I am sitting in my little library, looking out at the aspens in our driveway, noticing that fall is almost over and enjoying the color.
I am reading The Yearling, one of the best old books, and the theme of some great music I have been listening to by an artist, a family favorite and friend. More about that later.
I drank Pumpkin Pie Latte on the way home from church because my sweet friend, Rachael told me they were so delicious. (Thanks, Rachael, you are right.)
Loved church this morning and love people who make me want to worship Him more.
Having tea time with Sarah and Clay with Carrot Cake.
Listening to Nathan's acoustic music and thinking how much I like his songs.
Thinking about how much I enjoyed having Joel home and how I love it that he is terribly idealistic.
Having left over pizza with Sarah and Clay with Salad and so glad not to be cooking again.
Looking forward to having everyone home over Thanksgiving and planning the meals.
Praying for Joy in her speech tournament and hoping she has a good day and gets some sleep. (I can still mother from far away.)
Thinking how grateful I am to have so many friends out there and how I pray for you so often.
Now to my books.....a nap...a walk....and who knows what else.
To celebrate, I have a special drawing for you! If you would like a chance to win 45 minutes of mentoring time over the phone with me, I'd love to have you enter using this form. The winner will be announced at the party next week!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I do hope you will join us for the Book Club this season, as I believe this book will be a blessing and encouragement to so many who wonder how they can find joy in their lives in the midst of difficulty and trial. We are very excited about partnering with The Better Mom website for this study! There will be two posts every week at MomHeart Online and TheBetterMom, as well as occasional vlogs by yours truly. We will be having a Facebook party on Thursday, October 11th beginning at 9pm EST, and we invite you to join the Book Club by joining our Facebook page at MomHeart/TheBetterMom Book Club: Dancing. The Book Club will have its first official post on Tuesday, October 16th. You can read more about it here: Dancing With My Father Book Club
FINDING HELP, ENCOURAGEMENT AND INSTRUCTION FOR THE JOURNEY OF MOTHERHOOD
For more than thirty years, Clay and I have been involved in ministry. Seeing the need for people to be discipled and mentored, we have sought to develop both resources and relationships that expand the Kingdom of God through building His people.
I receive many requests each day from people who would like me to help them with various issues in their families, offer advice about what to do with their children, or just need a kind word. How I wish I could find time to reach out in response to everyone who has a need!Added to that are the requests from various groups, publishers, and event planners who would like me to come speak in many corporate settings, write articles or attend conferences. It's always a joy for me to sit down with a mom over a cup of tea or coffee, sorting out tangled situations and offering a bit of encouragement. And I'm always honored by requests to speak to groups, and doing so has become fairly easy as well, with years of talks under my belt and plenty of hours of Bible study informing my own opinions on being a mom.
Travel, however, and limited time have become somewhat the bane of my existence! In these past few years I've had to come to the conclusion that my health and peace both suffer when I push myself too hard.
My priority must always be to walk in integrity with my own family. I truly believe that if I do not live my own message at home, I have no need to open my mouth at all. And so I can promise you that I imperfectly but quite wholeheartedly live by all the principles I've learned and taught over these many years, and will continue to do so.
This means I'm saying "no" far more often than in the past, to requests both public and private. It's been a difficult conclusion to come to, but I've been reminded again recently that while I feel guilty in disappointing people who ask for my help. But if you would bear with me for a minute, I realized that God has already worked through our ministry over the years as I was raising my own four children--- so many resources available right now-- that would be great mentoring tools for all the moms who have requested help.
The truth is, the Lord has already enabled me to pour my heart and life messages out where they can be accessed by anyone searching for help! And so I wanted to put a little description here of several resources you can find easily, with the hope that they might encourage you in your life as a mom.
First, I've written five books about motherhood which are currently available (the sixth, Desperate, written with SarahMae, will be released January 8th, 2013!) You may purchase any of these by clicking the title in red! I'm including the descriptions so you'll know what each is about.
"A classic book of encouragement for your seasons as a homeschooling mother. Your heart will be encouraged as you read the touching stories, spiritual insights, and personal lessons that are the seasons in Sally Clarkson’s life. She opens her own seasoned heart on these pages, sharing what she has learned as a homeschooling wife and mother about herself, her children, and her Lord. First published in 1998, this revised and expanded Second Edition includes four new essays by Sally from “ten years later” to introduce each section."
"In The Mission of Motherhood Sally explores the 'big picture' biblical design of God for motherhood. It is a vision that transcends cultures and trends.
Drawing on challenging insights from Scripture enlightened by her own experiences as a mother for 18 years, Sally paints a biblical and very personal portrait of motherhood that reveals the heart of God for all mothers of all times. This book, filled with personal anecdotes and stories, will refresh your vision for biblical motherhood, renew your commitment to your precious children, and prayerfully bring the reviving Spirit of God into your home and family."
"In a personal and devotional style, Sally addresses how a mother can spiritually shape and influence the precious hearts and lives entrusted to her care by looking to the life and ministry of Jesus. She examines the relationship between Jesus and his disciples, and suggests a plan for influencing children for Christ using the acrostic GIFTS: Grace,Inspiration, Faith, Training and Service. It is an uncomplicated yet strategic plan for passing on crucial gifts to your children. In the dailyness of providing for your children’s physical, emotional, and social needs, Sally helps you ensure that vital opportunities for spiritual nurture and training are not lost in the shuffle. Using biblical wisdom and practical teachings, Sally shows how you can make a lasting difference in your child’s life by following the pattern Christ set with his own disciples. The LifeGIFTS model will inspire and equip you to embrace the rewarding, desperately needed, and immeasurably valuable ministry of motherhood."
You love being a mom. You are wholeheartedly committed to your children. You long for them to grow up to be mature, loving, fruitful, and faithful followers of God. But you know that means you are called to be that kind of mom. It means you must be faithful on God’s path of motherhood for you.
That is your mom walk. It is how you walk with God as mother. It is how you seek Him, trust Him, live in His grace, and draw on His strength one step of faith at a time. The mom walk is your path:
P: How you walk with Purpose as a mother
A: How you walk with Assurance as a mother
T: How you walk with Trust as a mother
H: How you walk with Heart as a mother
In The Mom Walk you journey alongside Sally Clarkson in her own walk as a mother after God’s heart. Through her personal stories from twenty-seven years of motherhood, inspiring and challenging truths from Scripture, and spiritual insights from both the dark and light sides of the journey, you will find renewed encouragement for your own mom walk with God."
And here's a little announcement: the MomHeart Online blog will be having its fall Book Club starting soon, and we'll be studying my most recently published book, Dancing With My Father!
"Dancing with My Father is Sally Clarkson’s personal journey to discover how to live a life of grace and joy in the Lord. As a busy Christian woman in a world often filled with disappointments, difficulties, and even desparing moments, Sally wanted to know how to experience the presence of God and the spiritual joy promised so often in the Scriptures. She shares how she learned to “Rejoice in the Lord always!” and in all seasons of life. If you feel a need to be refreshed and restored in the joy of the Lord, join Sally as she shares the secrets of Dancing with My Father."
In addition to book writing, of course, I've had the privilege of speaking to thousands of moms over the years in large groups. The MomHeart Conference is the main venue in which I've poured out my heart over the years, and all the sessions are available to you now as instantly downloadable audios! That's 13 sets of 3-4 audios, and they're priced at only $2.99 each. You can find all of them here: MomHeart Audio.
Please know how deeply I care about each one of you who writes, calls, or emails me, though it's impossible for me to answer each one. And please know that most of what I would tell you has already been put into one of our books, one of our tapes or a blog post, orsomewhere you can reach it! Through reading my books or listening to my talks, I pray you will find a philosophy of waiting on God, of obeying Him, of walking in grace with your children, of following His example, and of faithfulness.
I don't believe there are formulas to give, and I do not understand your particular family puzzle well enough to tell you just exactly what to do, anyway! That is your glory --to live your own story in faith and obedience to His heart for you and your family. But I do believe that by applying biblical principles, you too can build a strong family that honors the Lord, and I pray you'll find help in some of these resources!
So, I hope you will join us in this book study, or make use of one of our resources, as my desire is to be of encouragement, even though I cannot answer as many personal messages or speak as often as it is requested--but you can find so much of all that we would say on our resource pages.
And remember, if you would like to enter for an 45 minute mentoring session, sign up on our rss, or post an announcement on twitter or face book and leave a comment about what you have done. Thanks so much for helping us get the word out!
Also, don't miss this 31 Days series by our MomHeart Contributor and also my friend, Elizabeth Foss! She's studying The Mission of Motherhood this month. You can read the posts by clicking her button, here!
Chill wind is blowing outside my door and the aspen leaves are dancing in the glory of golden spangles. Life has been so very busy that I have hardly had time to take in the beauty, changing color and to breathe in this lovely fall weather.
So, today, I am putting aside duty and deadlines to sit and sip hot cider, to sit in my "cozy" chair and read a story and to celebrate a fall tea time with my sweet daughter, Sarah.
To not recognize this day and the beauty He has crafted for my soul is to not worship and be grateful and to notice His masterpieces.
And so today, I take time to breathe in the beauty, that I may adequately turn my heart of thanksgiving to Him who took the time to make it for my comfort.
What for tea time?
Knobby Apple Cake or
Squirrel Nutkin Cake, as Joy renamed it!
2 cups sugar (I use the organic brown Turbanado, the small grind)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
2 cups flour (1/2 cup extra for high altitude) (I use half freshly ground wheat, and sometimes a little oat and rice ground together and mixed together)
2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups grated apples
1 cup chopped nuts (I add them to the top of those who want them.)Cream butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients together and add into wet ingredients, mixing thoroughly. Fold in apples and nuts, bake in greased floured bundt pan for 40-45 minutes at 350.
Drizzle powered sugar glaze over cooled cake and serve.Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
dash salt
warm water to thin
2 t. melted butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla Mix glaze ingredients, add water as needed to thin, add more sugar if too thin. Drizzle over cake.Tastes best when warm or hot! A sprinkle of nuts on top with a drizzle of homemade caramel sauce is also delectable! Enjoy!
Part of our purpose as moms is to inspire our children.
"As mothers and fathers, it is so easy to get distracted by the details of our lives. We have so much to do! We must feed our children and take care of their health. We must oversee their education and their training to make sure they will be able to take care of themselves and live in a civilized society. We train them in righteousness so they may understand how God wants them to live. We try to relate to them in mature ways and help them learn to have healthy relationships.
Yet often, I think, we get lost in these mulitudinous tasks that rule our lives, and we lose sight of the underlying purpose behind all those tasks, which is to prepare our children to go into the world and make disciples for our Lord.
Each of our children has been given a specific personality and a particular set of circumstances that will give shape to God's purposes for his or her life. It is our privilege and responsibility as parents to help our children understand their particular fit in God's plan. This means pointing out special skills and talents. It also means helping children realize that God didn't give them such skills and talents just to use on themselves, but to glorify him and bring others to Him through the stewardship of their lives. In other words, we are to help them see themselves and their potential and then to inspire them for God's purposes:
Joel, you are so musical. Maybe you will write great music that will encourage others to worship God and want to know Him!"
Joy, you are so compassionate. I love the sweet cards you make! I can see the Lord using you to comfort and encourage many lonely or hurting people."
When our days are busy and so many demands on our time cry out for attention, it can be easy to start seeing our children as if they are projects to be perfected; always needing more correction, more training, and more and more work. After awhile, that sort of focus leads to resentment on both sides. Over many years of mothering, I've learned that reminding my children of the things they do well and encouraging them to bless someone else can do more to turn a negative attitude, a really bad day, or a hopeless cause completely around than the longest, most eloquent lecture I could have mustered.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Our chief want is someone who would inspire us to be what we know we could be."
I think that's a pretty good job description for a mom, don't you?!
"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."
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!
"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."
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!
"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.
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!
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!
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! :)
