Having a Martha House the Mary Way

I'm taking the challenge! I just bought this e-book and over the next 30 days I'm going to attempt to do it(I may have to skip a few days and rewind if we end up moving in a few weeks). Much like the author of this book, I hate to clean. I do it because it has to be done and because my husband enjoys coming home to a clean house. This book gives you something to think on and then gives you a cleaning task. Its pretty interesting.

Which type of woman are you?

"Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless. But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy. Yes, you should rejoice, and I will share your joy."-Philippians 2:14-18

God has really been putting this verse on my heart lately. Its such a good verse to live by. I think everybody in Texas are having a hard time not complaining in this heat but its something that important to God and to our loved ones.

"It's better to live alone in the corner of an attic than with a quarrelsome wife in a lovely home."-Proverbs 25:24

That may sound harsh but its true. As women we strive to make our homes welcoming by picking out the perfect paint color and the nicest furniture and take hours trying to figure out the best way to arrange it. We try so hard to make out homes welcoming for guest but what about our husbands? Are we making him feel welcomed and peaceful in him home? It is our jobs a wives to encourage our husbands and make our home peaceful for our children.

"A wise woman builds her home, but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands." -Proverbs14:1

We may be working hard to make our homes look good physically but are we tearing them down emotionally.

Believe it or not I used to be a husband basher. I would talk bad and complain about my husband constantly to friends family and just about anyone who would listen. I talk about all the things that I had asked him to do and how he never did them. I would make fun of the things that he did and said. Sounds bad, I know but I really saw no harm in it. "Surely these people know that I do love him." I would tell myself. Until one day I was at work and I was on a tirade. I was just going on and on and some of the other women I worked with had joined in complaining about there husbands. We were all worked up in a tizzy complaining and laughing and making fun until an older lady spoke up. I had noticed she didn't have any input the whole time and just seemed to be listening and taking it all in. She looked at me and said "If you hate your husband so much then why are you still married to him?" I could not believe she would say such a thing! I loved my husband very much and I never wanted to not be married to him. The it hit me. If I love him I need to act like it. I realized that I was going to have to have a major attitude change. After that I made a promise to myself that no matter how much I get frustrated with David and no matte how many of my friends are bashing there husband I would not say anything negative about him. Instead I would say something good about him. Its been hard and Ive even grown distant from some friends because of it but my marriage and greatly benefited from it. Times when I was being o negative it made it hard to get along. I had no patience and no grace. Now I'm happy to get to spend time with my husband and look forward to it when we get to just sit and talk. My husband looks forward to coming home. Not because how nice and clean and beautiful it is but because I make him feel welcome. I make an effort to love on him and build him up before he has to go out into the world again.

"A worthy wife is a crown for her husband, but a disgraceful woman is like cancer in his bones."-Proverbs 12:4

Are you a worthy wife or a disgraceful one? I am happy to say that I am striving to be a worthy one.

Ive never been so ready for fall! All I can do these days is eat Popsicles. We have had record breaking heat not to mention that I cant even remember the last time it rained.
God has really been testing lots of people in our church and community. We've had people lose everything in fires, ranchers having to sell all of there livestock and so many people getting sick. As trying as times like these are, now is when I can really see God working and moving in the lives of people around me and in my own. Sunday the alter was so full of people on there faces praying that the were leaning on the back of other people. God is so awesome and I love to see people praise Him. Ive had some very big things laid on my heart these past few weeks and I hope to share details soon.

In the mean time I have volunteered to plan the Christmas program at out church! I'm excited but a little nervous at the same time. (I'm not exactly the most organized person) I know God will help me with it since hes the one that wanted me to do it. : ) Also we are in the processes AGAIN of buy a house! We really feel like this is the house that God wants us to have. The owners are awesome and have been such a blessing to us! They have such a love for God and they told us that they feel that they are meant to be a blessing to us by selling us the house for much less than they initially were asking.

"Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to Him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen." -Ephesians 3:20&21

Our God is not only good, He's extravagant. He wants to bless those who trust in him far beyond they could imagine!

A Gold Ring in a Pig's Snout

Oh my closet is so bare! We will hopefully be moving soon and I suddenly got the strong urge to complete rid my closet of anything that I don't wear. It was ridiculous! I had two huge trash bags FULL of clothes. One bag went to a friend who has a teenage daughter and the other will be added to my mom garage sale stuff. I couldn't believe some of the things that I had been hoding on to.

• Clothes from my freshman year of high school

• Clothes that don't fit

• Clothes that are worn out or faded

• Clothes that were too hootchie for a street walker (from my wilder days)

I made up my mind one way to be modest is to get rid of all the questionable clothes. Modesty is something that I struggle with regularly. I know that modesty is part of being a woman of God but at the same time my human desire is to be noticed. As a woman I want to be found beautiful and the world tells me beautiful is being hot and sexy and showing what you've got. Well I made up my mind about a year ago that I was not going to seek the ways of the world but the ways of God. He is my reason for living and if I am not seeking to please Him my life is empty.

Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. Galatians 1:10

I am tired of trying to win the approval of men. The truth is you can never win the approval of men. when i say men I mean this world. No matter how sexy you try to be there is always someone who will be sexier.


Back in the day when I dressed sexy I would tell myself and my husband that I was just following fashion. That i just wanted to dress "in style". Now thinking back the reason that I dressed the way I did was strictly to get attention. You can think what you want about me but I when I got dressed before we went out I consciously made the decision to wear the shirt that showed a little too much cleavage or the shorts that showed off my legs or the heels that made me look...well hot. I'm not saying that being sexy for your husband is bad. You should do that for him but its the being sexy for other people's husband is were we go wrong and that's what happens when you go out in public like that. When I dressed like that I wanted everyman to want me and I wanted every woman to want to be me. Now it sounds really messed up to me but at the time I thought there was nothing wrong with it. I wanted all eyes on me!

So some people might say well whats the harm in looking? "Men will be men." or "Its fine to look as long as you don't touch." Right? Wrong! The bible clearly addresses this in Matthew

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery. ²⁸ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. -MATTHEW 5:27-28:

So what Matthew is say here is that if a man looks at you lustfully then it is the same as him committing adultery. So then you ask "Why is that my problem. He shouldn't look at me that way" Well men are very visual creatures and it is human nature to want to look. We are all sinful and there is not one person in this world that doesn't struggle with sin.

As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one;- Romans 3:10

So if we dress sexy to get attention then we are causing people to stumble.

So let's stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.-Romans 14:23

Now that I have a close personal relationship with Christ I don't want to do anything to effect the walk that others have with him. Ive come to a place now in my relationship with God and my husband that my body was created for my husband to enjoy and for his eyes only. Let me tell you, it is so freeing! The Bible says whoever lives a sinful life is a slave to sin. I'm not saying that I am without sin and that I don't struggle with it but with an obedient heart sin no longer has a hold of me. I refuse to be a slave to sin or a slave to this world. God put this on my heart a few weeks ago. While reading my bible one morning this verse stuck out to me.

A beautiful woman who lacks discretion is like a gold ring in a pig's snout. Proverbs 11:22

I am proud to say that I am no longer a gold ring in a pig's snout!