Giving is really so very rewarding!  It is to be seen as a privilege, a joy!  Here are some pointers from Scripture concerning our opportunity to give.  

​First of all, I would like to start by saying that I will be preaching to myself. If you happen to benefit from it, that’s great. I most certainly have not “arrived,” and my guess is that I will not be arriving anytime soon.
 
Ever since I was little, I have always wanted to be married and have a family. When I was around 10 years old, I figured I would be married by 20, so I just had to wait 10 more years!!! Well, I just had my 32nd birthday, and no Prince Farming…(Yes, I meant that. I’d rather have a farmer than a charmer.) Needless to say, singleness has been, and continues to be, one of the greatest struggles of my life. So I’m going to share with you a few thoughts that I hope will turn your eyes (and mine!) back to the faithfulness of our Lord Jesus Christ…

Some encouragement for the dear mothers,

Even though I have never written to you before in this newsletter, I hoped to encourage you in this area. Time management…is this not something that all mothers struggle with at some point in their lives? When we stand before the throne of our heavenly Lord, will we have used our time wisely? Psalm 90:12 says, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” And Ephesians 5:15-17 says, “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.”

​A big topic that has been in our home lately is “Are you a ‘Martha’ or a ‘Mary’?” It all stemmed from a tape set that I recently purchased to help me with the #1 struggle I had been having over the last year….

Dearest Sisters,
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For the past year or so, God has been laying on my heart the importance of faithfulness to Him. I’d like to share with you some gleanings from the life of an ordinary man who held an ordinary job—yet he served an extraordinary God.

Pull out your Bibles! Remember that I told you I did a study on the book of Jonah? I thought I would share with you what I learned. Maybe you could do your own study on Jonah with someone in your family. Or you could do it on another book in the Bible. It’s best to start with short books, though. Note: I am going to put chapter: verse. For example, if you see 1:17, that means chapter 1, verse 17 of Jonah.  :)

As a young child, I memorized portions of Scripture here and there—anywhere from verses to chapters. As I grew older, I continued to memorize chapters on occasion. But I wasn’t memorizing Scripture consistently until several months ago—I was memorizing the book of First Timothy when the study material for the National Bible Bee became available. I was enrolled and decided to post-pone my memorization of 1 Timothy. :)

​What will you be remembered for after you breathe your last breath? It is a sobering and difficult question. Will it be your stylish clothing or your quick wit? Will it be your wall of accomplishments or your trophies of praise? Will it be your pile of possessions or your pretty hair? Probably it will be none of those things, but rather something related to who you are on the inside. But how does this inner character manifest itself outwardly in a life? We can't see inside and know what the heart and mind of a person is. Most often we see the inner workings of the heart by the outer workings of the hands and mouth. Yes, it is often your good works that show your good heart—a heart made good by the presence of the Holy Spirit. Ruth, Tabitha, Priscilla, Mary, Tryphena, Tryphosa, Lydia, Sara, and Phebe were all known for their good works. In fact good works can be used of God in a great way. Besides giving you true, enduring beauty, your good works also give God glory. What a high privilege and joy, and yet there is more too that God speaks regarding good works. Come, let us find the path the Virtuous Woman walked before us as God speaks to us the truth about the purpose and plan He has for our lives, for our works are writing our epitaph.