MomHeart Conferences 2013! Register Now!

MOM HEART CONFERENCES 2013 COLORADO, CALIFORNIA, TEXAS AND NORTH CAROLINA!

"Increasingly, I find that women are unsure about what it means to be a good mother. They are confused by a culture that send them drastically mixed messages about the importance of a mother's influence and whet her priorities should be. As a result, so many mothers I meet are baffled and frustrated. They don't know how to reconcile these conflicting messages with the calling of God on their hearts and lives.

What's the cure for this confusion? I believe it lies with a rediscovery of the traditional mission of motherhood, a rediscovery of what God had in mind when he designed families. And the fundamental mission of motherhood now is the same as it always was: to nurture, protect, and instruct children, to create a home environment that enables them to learn and grow, to help them develop a heart for God and His purposes, and to send them out into the world prepared to live both fully and meaningfully. It's up to us to embrace that mission as our own, trusting God to walk us through the details and to use our willing mothers' hands as instruments of his blessings."

~Sally Clarkson, The Mission of Motherhood

Curled up in my overstuffed recliner in my tea room, music softly wafting, spiced candle flickering, mug of hot coffee in hand, I relished a few quiet moments alone. Amazing, to have 5 minutes to myself to breathe and reflect and sip!

How far God has brought me from the early days of 3 babes under 5, little sleep, everyone grabbing for a different part of my body, crying, always making messes and wanting to eat. Those early days of chaos and living frantically from one day to the next--to now!

Four grown children, who love us and the Lord, and in spite of all our flaws and foibles, are healthy young adults, ready to write their own story of faith with each decision and each new day.

How very blessed I am, that at an early time in my motherhood, God impressed my heart with the importance of His Biblical call on mothers to be civilizers and to build a righteous generation in her own home.

My excitement overwhelmed me as I thought about our Mom Heart, 2013 coming up. I am more enthusiastic  than ever to host many of you from all over the United States to celebrate this amazing journey and blessing called motherhood.

I now know that building children in our homes for His glory brings hope to the next generation of adults, when in contrast to the culture, we send children from our homes with strong moral character, a vibrant faith in God, a vision for bringing light and hope to their own world--Yes, this call indeed matters.

Please consider joining me and hundreds of other moms for this year's conference!

Go HERE for more information and to be able to register.

Very soon, we will announce a few giveaways--but please help us get the word out. We sold out of one conference last year very quickly and it is very possible we will sell out in all conferences, so be sure to register early. I can't wait to see you and share my heart!

I will be discussing Sarah Mae's and my newest book,

Of course I think this will be the best conference ever. I hope to see you there!

This year's theme is: MOVING FROM DESPERATE TO DESTINY!

We will be discussing the themes from Sarah Mae's and my newest book!

REGISTER HERE NOW!

Mom Heart Conferences 2013! Register Now!

MOM HEART CONFERENCES 2013 COLORADO, CALIFORNIA, TEXAS AND NORTH CAROLINA!

"Increasingly, I find that women are unsure about what it means to be a good mother. They are confused by a culture that send them drastically mixed messages about the importance of a mother's influence and whet her priorities should be. As a result, so many mothers I meet are baffled and frustrated. They don't know how to reconcile these conflicting messages with the calling of God on their hearts and lives.

What's the cure for this confusion? I believe it lies with a rediscovery of the traditional mission of motherhood, a rediscovery of what God had in mind when he designed families. And the fundamental mission of motherhood now is the same as it always was: to nurture, protect, and instruct children, to create a home environment that enables them to learn and grow, to help them develop a heart for God and His purposes, and to send them out into the world prepared to live both fully and meaningfully. It's up to us to embrace that mission as our own, trusting God to walk us through the details and to use our willing mothers' hands as instruments of his blessings."

~Sally Clarkson, The Mission of Motherhood

Curled up in my overstuffed recliner in my tea room, music softly wafting, spiced candle flickering, mug of hot coffee in hand, I relished a few quiet moments alone. Amazing, to have 5 minutes to myself to breathe and reflect and sip!

How far God has brought me from the early days of 3 babes under 5, little sleep, everyone grabbing for a different part of my body, crying, always making messes and wanting to eat. Those early days of chaos and living frantically from one day to the next--to now!

Four grown children, who love us and the Lord, and in spite of all our flaws and foibles, are healthy young adults, ready to write their own story of faith with each decision and each new day.

How very blessed I am, that at an early time in my motherhood, God impressed my heart with the importance of His Biblical call on mothers to be civilizers and to build a righteous generation in her own home.

My excitement overwhelmed me as I thought about our Mom Heart, 2013 coming up. I am more enthusiastic  than ever to host many of you from all over the United States to celebrate this amazing journey and blessing called motherhood.

I now know that building children in our homes for His glory brings hope to the next generation of adults, when in contrast to the culture, we send children from our homes with strong moral character, a vibrant faith in God, a vision for bringing light and hope to their own world--Yes, this call indeed matters.

Please consider joining me and hundreds of other moms for this year's conference!

Go HERE for more information and to be able to register.

Very soon, we will announce a few giveaways--but please help us get the word out. We sold out of one conference last year very quickly and it is very possible we will sell out in all conferences, so be sure to register early. I can't wait to see you and share my heart!

I will be discussing Sarah Mae's and my newest book,

Of course I think this will be the best conference ever. I hope to see you there!

This year's theme is: MOVING FROM DESPERATE TO DESTINY!

We will be discussing the themes from Sarah Mae's and my newest book!

REGISTER HERE NOW!

REGISTER!

Mentoring Mondays

"If you don't have a foundation of truth and freedom and a clear understanding of God's design for your role as a mom and for the part your family's story will play in history, you will take everything you hear from other cultural voices as truth, and then you will live by the premises and opinions of other people. Often, these voices of culture are filled with relative morality, formulas, and create guilt, a performance mentality and fear of failure in parenting. Jesus' came to give us abundant life--filled with purpose and meaning and it is only in knowing His truth and His design that we can find peace, contentment, wisdom and fulfillment. He was the creator--He alone has the answers."

-Sally Clarkson

As a young missionary in Communist Eastern Europe, many years ago, I was inspired with the discipleship principles of Jesus. He taught, loved and poured into the lives of 12 men, and then sent them back into the world to cause Christianity to flourish and to redeem generations of people to know and understand what it meant to know God's love and forgiveness through Christ. The miracle of personal relationships through mentoring and how strategic these relationships are to passing on truth, the word of God, the values of His kingdom,  became real to me as I saw the first few women we discipled in our tiny little apartment, eventually be used to lead thousands more to Christ over the last 35 years.

The miracle of Christ in one life and the power that one life has to bring about a revolution of redemption in myriads of other's lives-- was a pattern that grew in my life--first to my children and then to other young moms who met in my home and finally to conferences and then through books and finally, all over the world.

God only requires that we give him our heart's allegiance and that we are willing to obey Him and follow Him, and he will lead us into a story of faith, and we become the redeemers of light in our own lifetime, through the relationships of love, friendship and passing on truth.

And that is why I believe so much in mentorship--the sharing of life and truth and love and encouragement from one woman, one friend, to another--this changes the world.

And so an idea came to my mind--maybe in some small way, I could mentor some of you who have been sending me your own thoughts and struggles in your journey as a mom.

Thanks so very much for all of you who have written comments and emails to me about your desire to have a mentor in your life. I see your hearts so clearly and have so many personal memories that encompass your thoughts and needs and emotions.

The idea of working on a plan of providing mentors for each of you--for support systems and those who would ease your pressure would be my desire, if I could just make it happen. But, I thought that if I could possibly be of some small encouragement on a regular basis, I would begin to implement what I will call Mentoring Mondays, where I will take one lesson or thought a week to specifically teach about one aspect of motherhood.

Of course I do not think I have all the right answers and have made many mistakes myself. But when I read the Bible, I have to look at Titus 2 and see that when Paul says for the older moms to encourage the younger moms, I have to obey and take that to heart--because it is a scriptural pattern.

And so with fear and humility, as I offer you, not a formula or rules or a system to follow, but, I want to offer Mentoring Mondays to begin together to discuss some of the issues that make you feel desperate or alone, and hope some of these meetings together will bring you hope and will create some fellowship amongst us as friends as we share in these Mondays together.

Mentoring Through 18 years of Mom's Conferences

I also wanted to tell you about the 15 years of tapes from our Mom Heart conferences that are available right now for downloads if you would like to hear some of the stories of my own life as a mom, or how I trained and disciplined my children, educational principles that create thinking, articulate children and ways to homeschool;  or traditions we held, or the inspiration for our own family that God provide, dealing with the day to day pressures; taking care of myself and so many more subjects.

JUST GO here: and you can download the messages and begin some of the mentoring process today.

So, next Monday, God willing, I will start a vlog series on mentoring. Stay tuned for more and let me know what you think.

Exchanging the Temporal for the Eternal

I wonder if the disciples had any idea what they were in for.

While Nathanael gathered figs, Matthew sat at his table counting taxes, or Andrew wound nets tight on a rocking boat, did any of them dream of something more? Did they ponder the Scriptures promising the Messiah would come? Or were their minutes already as full as my own? Did His coming and calling take them by surprise?

I think the latter is probably more likely. He surprised them. They probably weren't watching. And they certainly didn't expect Him to show up and call them personally.

What about you, dear one? Do you remember that He has come, that He is coming, that He continues to call men and women to Himself? Do you live your life with an eye open to the eternal things God might want to do in your own life?

"Jesus' work in a person's life has always begun with a call to leave behind the goals, purposes, and distractions of this world and to say yes to a whole new life, a new way of thinking. "Follow me" is what He told the disciples as He recruited them. And they did, abandoning their fishing nets, their tax-collector's moneybags, their permanent homes, their everyday duties and pleasures. And they never went back. Sure, they still did a little fishing from time to time! But once they made the choice to follow Jesus, their lives were forever changed. They never returned to 'normal.'

I think this is vital for us to keep in mind as Christians and as parents. We know we are called to follow Christ, to take His message to the world, to raise our children to heed Jesus' call. But sometimes I think we fail to consider that following the Lord might mean leaving behind the ordinary and the familiar. It means exchanging a temporal view of life for an eternal goal. And this may mean leaving behind things we really care about--involvements and pursuits that seem important and worthwhile but may not be God's best for us.

Part of giving the gift of inspiration is helping our children understand this--and perhaps reminding ourselves. To fulfill God's design for their lives, our precious children must at some point determine to give Jesus allegiance in every aspect of their lives. There is a cost to discipleship, and that cost is everything!" ~ The Ministry of Motherhood

 Listen today. Slow down and open His Word and listen for His call. And when you hear it, say yes!

We Need You for Desperate! What Advice Do You Need As a Mother?

Friends, we are counting down to the Desperate release (January 8th!) and we need your help to add a few more things to the book.

What questions do you have that you would love answers to when it comes to mothering small children? Where are you feeling particularly desperate as a mother?

Would you please leave your question in the comments? We'll be choosing around 20 for the book. Thank you so much!

Guess where I am and guess who I am with......:)

A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.

anynomous

Resting and playing restores the mind, heart and soul as Sabbath rest for life is observed. Here with my sweet friend who knows what is in my heart and who can even complete my sentences--being together is a seamless pleasure.

Enjoying the brief getaway and restoring my little self! :)

- Unknown

My Primary Responsibility and Joy

 

"God holds us accountable for our stewardship of His blessings. And that means I am responsible for the ways in which I choose to care for the children He has given me. At the Judgment, I know I will give an account to Him for these precious lives He entrusted into my hands.

As a woman who has enjoyed a career of teaching, speaking, counseling, and writing, I have had to make many difficult decisions to cut my career opportunities in order to focus on my family priorities. However, I have come to realize that embracing God's call to the duties of motherhood doesn't diminish my abilities to use my gifts, strength, and training, but fulfills a part of God's design.

Loving my children, protecting them, and building them into a godly heritage is a life's work worth far more than any money or status I might find in a career. If the mother who gave her children life is not willing to do what it takes to provide security, love, protection, instruction, and stability for her own cildren, then who will be willing to do so? Many will be orphans in a crowded world, longing for the security they were supposed to find in their own family.

If we want to experience the blessing of God and have a sense of wholeness to our lives, we must seek to understand His original design as clearly as possible. We will then have a map by which to travel toward God's destination. But we need to do more than understand. We also need to commit to living as mothers with undivided hearts--dedicating ourselves fully to the task of building a home and nurturing our children." ~The Mission of Motherhood

One thing I think many moms find difficult is the fact that every yes is by definition also a no. A "yes" to time watching somersaults in the backyard is a "no" to a phone call, a glance through a magazine, or a bit of alone time. A "yes" to asking friends over for a time of encouragement is a "no" to the free time you might have spent on yourself, rather than cleaning the bathroom, organizing your notes for the evening, or baking cookies to share. "Yes" to the carpool means "no" to sleeping in; "yes" to playing during bath time means "no" to your favorite television show ... and on and on it goes.

As a mom, what we really need is long-range vision! While the decision to draw your circle of direct influence a little smaller than many around you choose to draw theirs might  appear to minimize who you are,  the truth lies elsewhere. Think about a drop of food coloring splashed into a cup of water. The more water, the more diluted the color. And so it is with each one of us. When we spread ourselves thin, leaving no time for snuggles and backrubs, Bible study and reading deeply, family vacations and Saturday afternoons at the park, our influence becomes diluted.

So may I suggest something, mama? Feel free to say lots of "yes"-es to your littles, and lots of "no"-s to others. Limit yourself in this season of mothering young ones, and watch your influence grow where it's most important.

I have never heard a woman say, "I wish I would have worked more hours while my children were young" or, "I wish I would have read more magazines and watched fewer somersaults." Rather, the longing is for time long slipped away, somersaults tumbled and blown away like so many autumn leaves.

The Last Homely House...a project of life art

Helen Allingham

“Frodo was now safe in the Last Homely House east of the Sea. That house was, as Bilbo had long ago reported, ‘a perfect house, whether you like food or sleep, or story-telling or singing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them all.’ Merely to be there was a cure for weariness, fear and sadness.” The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

As a lover of great literature, Rivondell, in Lord of the Rings, captivated my attention and Sarah's and Joy's attention. Picturing our home as a place that remembers all the great life from eras gone by and that captures its beauty, has been one of our goals, that has given us hours and years of collecting and crafting and nurturing over the years.

A library that holds all the great books of children's literature and classics and great thinkers, biographies and writers is a must. And now, due to Clay's kindness to move his office to the basement, I have our library as a tea room of sorts. With comfy chairs, a tea set, art and paintings from my background all over the walls, with candle light and music--it is a lovely getaway where I can share heart-to-heart with all in my wake.

A well-stocked kitchen with all sorts of home-made recipes crafted over years of testing, with all the holiday food; food for those who are ill; birthday fare; winter-cold-night soups and breads and all sorts of healthy variety in between.

Fireplaces where stories are told and ideas discussed and children are cuddled.

bedrooms with comfy chairs and piles of books in baskets to encourage reading and quiet times and of course candles galore.

Piano, guitars, drums, flute, dulcimer--all collected over the years--some more used than others, but all for practicing producing music of all sorts.

Games and book baskets and art books and cd's and Pandora and dvd's from all imaginings to instruct, inspire, soothe, comfort and to stoke the imagination.

Clusters of chairs, grouped together to encourage great and close conversations--rockers on the front porch; setees and big chairs on the back deck; gatherings of chairs in 2's all over the house to make a close meeting and discipleship time for all who are there.

And of course a bookshelf in every room, with each child collecting his own library.

A suitable place for traditions celebrated and momentous occasions retold and the Bible read, over and over and over again--to remember Him and stories of faith and heroes and courage and holiness.

This is what I have had in my heart to shape--a home that breathes life and truth and love into all who would enter--

To make sure my home, for my family and friends, is indeed the last homely house and that all that has been excellent and worthwhile over the ages is celebrated in its walls--

because everyone needs a place to belong and a home where welcome is always fresh with all who cross the doorway.

Expressing Emotion through Song (and Psalm!)

To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

O my God, in You I trust,

Do not let me be ashamed;

Do not let my enemies exult over me.

Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed;

Those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed.

Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;

According to Your lovingkindness remember me,

For Your goodness’ sake, O Lord. . .

 For Your name’s sake, O Lord,

Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.

My eyes are continually toward the Lord,

For He will pluck my feet out of the net.

Turn to me and be gracious to me,

For I am lonely and afflicted.

The troubles of my heart are enlarged;

Bring me out of my distresses.

Look upon my affliction and my trouble,

And forgive all my sins.

Look upon my enemies, for they are many,

And they hate me with violent hatred.

Guard my soul and deliver me;

Do not let me be ashamed, for I take refuge in You.

Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,

For I wait for You.

Redeem Israel, O God,

Out of all his troubles." ~ Psalm 25

Have you ever felt that you needed to hide your feelings from the Lord?

In times of difficulty and disappointment, it can be tempting to withdraw from God; to take your ugly feelings and stuff them down, assuming they are too ugly for Him to look at, or that He would be angry with your negative reactions to life's circumstances. The Bible confronts that fear, though, if we look at it as God's great story. In this Book we find so many others sharing their feelings with the Lord--from the dark side of the spectrum of emotion to the bright.

"The Word of God is my comfort.

It has been my help, my refuge, and my encouragement in difficult times. I have read through the Psalms more times than I can count and underlined hundreds of their comforting, reassuring verses. The Psalms express the whole spectrum of human emotion; joy, lament, pain, grief, and love. Over two-thirds of the Psalms are songs of lament, prayers to God amid difficulties or trials. The writers often tell God that they can't see Him and don't see the answers to their prayers.

There is so much human experience, human reality, and human emotion in the Bible, and they are all bound up within the story of how real people relate to God. In Jeremiah there are long laments and songs of sorrow over sin and God's discipline. In Hebrews there is encouragement, a sort of heart-strengthening pep talk for the new Hebrew believers that had become discouraged and weary in their walk with God. In John I see that some of Jesus' last words to His own disciples were, "In this world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

Knowing that lament, struggle, and sorrow have been a legitimate part of the lives of all believers in the past has helped comfort me in my own life during my times of darkness and doubt. Ultimately though, the reason these stories and words are so poignant to me in my pain is because they are given to me by God. It is through His precious Word that He comes to encourage and renew, gently reminding me that I am not alone in my sorrows. His story reminds me that I am part of a company who has strained against the futility and darkness in this world. In real life, light and truth seem so hidden and obscure. In these times, God's Word truly is a  'lamp to my feet and a light to my path.'"                        ~ from The Mom Walk

God longs to hear the cry of your heart. And when there are no words, reading the Psalms is a beautiful way to get some of those cries out. I have found rest and surprising joy in pouring my own emotions out before God. I pray you will feel His comfort, defense, and joy in your trust, when you do, too!

A friend who walks through all the wildernesses of life...

"Joy and Sarah enjoying being pals.

"We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend." Robert Lewis Stevenson

Today, I am in Earlington, Kentucky. Those of you who have read my books and blog for a while, know that one of the graces in my life is that God taught me early how important it was to cultivate friendships so that I would not be alone. He also taught me that I am responsible to reach out and to nurture the relationships that come my way with those who make me want to do better and love God more. Gwennie is a friend who has been with me through all manner of wilderness in my life and loved me still. Sarah and Joy are my wilderness friends and companions.

I was on the phone yesterday with Joy for a little over a half hour and have been talking to Sarah (who is in Tennessee for a conference where she will be speaking), every day for about 20 minutes as we never have enough time to invest in each other's lives and tell each other what is going on.

I miss my sweet girls and they are ever going to be my own best friends, because of time and commitment shared deeply over the years. I love lots of people, but they are my inner circle.

But, many years ago, God gave me an angel friend who is like my very own sister that I never had. Today, I am at her house visiting, languishing, resting in a place where she knows all of my "warts" for so many years and loves me anyway. My soul needed charging and we each make it a priority to spend time together every year for 34 years because we made a Jonathan-David commitment to each other--to take care of each other and to love and help each other as family. So, today, I give you a little bit about my sweet friend, Gwennie, as we are spending our time today celebrating life together.

When I was a young single missionary living in Poland, I had my precious pal, Gwennie, to live with under harsh conditions. Poland was under the communist rule of Russia during those years. Not much in the way of food to be found--rarely could we find meat. Fruit was scarce except in seasonal times. (Remind me to tell you my banana story sometime!) Life was hard. We were living subversively seeking to lead people to Christ and share Bibles in a country where it was illegal.

However, Gwennie and I, being women created by God to be nurturers,  took care of each other. We spent almost every waking hour together. Walking a couple of miles to school where we struggled through the Polish language. Scouring the market square for some fresh food of some kind. Inviting girls from all over the country to stay with us to learn the Bible, we were partners in everything.

If one of us was sick, the other took care and made a cup of tea. Every night we would light candles on our little coffee table (didn't have a dining table), put on music, eat dinner (usually one more kind of eggs as it was one of the only things we could easily get), and have a lovely time of fellowship. After dinner, we would read a chapter of a book out-loud. It was where I first read, Treasures of the Snow, by Patricia St. John. What a delight to be with a sister-friend, over candlelight, entering the world of Switzerland, children, and a rousing story, with a cup of coffee and celebrate some moments together.

The single men missionaries, however, did not fare so well. Many times they got sick more often, they became lonely and often returned from the mission field earlier. Why? I think it was because men didn't nurture each other! Women did.

Years ago, I decided that women did better long term as missionaries because they were made to be help-meets. They knew how to take care of people--even their roommates.

I have had a theory for many years that women, nurturers, are better able to sustain life, as they were created by God to do so. Celebrate womanhood at its best--nurture another woman in friendship, love and memories. My girls and I with Gwen in a "girl's club" memory last year. She is an honorary member! But for those of you who don't have sisters or daughters, I believe you can adopt them! I don't have a sister, but I have my sweet friends. I make time with them, meals, outings, phone chats, visits to far away sisters (Gwen!), because they bring affirmation, love, fun, care and nurture in ways that only girlfriends and sisters can. Sarah, Joy and I even have what we call "Girl's club" where we make time only for the girls!

So, plan to find a "sister"-friend that you can share life with. It will make you healthier and happier!