My thoughts sift through the stories of Deborah, Abigail, Esther, Ruth, and even Mary. What if we too are mistaken in how we view true womanhood? My mind flew to the oft quoted passage of Proverbs 31. I knew there I would find a proper view of virtuous womanhood. As I read and began to dig deeper in my study, I found some rather astounding facts.

Sandra Cobble (www.oldpaths.com) describes the word virtuous as a translation of the Hebrew word, chavil. This word was used to denote strength, power, or might and could be used to describe the strength of God, the physical strength of man, or even the strength of a plant. Further, it was translated as both valor and army. Specifically, Sandra notes that when the word virtuous was used of a woman, it expresses that she had the attributes of her male counterpart, indicating that she had not only physical strength and moral purity but also strength of character. Consequently, the virtuous woman is a strong woman in all facets of her life.

(Preparing the Meal ~ Daniel Ridgeway Knight)

So, it began to dawn upon me that the weak and wimpy form of womanhood we see today is also a part of the de-feminization of women. God never calls us to be delicate and helpless. He has gifted each of us with talents and gifts equal to men, and He expects us to use them to support our husbands, strengthen and nurture our families, and to further the kingdom. He calls us to be women with muscles!

 (The Fisherman’s Daughter ~ Daniel Ridgway Knight)

What would it look like if women were hardy workers, patient sufferers, and faithful helpmeets and mothers, doing much but expecting little in return? What about women who not only managed the domestic duties of a household but joined their husbands in manual labor?

What about women who had great fortitude that settled the wild frontier and killed the invading beast when her husband was away? What about women who made the commitment to be hard workers, strong in fortitude and labor, ever vigilant in the duties of home and family?

What about women who are victorious warriors in prayer, minister to those who are in need, both spiritually and physically, and who are willing to get their hands dirty to love others?

(The Washerwomen ~ Daniel Ridgway Knight)

Let’s be sturdy women, content in the present and brave to the future. Let’s be women with muscles!

(Cutting the Weeds ~ Daniel Ridgway Knight)

“She girds herself with strength, 

and strengthens her arms.” ~Proverbs 31:17

(This post was written by my daughter in November, 2011)

There are so many beautiful things about homemaking . . . and right here is the perfect place for us to encourage one another in this beautiful calling! Below you can share the link to a post or article on your blog about homemaking, whether it be about cleaning, character, cooking, etc.

To share a link to your post about homemaking, you can use the Linky below . . . just share your link (make sure the link goes directly to your post), title, and image (it’s easy)!

Please link back here so others can join!

P.S. Mother’s Day is approaching fast! Do you like to embroider or have you been wanting to work on a sewing project alongside your daughter? Enjoy FREE shipping on US orders at Clementine Patterns through May 13th – just use coupon code MOTHERSDAY12 at checkout!

In today’s society of bikinis, mini skirts, and midriffs, modesty is vitally important. We must model it for our daughters if we want them to embrace a modest spirit and apparel. I was blessed to be raised by a mother who recognized the importance of dressing modestly, and now I have the privilege of teaching my own daughters to dress modestly.

I started The Modest Mom company a few years ago when I saw the need for modest maternity skirts. It is so very difficult to find a long maternity skirt anywhere. The business grew into also selling women’s skirts, modest layering shells, accessories, nursing covers, and just recently, girl’s skirts. I know that mother’s are busy and just do not have the time to spend countless hours shopping at various stores looking for that one modest skirt they need. I’m delighted to offer various styles of modest skirts for ladies.

Some of our newer additions are:

Women’s Boho Tier Skirt

Girl’s Boho Tier Skirt

Rebekah Skirt

Pinstripe Blouse

Undercover Mama Nursing Tank 

Chiffon Flower Belt-Available in black or white

We are working on adding more girl skirts to the website, and hope to have ruffle skirts up soon for girls so they can match the woman’s ruffle skirt.

You can  save 10% off any order when you use the code: raisinghomemakers at the checkout. This code is good through the end of May.

To enter this giveaway: Leave a comment saying what your favorite item from The Modest Mom is.

For Extra Entries: Facebook, Tweet, or Blog about this giveaway.

Like The Modest Mom on Facebook

Follow The Modest Mom Blog – you can sign up for emails here. 

Please leave a separate comment for each thing you do!

There is a myth, within our own churches and homeschooling circles, It spans denominations and generations. It has the potential to be more destructive than feminism as it threatens to destroy from the inside out, and it goes something like this:

“A girl should be raised to be a Christian. A girl should not be raised to be a homemaker.”

If you’re in shock, you’re not alone. My heart broke the night I realized what young, Christian, homeschooled ladies are planning for their daughters to be.

The prevalent thoughts behind this are that any girl can be just a homemaker, but that every girl needs to know how to follow God, be kind, caring, make good decisions, work well, and be dilligent. I agree with the second half of that sentence. However, this holds true for sons just as it does for daughters. Our children in general need to be raised with these qualities.

Another complication is that the quote above assumes the two are mutually exclusive.

*When we present perpetual singleness as a “gift” though the LORD never said such a thing, we distort His truths and cause His people to err. When we say that we should only raise our daughters to be Christian young ladies, and willfully deny that we are to teach them how to care for a family we grieve the Holy spririt by not speaking truth.

“Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another…. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God…”

Ephesians 4:25, 30

The truth is:

• God made women for men (1 Corinthians 11:9)
• Women were created as helpmeets for husbands (Genesis 2:18)
• The older women are to teach the younger to be keepers at home (Titus 2:5)
• All women will need homemaking skills, even the unmarried working women.

Biblical homemaking is priority in the life of a woman. The deception surrounding the “I’m raising my daughter as a Christian, homemaker or not she will always be fine, useful woman” ideology is staggering and is akin to proclaiming that we need only raise our sons as good Christian men, declaring, “Any guy can provide for a family, all boys need to learn how to be good Christian men. Raising my son to be a provider may not be the right path for him.”

God’s perfect plan is for the women to be a helpmeet to her husband, a keeper of the home. We must instill this Biblical truth in our daughters.

*In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul simply gives the church advice regarding singleness vs. marriage. I’ve found nothing in Scripture to insinuate we are “assigned” singleness the same way that we are assigned spiritual gifts.

Jennifer Ross is a child of our Almighty Lord and the wife of one very visionary man, and together are the parents of soon to be 12 children. She loves, LOVES homemaking, encouraging others in Biblical womanhood and is a firm believer in what the Bible calls a “keeper at home.” She believes in it so much she created, with her family, “Homemaking 101,” a film for Christian wives and mothers. She is the author of the eBook, “Encouraging Challenges: The Month after 31 Days to Clean,” which is a supplement to Sarah Mae’s 31 Days to Clean. She and her husband own and operate Family Vision Films, a webstore that offers the very best in Christian films. , but her “internet home” is www.RenewingHousewives.com where she literally writes what’s on her heart in hopes of encouraging, motivating, and inspiring other daughters of the King.

Today we have a guest post by Bambi of In the Nursery of the Nation...

It’s sobering to behold many young ladies today. Despite claims to be “different” the great majority are desperately seeking to be exactly alike in dress, speech, attitudes and actions. Satan has sold the world a cruel lie–evolutionary teaching that life results from microscopic goo. Ultimately, this brings a terrible hopelessness and insecurity to humankind. Young women are no exception, and often inward insecurities are reflected outwardly by tattoos, body piercings and startling hair color. Sadly, many times we see no difference in daughters of the world and daughters of the Living God.

Elisabeth Elliot said of Amy Carmichael:
“The preoccupations of seventeen-year-old girls—their looks, their clothes, the social life—do not change very much from generation to generation. But in every generation there seem to be a few who make other choices. Amy was one of the few.”

A great challenge she lays before us as mothers in our great Titus 2 role. I have four daughters. Will they determine in their hearts to make higher choices; to be “one of the few”?

“Get a Life”
What causes a young woman to rise above her culture, challenge society’s norms and seek to live an uncompromised life serving Christ, living according to His blessed Word? Why do some rise above the pressures, while others are controlled by them? I’m convinced there are two reasons:

The powerful mercy and grace of God
and
A deep, inspiring sense of purpose for her life

Although there are no shortage of evil purposes to choose from, most young ladies suffer not from choosing an evil purpose, but from having no purpose whatsoever. If you were to ask such a one what her vision for her life was, you would likely get a blank stare. Unfortunately, many girls are much more concerned with preparing for the next homeschool social gathering than pondering how they can best serve God, family and neighbors with the gifts and talents He has given them.

As mothers we have a beautiful privilege to mentor our daughters through their young adult years to press on to the most valuable purpose of all–to glorify God throughout their lives, including as unmarried women.

Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, Prov. 29:18

We can help our girls lay out an exciting blueprint of goals and direction in their pursuit of God’s unique plan for them.

Here in Texas the oaks grow big. We can imagine a tree as a pattern for giving our daughters direction, especially during what can sometimes be a confusing time for her: post homeschool.

Roots
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. Matt. 22:37

As Christians we all begin with the same goal. Just as a tree must be planted in soil, so we must cling to the Lord and plant our roots in Him. If we do not begin here, nothing else matters, because without Him, we cannot truly live, grow and produce fruit (John 15).

Trunk
The trunk will be the truth of the scriptures. What scriptures has the Lord shown your daughter to dispel fears and confusion in the past? What truths has God used most powerfully to change areas of sin habits and weak areas? What verses has she returned to time and again to minister to her heart and prove Satan’s words were false? The truth shall make you free…John 8:32

The Branches
What abilities, talents, spiritual gifts, tools or opportunities has the Lord provided her in blessing others? What interests her and what spiritual strengths do you see? She could be a great encourager, organizer, prayer warrior or pianist. Perhaps she has a merciful heart and is always willing to bear the burdens of others. Each of us have “talents”, not to be hidden.

Fruit
The type of fruit produced is in the hands of the Master Gardner and is in response to His grace and gifts He’s chosen to give. An earthly tree may bear fruit or produce syrup. It’s branches may be large and provide shade for others or may be sacrificed as firewood to keep someone warm. Limbs may be used as paper for writing, while others may provide joy to children that climb within. However God chooses to use the “tree” is up to Him as Creator.

Although some girls are motivated, eager go-getters, others may need mother’s gentle prodding for direction in how to best use her time during this season of life. A daughter living without a vision for her future is more easily led away by the world. Knowing her ultimate purpose–to glorify God–and a practical plan for carrying that out in her own life, is instrumental in helping her soar high above. And not just to be “good” or “better”, but to radiate a changed life to others. Ultimately, if God has given any talents, any gift, any ability, it is for His glory and for the “preaching of the cross” to others.

Bambi has been the helpmeet to her pastor-husband for 17 years now, and is the blessed mother of eight children. She loves making home a haven and center for ministry for her family and others, as well as homeschooling her large brood and blogging about the joy and nobility of motherhood. Bambi and her family live in the beautiful Texas countryside where they raise dairy goats, love the outdoors and find lots of laughter in the crazy moments of life with many littles.

There are so many beautiful things about homemaking . . . and right here is the perfect place for us to encourage one another in this beautiful calling! Below you can share the link to a post or article on your blog about homemaking, whether it be about cleaning, character, cooking, etc.

To share a link to your post about homemaking, you can use the Linky below . . . just share your link (make sure the link goes directly to your post), title, and image (it’s easy)!

Please link back here so others can join!

One of my passions for my children is that they never leave our home without developing a biblical worldview.  What is a biblical worldview?–It is evaluating everything in this world through a Biblical grid.  To begin with, my children have to know that they are part of the human race and the human race has a problem–each of us are hopeless sinners in need of a redeemer.  As Christian parents, we point our children to the only true means of forgiveness–the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.  So their foundation for a biblical worldview begins first with their salvation.

This post, however, is focusing on ways of building on that foundation of salvation.  How can I help my children think like a Christian should think? Salvation is just the beginning of a long journey.  As Christians or literally Christ followers–we look to the Bible as our guidebook for living.  And your worldview is how you think about life, how you view cultural thinking.  So when I say teaching your children a biblical worldview, what I mean is teaching your children to view everything in life through a biblical lens.  I want my children to examine every teaching and cultural trend in the light of what Scripture has to say on that subject.  A mother asked me to share practical ways to teach children a biblical worldview.
Here are 10 ways we have tried to use to accomplish that goal:

1.   Start at the starting point:  Read the Bible–a lot.
2.   Read literature/history texts written by authors who have a biblical worldview.
3.   Eat together at least once a day and talk about current issues around the dinner table.
4.   Watch movies that encourage conversation regarding issues/how the Bible relates to those issues.
5.   Use a course or materials specifically written to teach worldview.
6.   Consider sending your older child to a worldview camp or conference or attend one as a family
7.   Create an atmosphere in your home that honors biblical thinking.
8.   Attend a church where the Word of God is consistently, faithfully taught.
9.   As your child gets older, transfer spoon-fed biblical teaching methods to self-directed bible study
10. Choose an education that backs up what is being taught/has been taught at home

I’m going to unpack these thoughts further over at Walking with Sarah in the coming weeks as we take each point and study it in more detail.  Be sure and join us!

Dear Friends,

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