Live Grace, Give Grace: Only You Can Be You and Podcast

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He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.

~Isaiah 40:11, NIV

Often, lately, when I meet someone new who has read some of my books, they chat for a few moments and then confess their faults as a mama. I certainly don’t want others to think that just because I write about ideals, that I don’t fail to fulfill my own standards on a regular basis. But the ideals, the following the heart of God is what makes me continue to move forward.

Sometimes I even feel as thought God looks and me and shakes His head—”Oh that Sally! She just disappoints so often.” And yet, the more I ponder the Lord, the more I see HIs deep compassion and generous love toward me and all of his own children.

Somewhere along the way, I decided to put the load of guilt from all the ways I had failed into the file drawers of heaven and mark forgiven over them. Now, when voices accuse me of once more blowing it, I just pray and again give my state of guilt to Jesus, seeking to stay alive in the freedom that He has provided.

All of us carry guilt—because we yelled, because we have selfish, hateful thoughts. Yet, in spite of it all, we can start over every single day. And because your children want to love you and give you grace.

You are still writing your story. That story cannot have a good ending unless you decide to celebrate life right where you are and lay your guilt, inadequacy, and condemnation at the foot of the cross and then move on to live in the freedom He wants you to have.

In the same way we would not expect a toddler to live a life without making messes, crying, and throwing a few fits, so God is not surprised at our incredible potential for messing up. In comparison to His holiness and perfection, we are mere toddlers—if that.

Today, take off the burden—it’s ok to take a day off. Do something fun, look at that crazy child you have and look for the ways you can love them. Eat something fun and tasty. No legalism or pressure or guilt allowed today—for you or for your children

Celebrate life, Start over. All will be well and the world will keep turning. Even as you need new starts and do overs, so do your children need. Give them the love for who they are right as they are right now and give yourself the gift of loving yourself, just as you are.

Do not accept the heavy burden of guilt—choose to live in your new freedom. Choose to put away the voices that condemn. Faith is a choice of your will. Believe that He is a Redeemer. He can draw back stray sheep because He loves them and especially wants to love and help you because you are a mama after His heart. He will redeem— buy back—all of those mistakes. Redeeming is what He does—He delights in doing what He was made to do. So don’t waste your time worrying—leave your failings and regrets in His loving hands.

After all, I think mamas are close to His heart because, like Him, they make sacrifices for their sweet sheep.

One of Nathan’s and my desires in writing this book, Only You Can Be You, was to help parents to give their children the gift of grace, the gift of not having to bear unnecessary guilt or false guilt. We are all imperfect and yet, by His redeeming us, we are of great value, even in our own limitations. We hope you will use this book to talk with your children about God’s unconditional acceptance and love for them and that all will delight in the message and the amazing photos.

Also, there are free downloadable coloring pages, activity sheets and educational questions you can use to help children absorb the message behind this book. Go Here for more.

May you live in the resurrection power today and each day until you see Him face to face.

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Books Referenced in this Podcast:

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• Leave an iTunes Review These are so important as they help our podcast reach more women with messages of encouragement.

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• Share with others. My prayer is that this podcast brings encouragement to women and families, and I would be honored for you to tell others about it.

• Join my friends and me in membership at Life with Sally, a place for me to share more teaching from the Bible and messages on education, motherhood, discipleship, and more!

God's Unconditional Love: His Remarkable Power That Holds Us OYCBY

Remarkable: Our Lives are Held by the Hands of God

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Today, I have two messages on my heart. The first, as I launch Nathan’s and my book, is that being loved is practically the oxygen that we were made to breathe in order to keep alive and to flourish. An aching. longing pulses beneath, where no one can see. As the body requires food to stay alive, so the depths of a child hungers for love in order to stay alive. Each person longs for love that embraces, validates, affirms; that whispers, "Just as you are, I adore you. You delight me. I think about you and cherish the day you were born. You are my beloved and always will be, no matter what."

Each of us was crafted with a soul container that would need to be filled with love. Though no one can see from the outside whether ours is empty or full to overflowing, each of us has the ability to fill up another's cavern with words, touch, sacrifice, and generous gifts as we extend the life of Christ who is the source of life and love. But ultimately, it is Jesus who is the source of the love that will fill the holes in our heart.

We all sense that a mother's love is one of the most constant resources of God's love to children, able to sustain, strengthen, heal, and restore a child. Her love is a vibrant, living picture of what Christ is like. When we love our children well, and model to them what it is like to live a life of deep faith in our amazing God, our children will better be able to catch a glimpse of the remarkable life God has planned for them. These verses remind us:

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

The love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

If you have not love, you have become a noisy gong or a clanging symbol.

They will know you are my disciples by your love for one another.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

REMARKABLE

Second, Jesus, God in the flesh, is the source of all our love, the power behind the love, the one who extends HIs love to us. He is, in short, remarkable, and came to allow us to share in the remarkable possibilities of engaging in His love, purpose and ways in and through our own lives.

When full of His reality in our own lives, we are most likely to understand and receive and live out the love of Jesus.. Without His filling of our own hearts, we will search for belonging all our lives.

Today, I know you will enjoy the podcast I recorded with a friend who has been a pastor of a church I attend for many years. Pastor Brady Boyd has a passion to spark and inspire true faith in the lives of all he meets, He desires that we know and understand the, well, remarkable life God had in mind for each of us. I know you will be inspired and encouraged by our conversation today.

I have been inspired and so encouraged to live fully into my heritage in Christ by Pastor Brady many times over the last number of years. So grateful.

Brady Boyd is the senior pastor of New Life Church in Colorado Springs. I know you will be encouraged by his new book, Remarkable.

Let us remember, We know that God is Love.

Let us remember that His Love through us moves, inspires, shapes the dreams, gives hope, holds us for eternity--for heaven. Loving well is our heritage, our duty, our service of gratitude as we extend HIs love and life through ourselves to others. . Love keeps us alive. When we live by faith, this invest love in others, our own souls become full of His love--we pour out, He pours in.

Why do I focus on God's love and grace so much? Because Love is the source of all life. It is Him reincarnated through us. Love fuels faith and hope and inspires to overcome. And so I speak of love--the acting out of love which brings light to darkness, satisfaction to a starving heart, comfort to a lonely soul, sympathy to hurt feelings. Love never fails. May our love muscles grow stronger and stronger until we see Him, Love incarnate, face to face.

Today, live into HIs remarkable design for you. Give your children the gift of understanding this wonderful design by teaching them about God’s love for each of them as they are.

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Books Referenced in this Podcast:

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FOR MORE

• Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.

• Leave an iTunes Review These are so important as they help our podcast reach more women with messages of encouragement.

• Follow on Facebook and Instagram for the latest news and updates.

• Share with others. My prayer is that this podcast brings encouragement to women and families, and I would be honored for you to tell others about it.

• Join my friends and me in membership at Life with Sally, a place for me to share more teaching from the Bible and messages on education, motherhood, discipleship, and more!

Diversity Matters To God! Only You Can Be You & Podcast

My dear friend, Glenn Pakiam, reading to two of his children.

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Lions and tigers and bears, …., and giraffes, mice, turtles—so much diversity from the artist who created all.

Red hair, blue eyes, tan skin, tall, short, loud, quiet, diversity is a part of the expression of the heart of God who sparkles through every part of His intentional creativity.

Diversity is a hot topic in our culture today and brings up all sorts of fire. Yet, as Nathan and I began to write this book, we realized that a part of our heart was to inspire and encourage parents to lay a foundation of unconditional love and acceptance for all people, all cultures, all color of skin, all backgrounds as a part of the beginning of shaping children’s value system.

In Sunday school years, many of us sang heartily, “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world, red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.”

Yet, in the historical arena of wars, religions, and politics create voices of prejudice and hostility in our minds. Many evangelical believers even justify cultivating prejudice in their values. Yet, Jesus is the one who said, “Go into all the world and make disciples.” All the world, no exceptions.

Clay and I had the privilege of being one of the staff couples in Vienna, Austria in an International Chapel there. It was no unusual for us to have people from 40 different countries on a Sunday morning. We had friends from Asia, India, Africa, Europe, Iraq, Iran, Australia, New Zealand, Russia and so many more. We all stretched to understand and imagine one another’s back ground, to grow stronger because of the influence our many friends from many cultures had on us.

Once I was returning from a mission trip where I had spoken in hidden places in the desert where Christianity was outlawed just out of Dubai in the desert. I was surrounded by sheiks who would not acknowledge me as a woman. On to Macedonia, a poor muslim country where women and children had little to eat. On to speak in Catholic Poland where many were hungry for Bible teaching in a country that had previously outlawed Bibles and where people longed for Bible teachers. As I was training through Germany when it was all over, I realized that God heard the prayers of all of these in each of their languages and that He was not partial to English or Americans. When I looked at the context of each person that Christ had died for, I better understood HIs heart.

One of the things I loved about living in Oxford was being surrounded by so many different languages, cultures, backgrounds and peoples. Joy and I talked about being charitable to all, taking time to listen to their stories to understand and sympathize with their faith and values by knowing more about their context.

We will never penetrate secular culture with the love of Christ is we do not first extend the love and sympathy of Christ through our own lives, so that others may understand His invitation.

His creation is full of diversity—tall and short, loud and quiet, creative and logical, each fingerprint and DNA unique. God loves and died for all people, every single person. If we are going to obey his mandate for the world to know we are HIs disciples by our love, then it means we need to teach, model and extend that love to all people, everywhere. Prejudice is not from God. Supernatural love crosses barriers, and is a part of His heart. It is why he extolled the brave faith of a Roman guard, not accepted by the Jewish culture. He lifted up a Samaritan, one of a different culture and skin color than that of the Jewish Pharisees he was relating the story of the Good Samaritan.

If we want our children to push through differences of people, for the sake of the love of Christ, we must teach them the value of loving those who are different than us and then model it in our words and behavior.

I do not want to offend anyone in opening this subject,.but do hope you will enjoy our podcast today and the importance of having a heart, and seeing inside of all of those God brings into your life. And I pray you and your children will have the privilege of reaching out to share the love of Christ with them.

Books Referenced in this Podcast:

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FOR MORE

• Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.

• Leave an iTunes Review These are so important as they help our podcast reach more women with messages of encouragement.

• Follow on Facebook and Instagram for the latest news and updates.

• Share with others. My prayer is that this podcast brings encouragement to women and families, and I would be honored for you to tell others about it.

• Join my friends and me in membership at Life with Sally, a place for me to share more teaching from the Bible and messages on education, motherhood, discipleship, and more!

A Family Culture of Unconditional Love: Only You Can Be You

Lisa, Misty, Sally chatting about how different our 15 children were and how we came to love them.

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Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. I Peter 4:8

 Six of us were tucked here and there between blankets on couches, mugs of hot chocolate and marshmallows in hand and enjoying the crackling fire in our den. It was a freezing December day with snow falling heavily outside, while we sat warm in body and soul in the fine company of each other.

After a heavy sigh, one of my boys said, “You know, almost everyone I have met in my world of work comes from some kind of broken background, with abuse or divorce or unhappiness. And those stories of instability and pain seems to paralyze them in so many ways. I hardly know anyone who came from a healthy background.”

“It is so great to be back in our family culture of love—no matter what conflict or difficulty or failure or attitude I’ve been experiencing, I know I can come home to unconditional love and have all of you here to support me, to accept me, to help me. I never knew how blessed our family was until I left home. We have so much to celebrate together. I am so happy to be here, to be able to restore.”

A Culture of Love—I had never thought of it that way, but it spoke volumes to my mother heart. All of us as families create a family culture of some kind. The traditions we keep, the meals we make, the routines we practice, the values we espouse and hold, the movies that are our favorites, the church we attend, the generosity we practice, the way we invest time, the company we keep—all of these come together to craft our individual family culture. We can also, inadvertently, create a family culture negatively—a culture of anger, neglect, guilt, discord, disharmony, worldly values, and so on.

Crafting a culture of love requires that I as a mom become the conductor of a loving and generous heart that leads all of my children to understand gracious, generous, sacrificial, validating, forgiving love. To create such a culture requires planning, intention, mature responses, words of life and affirmation, patience, and just lots and lots of unconditional love.

We pray our newest book (YES! Two new book babies in one month—so much excitement around here!) will be an encouragement to you as well as your children!

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• Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.

• Leave an iTunes Review These are so important as they help our podcast reach more women with messages of encouragement.

• Follow on Facebook and Instagram for the latest news and updates.

• Share with others. My prayer is that this podcast brings encouragement to women and families, and I would be honored for you to tell others about it.

• Join my friends and me in membership at Life with Sally, a place for me to share more teaching from the Bible and messages on education, motherhood, discipleship, and more!

New Children's Book: Only You Can Be You & Nathan & Me Podcast

We always did enjoy reading books together…..:) Nathan, 30, and me reading our new book together. :)

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When you give birth to your children and hold them in your arms, you don’t really even know how to imagine what is ahead of you. My little bundle of Nathan came out without a peep in less than 2 hours after I went into labor. He was calm for about two days and then he never quit wiggling and talking and “being” other than an active little boy ever again!

How could I have held him and imagined that I would work on projects, write books, speak at conferences and have lots of adventures with this full of energy boy, who has become a film and television actor, a script writer a producer and a 6 time author! You never know what your little one might have in store for themselves—and you!

It’s part of why we decided to write Only You Can Be You. We wanted parents all over the world to speak acceptance, understanding, love, affirmation into the very core of their children’s being to understand that who God made them to be, as they are, is a masterpiece.

We have received hundreds of letters from many of you who loved our first book together, Different: The Story of Different: The Story of an Outside-the-Box Kid and the Mom Who Loved Him. Most of you told us that you were so happy to find someone else with a child who was bigger than life who understood your life. And all of you said, “This book has helped me learn to love all of my children just as God gave them to me.”

We wanted to follow up with a beautiful children’s book so that we could help parents know how to pass on a foundation of love right into the brain pathways, the early messages of their lives. Here is our summary of our book as our publishers described it. Hope you like our podcast as we discuss this today and hope you love sharing the book with your children.

Some kids like to dance and laugh out loud, and some sit quietly and make up stories in their heads—but we're all different, and that's okay because the maker of everything made us this way!

In our first picture book, bestselling author Sally Clarkson and her son Nathan encourage children on the journey to discovering their strengths. Mother and son duo draw on themes from their first book, Different, the emotive story of Nathan's experiences growing up with mental illness and learning disabilities and Sally's journey to loving him unconditionally. With the powerful truth that what makes you different makes you great, Only You Can Be You will help children embrace their differences and celebrate the differences in others.

The irresistible rhymes paired with Tim Warnes's whimsical illustrations encourage your children with the reassurance they're looking for in their own uniqueness. Whether they are quiet or artistic, funny or boisterous, your children will love this heartwarming read that assures them that they're wonderful exactly as they are.

Get your copy today.

Only You Can Be You: What Makes You Different Makes You Great

By Sally Clarkson, Nathan Clarkson

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• Leave an iTunes Review These are so important as they help our podcast reach more women with messages of encouragement.

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• Share with others. My prayer is that this podcast brings encouragement to women and families, and I would be honored for you to tell others about it.

• Join my friends and me in membership at Life with Sally, a place for me to share more teaching from the Bible and messages on education, motherhood, discipleship, and more!

It's a New Baby ... BOOK! Welcome Mom Heart Moments (and Launch Party Info!)

Mom Heart Moments is officially LAUNCHED! We’re so excited that this new book baby has been born into the world, and hope you’ll love it as much as we do. This book was created to help YOU develop time for prayer and reading each day, in an accessible way. We pray it will be helpful and an encouragement to mamas everywhere!

From the book …

"I picture my children’s souls as gardens and realize that greatness of character must
be planted, cultivated, fertilized, watered, and protected while I consistently watch for
and remove weeds and bugs and all that would kill what’s struggling to grow there.
I understand that discipleship must be very intentional. It must be a daily, moment
by moment endeavor. It is a way of life. Excellence of character does not develop by
accident, but it is an intentional goal that must be set and worked toward."

“There are brave, courageous women in my midst who, against formidable odds, have held fast to Jesus, and their stories are breathtaking and encouraging and cause me to want to trust Jesus more for my own problems. ...
The eyes of our heart and the obedient choices we make when we are squeezed by life will determine the kind of women we become.’

We will be hosting a live launch party TONITE at 9pm Eastern. Go to my Sally Clarkson page on facebook or find me on Instagram to join us, and especially to find out who’s won the $1,000 giveaway to come visit me! And of course, be sure to order a copy of Mom Heart Moments for yourself—or a friend!

Mom Heart Moments: Daily Devotions for Lifegiving Motherhood

By Sally Clarkson

What Downton Abbey and Motherhood Have in Common (and a Podcast!)

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The girls and I were so excited to visit Highclere Castle, where the TV series Downton Abbey is filmed, last year. It’s a lovely home which has actually been used to serve people in many different ways over the years, adding to the beauty that’s been cultivated there by the owners. If you ever happen to be in England, you must visit!

Lots of the ladies on our national team have been eagerly awaiting the premiere of the new Downton Abbey movie, and were excited to see it when it came out last week. We realize everyone has different tastes, convictions, and levels of content they find appropriate for themselves and their families, and there are a couple of scenes that some of you may not find acceptable. But, our team visited the UK and because of the history, the stories, Misty sent all of us al Vox about how the movie encouraged her that we loved and we thought it might be of interest and fun for you. Yes, we love the tales and history of many places all over the world and especially Downton, because it was the ultimate Lifegiving Home. So enjoy the podcast and remember how very important you are in creating life for many people that will be a story worth telling in your lifetime.

And hear what we learned about this amazing castle that inspired Joy and me and Sarah.

The story of Downton is the story of a time when the monarchy and its attached systems of Earls, Counts, and all the rest was in demise. “Landed” families—those with titles, who were effectively the overseers and caretakers of those large estates, including the people who lived within the boundaries of each area—had a choice to make: remain and try to keep managing the upkeep and maintenance of massive homes, often without the income they’d previously brought in, due to the rapid changes taking place in society at the time; or give it all up, sell those massive homes and give up their positions in order to live simpler lives.

For many of us, watching Downton felt a teeny tiny bit as if we were watching our own lives, as sometimes maintaining the values and ideals we hold in the face of a culture which is determined to throw them away feels overwhelming, too. Today, Misty and I are talking about our reactions to watching Downton, and the parallels we saw between the movie and motherhood. We hope you’ll listen in, and also that you’ll be sure to get your own copy of Mom Heart Moments, which launches out into the world TOMORROW!!!

And we hope you will be encouraged by Mom Heart Moments.

Books Referenced in this Podcast:

FOR MORE

• Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.

• Leave an iTunes Review These are so important as they help our podcast reach more women with messages of encouragement.

• Follow on Facebook and Instagram for the latest news and updates.

• Share with others. My prayer is that this podcast brings encouragement to women and families, and I would be honored for you to tell others about it.

• Join my friends and me in membership at Life with Sally, a place for me to share more teaching from the Bible and messages on education, motherhood, discipleship, and more!

Don't Stress Out, It Will Kill You. Find a Smile In Your Heart! (And an extra podcast!)

"In quietness and rest shall be your strength." Isaiah 30:15

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Today, I ran into a friend I hadn’t seen in a while. We caught up on basic details and then she said, “You know, I am not a perfect mom but I try so hard to be a good mom but sometimes I fail..”

How often do we all feel that way? No mom is a perfect mom. Many of us probably all need to chill a little bit and take a chill pill-fun pill. I read somewhere that if you just sat and smiled about 10 or so times—totally smiling to the far corners of your cheeks and with your eyes—all in—that you would begin to stimulate happy hormones and actually start feeling less sad.

And laughing is healing, say all the physicians. How long has it been since you have had a smile in your heart?

Plan fun or laughing into your life every day. Remember when you used to be fun?

So often, we give and give and give and then wonder why we become grumpy or short in patience. But, God has put rhythms into our lives to remind us just how much we need our bodies to go completely away from the stress of the day in order to cope with the demands of life.

God Created Cycles of Rest

The day has a cycle about it--so many hours of light and darkness. In the light we can see to read, to work, to be active--but darkness was to be a signal of closing the day and its duties off.

Sabbath was also instigated by God to remind us to stop, to put aside work, to put aside the frenzy, to rest and cultivate peace and to restore.

In our 24/7 world, with false lights to keep us up and working all hours of the day, 24 hours of internet, 24 hours of tv, cars with lights that can travel all hours, etc., we lose the concept of day and night, work verses rest and refreshing.

Stress Kills

Numerous articles have come my way that says stress is at the bottom of multiple deadly diseases. Stress creates extra cortisol which is a hormone that puts the body in a continuous shock mode and taxes the adrenals.

No wonder there are so many stress diseases--heart attacks, obesity, thyroid problems, cancer, nervous and anxiety disorders, depression, mental disorders, and emotional disorders, diabetes. We are busy all the time, feeling guilty for all we do not get done and wearing ourselves out—but redoubling our efforts to work harder, do more.

And even Scripture tells us, “Fret not, it leads only to evil doing.” Proverbs

I realized many years ago that I was becoming very ill from so much push, push and work, work, work. I also realized that no one else was going to take responsibility for my health and well-being but me. I made a plan and put rhythms into my life that relieved the stress, gave me some breathing room for my body, mind and heart.

One of the reasons moms yell at their children is that they never get a break. Grumpiness and anger comes from pushing, pushing, pushing.

An hour of rest and getting away was a regular rhythm in our home. Every afternoon, I put a pot of tea to boil and poured out cups of tea, or little sippy cups of juice or whatever seemed good, and everyone learned, by training to go to their "places" for a personal time. (More on how I accomplished that later.) I could not have done without my hour in the day.I trained my children to it early, even as toddlers and it gave me the ability to have a one woman tea time.

I also, committed to Sabbath rest on Sundays--closed all of my "work" on Saturday and did not pick it up until Monday. It was all still there when I got back to it, but the world did not fall apart when I did not work on Sunday--but, I was much more able to keep up the demands of my life when I took off and made Sunday a day or worship, rest, pleasure, fun and naps for me.

Work and travel chases me every day, demands my life's blood. But, I rule over this force that would overcome me.   Stop. Put it all aside. Rest.

Other pleasures that I have fit into my schedule:

*A Saturday morning out for breakfast with a friend or my girls, most weeks and a rousing walk by the old Victorian Homes I love to see.

*15 minutes tea time on my front porch to enjoy the aspens and breezes every day during the late spring until late fall.

*A Nightly walk and ball throwing venture with Darcy Dog

*Books on tape in the car, in my bathroom when I am getting ready, when I wash dishes—to give my mind a little recreation and a great rousing story to distract me from the current issues.

*A phone call to my best friends, (the kids), and a handful of others.

*Sunday afternoon tea time and a sweet of some sort with my friends or family.

So, what will you do?

My mind needs it, my body needs it, my spirit needs it. But as a woman who is attempting to grow in maturity in the Lord, I have had to be intentional about being sure that I include rest, refueling, restoration and inspiration into my own personal life-not just once in a while, but regularly so that I can keep going and going and going.

People deplete me all the time, every day, wherever I go. But if I want to last for many more years of giving out and being in ministry and meeting my children's and husband's needs, I must pace myself. (And, by the way, that is why I am taking some time away from my normal schedule of online ministry—and you can pray for me, that I become refreshed and restored.

Learn to Ignore the Piles

And so, though there are many letters to answer, piles to organize, rooms to clean, groceries to shop for, people to call back, ad infinitum, I will lay them all in the file folders of heaven for God to keep. I have learned that they will all still be here tomorrow, and that God wants me to leave my burdens alone--as He is the father, I the toddler and He will indeed work in all of my circumstances without my help. But if I take responsibility to take care of my own heart and soul, I will last much longer, much better, and even have peace and quietness if I take time to rest.

And so, when I stop, my soul smiles a little more.

May your soul smile very soon.

I hope you will enjoy the articles I have stored up for my newest book, Mom Heart Moments. You can order your copy now and it will be sent out this week. It would make a great Christmas present!

Printables:

Books Referenced in this Podcast:

More Resources:

FOR MORE

• Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.

• Leave an iTunes Review These are so important as they help our podcast reach more women with messages of encouragement.

• Follow on Facebook and Instagram for the latest news and updates.

• Share with others. My prayer is that this podcast brings encouragement to women and families, and I would be honored for you to tell others about it.

• Join my friends and me in membership at Life with Sally, a place for me to share more teaching from the Bible and messages on education, motherhood, discipleship, and more!

The Long Distance Journey of Motherhood (and a Podcast!)

Motherhood is a very long distance run, and sometimes lonely.

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This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness . . . The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him.
It is good that he waits silently for the salvation of the Lord.

~Lamentations 3:21-26

Motherhood keeps going and going! It is a long distance run and often we feel isolated and alone. Today, I am talking with my dear friends Margaret and Holly about the ways we have been challenged by the long-range reality of motherhood. I pray you will know that your long distance run matters every step of the way. We hope you’ll enjoy and be encouraged by our conversation!

Life sometimes seems to be an obstacle course. How I face each dip that must be straddled, each curve that must be managed, each barrier that must be jumped will indeed determine the outcome of my race. There is rarely a reprieve, and I always have to be on the alert so that my soul stays in the place of peace and hope.

Holly, me, and missing is our third friend, Margaret.

I want to always go to the place where the truth is, where God’s presence is, giving me guidance and hope. Struggling through difficulties is normal, and I still sometimes feel weariness, frustration, fear, and hopelessness right in the midst of feeling joy, deep appreciation, and love. But I continue persistently looking for His treasures of encouragement and truth.

Seeking God daily is my treasure. I try to make it a time when no one will talk to me or disturb my reverie. (I even sort of trained my kids to expect this and most days they gave me a bit of time by myself-truly, so much repetition and it became a time when they wanted to play alone or read when they were older. Couldn’t be long but it was great.)

I light my candles, brew a cup of tea, and enter into the presence of the Lord. Usually I sit for a few minutes and take in the peace of being quiet and still. Sometimes I fail to calm my soul and instead stew and fret; sometimes I just sit and try to gather my wits and soul about me; sometimes I cry out; and other times, I dig for new truth and knowledge. He is the one Friend whom I go to every day. Without Him, there is no solution for me. Withoqut His help and strength, I will find no path and no peace.

Are you talking to God in prayer as you would converse with a friend? Are you hoping in and waiting for the Lord, as today’s verse suggests?

Find my newest book, crafted to encourage you along the long journey of motherhood, HERE!

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The Secret Place of Power: Mom Heart Moments 5 and Podcast

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“But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you."

Matthew 6:6

The past few weeks have been exceedingly stressful for me. One of those times when you are often brought to tears or at least pain in your tummy, while seeking to try to give it all to God and leaving the stress in His capable hands. I have many practices where I verbally and mentally give it to Him. But for me the stress often comes from being caught in the deep conflict and battles of life my loved ones (children, husband) are caught in and feeling very responsible to change or help meet the answer and needs of unanswerable things. I hate conflict with my loved ones and inevitably, we will often have differing opinions of what to do and how to proceed. And, have I mentioned that we are all very opinionated and stubborn.

I was talking to one of my children who said, “This is the kind of year when you say, Lord, I am pretty sure I am going to blow apart before the end of this day, can you please, please help.” And guess what, mama, I am depending on God again because I have to—there is no way out.

Sometimes life is like that. Yet, those of us who have determined that for our whole lifetime, we will trust God, walk with Him, even in darkness, even when tried to our core, no matter our feelings, we will see His faithfulness and we will grow a godly character.

Godliness comes from a long obedience and heartfelt trust in the direction of a Holy God who is faithful.

Indeed, we cannot always see Him, we do not always feel Him, but faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction (believe, certainty) in things not seen.

This morning, the words above capture me. My Father is waiting for me in secret. He longs for me to come to Him, to tell Him of my secrets. To confess my sin, my weaknesses, fears, vulnerability, my selfishness. to tell Him that I actually believe He is strong enough to hold me, to give an answer that will be good, to be willing to believe that he will provide.

And my own conflict resolved itself today as several of us, after much faith walking, praying, asking for wisdom, asking for intervention and for His peace.

Dreams matter to him because I am his beloved child. Perhaps he even placed them there. Perhaps He wants to expand them.

To think of Him waiting and willing to answer, to love me, to talk to me to respond--to change the course of history because I came to Him, my Father.

Oh, to leave Him waiting with me not showing up.

Oh, Father. Thank you for waiting for me here, my secret place with you, where you do not allow anyone else to interrupt, or bother us. You are so very considerate to make this time for me. I come to you as a little girl, I am here to be your beloved daughter. May you know how very grateful I am to have you all to myself. I love you, my dearest of all dearest Fathers.

Do you ever, like me, neglect to answer God’s call? Do you ever leave Him waiting?

Sometimes we do so because we just don’t know what to say. Maybe we are feeling dry and exhausted, and we don’t even know what to read in His word.

I pray my new book is an encouragement and help to you as you’re answering God’s call each day. A simple scripture, a bit of a thought from me, and then questions or something to ponder will offer you a place to begin. Find it HERE.

Printables:

Books Referenced in this Podcast:

More Resources:

FOR MORE

• Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.

• Leave an iTunes Review These are so important as they help our podcast reach more women with messages of encouragement.

• Follow on Facebook and Instagram for the latest news and updates.

• Share with others. My prayer is that this podcast brings encouragement to women and families, and I would be honored for you to tell others about it.

• Join my friends and me in membership at Life with Sally, a place for me to share more teaching from the Bible and messages on education, motherhood, discipleship, and more!