Today, 13 degree weather, frost and light snow covering everything greeted me as I poured fluid into my windshield fluid container. Up and about at 6:00, I have chapters to write, but I do not want to miss making memories with my sweet ones.

Last week, Joy attended a Biola Bound weekend in California where she is considering attending college in the fall. As I drove up to the campus to pick her up, everyone looked old to me and like prowlers out to get Joy. How could my baby be old enough to attend? How would she manage without me?

My throat thickened and tears welled and I felt abandoned and powerless and sad for the reality of her leaving.

She bounced out of the dorm where she was staying with excitement, life, stories and a faith to take on her world.

So I tucked my sadness away and celebrated with her in her cheer and joy.

Funny how time changes things. Yes, there were the days I was so overwhelmed I didn't know what to do. Days of depression. Days of boredom. Days of wondering what I was thinking when I had these 4 children--and then decided to homeschool them.

But, little by little, God taught me a rhythm of life, showed me to cherish them, stretched my life and emotional and work muscles, and I fell in love with my children, my home and the life we shared there. Little by little it happened by His Spirit leading, instructing, enlarging my heart.

And now home, through book deadlines, conference details, myriads of correspondence and requests, only one thing is in my heart. To keep my priority of God and people, to make decisions every day to keep the first things first. Next year, I will long to talk to her face to face and see sparkling eyes and hear her antics and what she has learned and the details of her busy life, But I have today to grasp and hold and subdue. Hopefully by the time I have a chapter written, she will be up and around and we can spend time together. And Joel who is only temporarily home for three months after being gone for 4 years is here to celebrate now.

Just called Joy now that she is up and made plans, pizza for her friends coming to practice speech, chocolate chip cookies and hot chocolate for all and Joel and me a date to share the thoughts and dreams bubbling around as is always constant in our home. Joy shared with me life-changing thoughts from her quiet time this morning--how very often she speaks into my soul.

So, somehow we will all gather, at least for moments planned and protected to love and build the strings that tie our hearts together a little thicker, that we will all long for this time, together, the rest of our lives.

Joy's friends warming feet by the fire--a sweet memory in the midst of some other cold on another day.

Give the gift of innocence, beauty

Emile Claus

A babe in the house is a well-spring of pleasure, a messenger of peace and love, a resting place for innocence on earth, a link between angels and men. Martin Farquhar Tucker

When I am traveling and hosting conferences and writing a book at the same time, I do not have the time to write long blog articles. Yet, in meeting all of these moms and talking with them, what I have to say is fresher and my ideals are at their highest. Yet, time is a limitation and I must stick to my deadlines, so I would appreciate your prayers.

But, one thing I would say this morning, is give your child, (and yourself), the gift of an innocent heart. A child's heart is hopeful, trusting, loving, unashamed, unselfconscious and pure.

We are what we feed on. Whatever things are true,  whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things, ( Phil. 4:8), was the grid through which I taught my children to cultivate life. If it didn't fit this grid, then we did not do it.

There is a power and strength to purity and innocence. It brings flashing light and reality to impure things. It sees the value of people compared to possessions. Innocence has a testimony, a voice and an ability to see God, as no other. (Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Matt. 5:8)

So, consider how to eliminate evil, contemporary values, materialism, sarcasm, junk, violence, inane media, dependence on machines from your children's lives. You only have a season of time to build in them an appetite for what is best.

And so, in this vein, I commend my sweet daughter, Sarah's blog to you. It is filled with beauty and with the filling of souls with all that is beautiful, as this was how she was raised and the fruit of her soul reflects the foundations that were laid. Simply place your cursor on the picture and you will enter her world and see a little of her Oxford life.

Beauty and innocence to you, today, my sweet friends.

Attention: Dallas Mom Heart Conference--news!

We have found out that the Dallas Mom Heart conference hotel rooms are gone--we have over 420 hotel nights reserved and that was our limit. You may still get a room at one of two places! However, please tell both, if you call them, that you are with the Mom Heart Conference and they will possibly give you a better rate. Sign up soon and tell your friends as they are running out of space.

You can still come to the conference, so do register soon, to be sure to secure a spot.  (and they have very few rooms left), you will have to pay a weekend price of $110 up to $134. You may still call there to check for availability. Hotel Room Reservations: 972-831-0000 (Hotel) or 800-264-1178 (Marriott) (“Mom Heart Conference” rate) If you want to stay at the Marriott, please tell them you are with the group and you are willing to pay the higher price or they may not let you know if there are any available or not.

However, we have arranged for 50 more rooms for Whole Heart at the Wyndam, which is right across the street and very convenient, and the price per room night is $84 plus tax. Here is the information:

Brenda Sayegh > Director of Sales and Marketing > Wyndham Las Colinas Hotel > 110 West John Carpenter Freeway > Irving, Texas  75039 > Direct Line:  972-650-5907 > Fax Line:  972-650-5920 > www.wyndhamlascolinas.com     BSayegh@wyndham.com

Hope this answers some questions. Looking so forward to seeing you. All of you be blessed today.

What did you learn? What are you thinking?

A host of friends sharing life

I am preparing for our last conference of the season in Texas next weekend. There is so much life and grace amongst all of you sweet moms who attend our conferences.(And for those of you far away, we will be doing a final taping this conference that you can download.) But I always want to know--with all the sweet mamas you talked with, the messages, the thoughts that filled  your heart, I would love to know--what is He whispering? What should I focus on next week?

It seems every conference is different because the Lord always impresses me with something different I am learning every week. I would love to know what you have been learning lately.

Used blog 2/7/2021 Seek, Search, looking carefully and diligently

Hans Heyerdahl

Now set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God; I Chronicles 22:19

I love those who love me; And those who diligently seek me will find me.Proverbs 8: 17

Last night, I almost crawled up to my bedroom. Flying back from California and driving the hour from the airport home, unpacking suitcases and boxes from the car, I just had enough time to take a hot bath and wash  my hair before the door bell rang.

"Mom, there are 2 women to help you set up the house," came Joel's voice from outside my bedroom door. I was dressed in a towel, sopping wet hair! I quickly threw on some very casual clothes and dried my hair just enough to pull it out of my face, applied a bit of lip gloss and down the stairs I went.

Two and a half hours later and 42 women later, I ushered my last sweet moms out the door and looked toward blessed sleep.

When I got to my room, though, Joy was there, wrapped in comfy-come home and fall apart clothes--diary in hand, and plopped down on my loveseat with me--knee to knee.

"Mama, I am pretty tired, but I didn't want to go to bed without spending a few moments with you and sharing my heart."

And so we sat there, together, in the sweet air of love and mama-daughter fellowship and shared souls.

I was so honored that she waited up for me, to meet with me, to be with me, to care enough to spend time with me. It was a memory I will store away to visit for the lonely days ahead when she will be away at school.

And so my sweet daughter gives me a picture of how much He, too, longs for me to wait up for Him, to want to share my heart with Him, to seek His company amidst my busy day. He who is so very busy--and yet always makes the time for me, His little girl. It's a matter of making time for what really matters and putting aside all of the other stuff--to invest in the eternal.

Seek first the kingdom of God, Matthew 6:33

When you search for wisdom, search for her as for silver and gold, Proverbs

If I knew that somewhere on my premises there was a chest of silver and gold, enough to last my family for a life time, I think I would ponder it, think about it, put great effort into figuring it out, look for it, dig for it, because I would know it would provide just what we needed and wanted! I would go to great lengths to trying to find this treasure.

And so, the definition of  searching is: Trying to find something by looking and seeking carefully and thoroughly.

Is this the energy with which I seek God? This is what scripture tells me to do. He wants me to have eternal wisdom, insightful wisdom, wisdom that gives light to my path, direction to follow.

God wants to bless those of us who would really make Him a priority. He has promised blessing and favor and help and rest and guidance and compassion and mercy in our lives. God Himself and His wisdom is touted many places in scripture as being more important than silver or gold.

And yet, I have to really put away the distractions, the voices, the tasks at hand to be sure that He is my focus, my treasure, my confidence and hope.

I rarely meet people who have that palpable life--that almost tangible evidence of God's Holy Spirit living through them. But when I do meet them, every single one of them is a woman of the word of God. They have mounted up over the obstacles of their lives to seek Him, practicing every day to know Him, to love and worship Him.

I want to be that kind of person--that others can sense Him in me, but I know with all of my heart, it just doesn't happen unless I have been spending time in His presence, making Him my focus, living daily in His word and seeking Him.

And so, if I want not to seek to manipulate circumstances or to figure out a formula or system to provide for our family's needs or answers, I need to be sure I am not depending on idols or myself to provide, but see that I am waiting for Him, following Him, being still enough to listen to Him.

I so want to be faithful until I close my eyes on this place of home and awaken to His face--to have loved Him well and to have shown Him my love through my trust and faithfulness while here this short while--that is what I am contemplating today and hoping to pursue.

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." Matthew 13:44

Have you heard the news about Relevant?

Sweet, Wonderful Sarah Mae

Two years ago, I innocently attended a Relevant blogging conference, by invitation from Sarah Mae who had found my books, not really even knowing how vast and broad and far reaching blogging had become. But there at the forefront of Relevant was a sweet, brilliant, insightful young woman, Sarah Mae. I instantly fell in love with her and wanted to adopt her. And so we became friends forever and I have loved seeing how God is using her in her generation to bring women together, to ask questions, to help cultivate a community of women who are influencing their world with the messages of Christ.

Today, Sarah Mae is launching a new name and new concept. Relevant will now have a new name and identity and I think will reach more women than ever. It has become

You will love the women writing and networking here.

For more of the story, go here. Go Sarah Mae and God bless and go Allume! So excited to be a part.

Be sure to go to these places to find out more and join a twitter party tonight!

Allume.com

Allume.com/social

Like Allume on Facebook here.

Follow us on Twitter @allume.

Used Blog 2/2/2021 The Motherhood of God

Benjamin West (a painting of his mother--and a great book about him for your children--Benjamin West and His Cat Grimalkin)

When God wants to comfort Israel through Isaiah to let them understand just how dearly he loves them and how lavishly He will bring about restoration and comfort to them, He who created mothers to be a picture of love, tenderness and comfort, uses this image of Himself to show just how His love will be extended.

“Be joyful with Jerusalem and rejoice for her, all you who love her; Be exceedingly glad with her, all you who mourn over her,

That you may nurse and be satisfied with her comforting breasts, That you may suck and be delighted with her bountiful bosom.”

For thus says the LORD, “Behold, I extend peace to her like a river, And the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream; And you will be nursed, you will be carried on the hip and fondled on the knees.

“As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; And you will be comforted in Jerusalem.”

Isaiah 66:10-13

And so, as a  mother who cherishes her child, so God cherishes us, His chosen.

May we know His comforting love today.

Sacrifice, yes, Mundane--shoot me now

Every morning when I awaken and sneak down the stairs, (I make myself get up early because I do not survive well without time alone to sit, awaken into the day and get my heart centered.)

I light my fire, and candles around the room and put on some music from my favorite Pandora channel. No, it is not a party and I am not having a group over--this is for me.

I find that if I could sacrifice my life at the moment for a cause--to die suddenly for rescuing someone on the spot or be killed for my faith, it seems noble and I think I am willing.

But it is the long haul, the day after day, faithfulness, the years and months and days of mundane that rattle my spirit. I am not naturally a sit still and work hard type. And so, to survive the mundane better with some grace, I have learned to place small pleasures in my day. It brings me pleasure to sit in an early morning, dark room with candlelight and music and a fire shimmering. It also brings pleasure to my children to be in beauty and color.

It is why I have cultivated a one woman tea time in the afternoons and take some time to do something that I like--from reading a favorite magazine or book or watching a 15 minute clip from a movie while munching a piece of dark, salted almond chocolate.

When my children were driving me crazy from being inside for too long, I would sometimes stop what we were doing and load them into the car and take them all to Barnes and Noble or another such bookstore or to a park or somewhere for hot chocolate or the goodwill store to spend $2 apiece or a garden shop or to the Focus on the Family Whit's end, or somewhere they could run and explore, hiking nature trails, just so that I could breathe.

God never said life had to be boring to be good.

In the spring, I would finagle a way to go on the road. I would offer to speak in different places for staying in homes in order to explore historical homes and cities, listen to books on tapes in the car and to give me and my sweet ones a break from the mundane.

I am a bit wild at heart and sitting still for too long, for years and months could tempt me to crater.

God slowly showed me that I am responsible to craft a life in which I can last long term with joy and pleasure of my own crafting along the way, so that I can maintain the ideals I have established for myself.

And in the midst of living an interesting life--my children have also become crafters of beauty and pleasure.

There is so much mundane, so many challenges, so much stress, that I finally learned, a wise woman takes responsibility for her own long term well-being so that she may stay the course and live well in the midst of daily ideals.

A tiny bit of investment of my time and creativity brings me days of little pleasures, as I enjoy the places of life I have crafted for the well being and life of my own soul.

It is not a luxury, it is a necessity. After all, God is the one who made color, beauty, music, stories, food and pleasure. It is in incarnating His  fullness that my life can be lived well.

(A little corner of pleasure--the dishes I just inherited from my mom; candle sticks from a friend wrapped with little berries from the craft store, a heart gift from a friend, and a framed calligraphy quote from my little team of leaders here in Monument. Just seeing this little table each morning and lighting my candles gives me a tiny pleasure and memory of loved ones.)

And so, today, I commend you to do at least one thing that brings a little pleasure to your soul and to celebrate life just a little as that will also bring pleasure to a God who loves to see us celebrating His reality.

How about you? What are some of your little pleasures?