Clubhouse: Imagining Living An Inspiring Life with Nathan & Joy Clarkson

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Every morning at our home held began with pajama clad children gathering around me, a pile of books strewn around our living room, settling in for a long read. Our worlds of books took us on journeys all over the universe—a spaceship to the heavens, stars, galaxies; under the ocean in submarines in world wars; on the stage of William Shakespeare; Daniel facing lions; a young boy facing giants with a sling shot, Sitting in the Vienna concert hall with Beethoven; to castles, duels, knights fighting with valor with maidens close by, and so much more.

After about an hour or two, I would then send everyone outside to pretend and live out the stories they had just experienced. A box of odds and ends made up costumes, plastic and wood swords, cowboy boots, capes and an array of artifacts from the second hand store gave vent to great costumes put into imagination on the wild mountain side of Colorado.

At around 10 or 11, Nathan, our epic adventurer wrote about it in a poem, “What will our Clubhouse be today?”

Clay found the floppy disc on which the poem was stored. My two youngest and most extraverted kids, who played and pretended for hours and hours as children, got together to polish and finish the writing of their wonderful book, The Clubhouse: Open the Door to Limitless Adventure.

People are always asking us, “How did you do it? How did you inspire your children to be authors, movie makers, composers, college instructors, podcasters?” This was the way—imagination, nightly discussions over great meals, a close, delightful relationships every day. This is how their hearts, minds and lives were shaped into adults who could imagine influencing their worlds for good.

Nathan, Joy and I recorded a podcast today to celebrate these ideas and this wonderful new book. To celebrate, I am giving away 5 copies of Awaking Wonder! I hope this will invigorate creative juices for children all over the world. To enter, follow us on Instagram (@sally.clarkson, @nathanjclarkson, @joynessthebrave,) and share a picture of The Clubhouse (pictured below) on Instagram or Facebook!

Hope you win. :)

Books Referenced in this Podcast:

More Resources:

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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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God's Spirit is our Breath of Life!

Without the wind of God's Spirit blowing through our lives, we are like a boat that must use our own power to pull through life on our own power. But when submit our lives to God's spirit, he fills the sails of our lives with His strength and power and gives us grace to live the lives in front of us every day.

Trying to do the Lord's work in your own strength is the most confusing, exhausting, and tedious of all work. But when you are filled with the Holy Spirit, then the ministry of Jesus just flows out of you.

Corrie Ten Boom

Somehow I had managed to slip out of bed without waking Clay, slip on my shoes and a comfy sweater, and get out the door for a Saturday morning coffee.  As I sat in the cozy corner of the café, coffee in hand, I basked in the delight of a stolen moment alone. I read my morning verses, and jotted down some deep thoughts in my journal. I will be so kind, very loving, and patient today, I thought.

And then my phone rang. “Mom! Where are you? What are we going to do today?” I responded patiently with this child (how could I not be patient in such a lovely moment?) and explained that I’d be home in just a little while to do something fun with the whole clan. Even just thirty minutes alone was rejuvenating for me, but I sighed nonetheless.

But then the phone rang again. “Hey, honey! Who’s going to take Joy downtown for her appointment?” This time it was my husband's voice. I pondered on this. There were no less than four adults in our home who could drive; perhaps one of them could manage? This was my one morning alone. Even so, I continued to talk with Clay as we puzzle-pieced schedules. As I ended the phone call, I breathed deeply. The coffee and quiet started to enchant my soul back into a pleasant attitude.

And then the phone rang. Again. Everyone was hungry and wanted breakfast. With another sigh, I gathered myself, thanked God for the few moments of peace, and resolved to enjoy the day and cherish my beloved ones. This thought was barely a notion in my mind when I walked through the door to discover the dog had thrown up on the new carpet.

I think I need another cup of coffee.

So many times in my life I have encountered the tension between wanting to be Spirit-filled and gracious, and then being overwhelmed by my own attitudes, the unexpected situations of my life, or the many clashing personalities of my family members. Life tends to have a sandpaper effect on my attempts to be holy. These times have led me to explore what it means to live in the power of the Spirit.

Throughout Scripture, the Holy Spirit is often described using the analogy of wind, or breath. When explaining the mysteries of the Spirit to Nicodemus, Jesus said:

“The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8).

The Greek word Jesus uses is pnuema, which can be translated as wind, breath, or spirit. Later, when Jesus is commissioning his disciples, Scripture manifests the metaphor into an actual happenstance: “And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’” (John 20:22).

Breath is a daily necessity. We cannot live without breathing, and it is a constant need. The same sort of dependence we have on breathing is how we ought to depend on the Holy Spirit. Living in the power of the Holy Spirit means letting the Spirit of God be the breath that allows me to make it through every day. Relying on the assistance of the Holy Spirit should become as natural to me as breathing in and out.

Christians cannot flourish apart from making God's Spirit the source of their spiritual lives. 

Even the phrase "spiritual life" refers to the Spirit-living-through-us life. I am not speaking of some kind of unique charismatic experience (though throughout history, people have experienced God's filling in different ways), but of a power that we can never muster up on our own. It might be described as:

*an inner strength"

"God is my strength, a very present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1

*a voice that calls us to become more excellent"

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you." John 14:26

*energy that moves us to love and forgive supernaturally*

"The fruit of the Spirit is love," Galatians 5:22

*a fruitfulness that can only be explained by God*

"I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing." John 15:5

When the Holy Spirit directs our course, the natural consequence is a life outside of normal striving or fleshly effort. We are able to live beyond our own capacity.

Little by little, we speak with God about our stresses, burdens, fears, and give them up to Him and ask, "Fill me with your spirit today, now. Teach me to walk with you, to see my life from your perspective, and give me the strength to grow. Help me to worship you as I live this day. Make me understand how to "Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16). 

Own Your Life: Living with Deep Intention, Bold Faith, and Generous Love

By Clarkson, Sally

We Love One Another: Our 24 Family Ways #5

Way #5 

"We love one another, treating others with kindness, gentleness and respect." 

Memory Verse:

Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

I John 4:11-12

It is sooo much fun for me to be with little Lillian. I am in love. Because she reaches her arms out for me when I walk in the room and smiles from ear to ear, I think I would give anything for this little girl who has wrapped herself around my heart. Love is irrational, isn’t it? She has done nothing to deserve my love except just being born. But because she is mine, I give my time, my sleep, my self to loving her and to loving Sarah by caring for Lily because they are mine. Its how God feels about you, beloved friends. And now Samuel shares in that special place in my heart, and soon Lucie will join them!

Loving is not always so very easy, though, is it? Aren't there people in our lives that just rub us the wrong way, every time we are with them or in conversation? From the beginning, I could see that the personalities of my children clashed. Yet, one of the most foundational principles we practiced was that we belonged to one another as a family. We would choose to practice unconditional love for each other no matter what. Joy and Joel for some reason were often like oil and water. Sarah and Nathan would have power run-ins. And then, too, Nathan and Joel were so different, and on and on.

Harmony in the home is not natural with immature, self-centered people. Yet, harmony doesn’t mean you have to sing on the same note, you just have to practice learning to “blend your notes” together so that their can be unity and beauty of expression.

Over and over after an argument or conflict, I would bring them together to say, “Were you gentle? Kind? Do you think your words were respectful? How could you have asked for help from your sibling in a different way? Let’s practice this now.”

Yet, some of my best memories the past few years have been seeing Joy and Joel come to the piano again and again--playing, singing, harmonizing for literally hours--as they are both singer-songwriter types; seeing Joel coach her years ago as she practiced speeches and then spending hours judging at her speech and debate tournaments; coaching and encouraging each other through life, loves, thoughts, and becoming real, down deep friends; now even sharing a flat as they study in Scotland. I never thought it would happen.

Moms often say to me, "When are they ever going to stop fussing? Will they ever be friends?"

One day.

Slowly, but surely.

Love must become a trained habit. Living by feelings is not a choice. We must help our children to "become strong inside" by choosing what is right, beyond negative feelings. Living in submission to the power of the Holy Spirit and choosing to practice love is what is at necessary here. Obedience to practicing love and learning to forgive is a pathway to maturity.

What we model as adults determines whether we have integrity as we teach our family  to follow "our 24 ways".

Choosing to love one another and practicing this love over and over again, shapes our expectations that we are each personally responsible for seeking peace, being loving, giving generously in relationships. When loving becomes a habit of thinking and acting, maturity follows and will be extended in all relationships.

Even in irrational relationships with family, believers, and others who perhaps will not speak to you anymore, or have decided otherwise to be at odds with you, you must model restraint and show respect because you are a child of Jesus. Show your children what it looks like to respect even those who have offended and sinned against you. When you model unconditional love in front of your children, they know deep in their hearts that you are choosing to control your feelings in order to sow love--and guess what? That is exactly how they will behave when they are tested as adults, because they learned integrity from you!

In short, training a child to choose to love by showing kindness, gentleness and respect will prepare them to go before kings or paupers and to become leaders in their generation. This is one of the most important areas of training, so our children can learn how to influence people with the messages of Christ--it starts with an attitude that says, "God has designed me to love people, to be humble like He was, to show respect and kindness."

Did fussing irritate me? Of course--it drove me crazy!

Did I ever wonder if my children would get along? Thousands of times.

Did I wonder what I was doing wrong? Of course I did.

But training is a matter of process and maturity. And it really is going deep into their hearts.

Our 24 Family Ways: A Family Devotional Guide

By Clarkson, Clay

Joy: Actively Engaging in God's Goodness

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Joy is the name my friend gave to my fourth child. When I was 42 and pregnant, she would pat my tummy and say, “When I pray for this baby, I call her baby Joy.” And so we had prayed for baby “Joy” so often throughout my pregnancy that that became her real name.

With such a name, of course, we searched out the original meaning and celebrated her all of her life. The etymology of the word joy really means “rejoice” in other words, take the opportunity to choose joy, to see God’s goodness through the grid of your life, to grow in relationship to bringing joy to others. Joy is a fruit of the spirit.

Many of you have said you love hearing Joy on my podcast, so today we speak together about the realties of choosing joy amidst the dark and demanding days of our own lives through the years.

Wendall Barry said,
”Rejoice, though you have considered all the facts.”

Maybe it’s having a daughter named Joy, or maybe I just wanted to learn how to face life every day, a determination to see God’s light every day, in every person, and to learn in every circumstance how I could pursue His goodness.

It wasn’t because I was good at it, but I desperately did not want to live depressed, overcome by the many difficult challenges that came my way. It was a choice to water the ways of joy so that my life would grow in that direction. What are you watering in your life?

Consider all the facts, be sad when life is sad, but then determine what kind of legacy of faith you want to have? Rejoice.

Interestingly, when the angel came to marry and said, “Hail, Mary!” The word hail actually meant, Rejoice, Mary. Be filled with Joy.

To choose to cultivate joy is throughout the whole Bible as a goal of our faith.

To dwell in God’s lovingkindness by faith and to become a person who always brings light into the darkness because of your hope of who He is and what is ahead. Or remaining in the darkness of despair. God’s Spirit fills us with Joy when we allow the Spirit to carry us.

Cultivating habits that sustain our lives and fill us with joy is one way we have learned to move forward every day, to find how to make life sustainable. Join Joy and me as we share some of our thoughts.

What are habits and rhythms that help you daily to cultivate joy in the moments of your life? I would love to know.

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!

Which Will You Choose: Mediocrity or Excellence?

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. Hebrews 12:1 NLT

Our culture is in great need of heroes, stories with sacrificial endings, inspiring lives of those who strain after all that is good, beautiful, and true. I consider my work of faithfulness a success when, in the hidden moments of life, I hear and see my children making hard choices--the choice to work hard to pay their bills, the choice to be moral and cultivate integrity in a world that gives permission to compromise, the decision to stay faithful in places the world or others would say "give up."

Some time ago, I was asked,

"Sally, I want your advice.

I have a great son, who is responsive to me and loving—but he is spending 6 hours a day playing computer games! My friends told me that is normal and just to leave him alone and know it is just boy stuff. What do you think?”

This from a sweet and intentional mom that I met last summer.

We live in a pretty mediocre culture. The voices of our culture in this contemporary world will most always give you permission to compromise your ideals, give up on commitments, escape the hard work, go the easy route. “Oh, they will be just fine—don’t interfere too much.”

But, there are not many examples of people to whom you can point your children and say …

“Look at that person—they have worked hard, sacrificed their lives, and accomplished something great in this world!”

If there were, we would be able to say to our children, "I believe God has designed you to give something great to your generation in your lifetime, too.”

I am convinced that if we, as mothers, understood that we have a capacity to work a little harder, give a little more and cultivate more intentionally, we would indeed be able to see greatness of soul and depth of faith arise out of our children’s lives. Nothing truly great is ever accomplished without great effort. We are, after all, charged with subduing a world that is in rebellion against God. By investing more time in our children, we are helping them mount up over inertia, laziness, bad habits, and self-centeredness, and giving them practice at developing good habits, skills, and abilities— all of which need to be intentionally nurtured, taught, modeled, and trained into them by their parents!

It takes more work than I had ever imagined. If a mom doesn’t want her thirteen-year-old son to be addicted to the computer, she will have to help him cultivate more captivating interests, and she will have to invest her personal time, money, sweat equity, and energy to do it. Excellence always requires us to go the extra mile.

Whether a sport, a musical skill, art, ministry, or some kind of academic or creative work, our children will be blessed if we invest the time it takes to give them more of a foundation of confidence in their souls, as we help them find a way to practice productivity, excellence of character, and the determination to take every moment captive for Him.

What we sow we will reap, what we don't sow, we won't reap. You and your children have the capacity to live into amazing abilities that God has created you to have. But you must exercise perseverance in your lives to become excellent and strong. The choice to work diligently is key--is your heart willing to do what it takes to become excellent in character or skills in life?

To find that “fit” for our children’s creativity, that activity that engages their heart, passions, and personality, will probably require us to give up some rights to our own time and invest in the future of our child’s productivity by taking the time now to help them cultivate their skills and interests and good habits.

It will require that we go that extra mile-but that extra mile will take them much further in their lives than can ever be measured.

This summer, take time to access your goals, your life, your story.

We Listen to Correction: Our 24 Family Ways #4

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Family Way # 4

"We listen to correction and accept discipline with a submissive spirit."

Memory verse: "All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness."

Nathan loved the story of the Black Stallion--a stunning, wild, untamed, powerful, jet-black horse that eventually became one of the fastest horses alive, or so the story goes!

When Nathan was a little boy and I needed to discipline him, I would explain, "Nathan, a great race horse like the Black Stallion had such potential to win a blue ribbon in races against all of the horses in the world. But until this strong, wild horse learned to submit to the reins of the jockey, it was just a wild horse with potential. To be able to run the race, he had to submit himself to the direction of the master, and accept the reins. Natie, you are like that great wild stallion--so much potential to be a champion--but you have got to learn to accept the reins of our discipline so that you can run your race in life well!"

It’s not easy, yet teaching our children to accept discipline is imperative.

Even adults need this lesson! We have an incredible capacity to be strong, grow in intellectual excellence as we exercise the muscles of our minds, to be influential in ministry in our lifetimes, to leave a legacy of faith and integrity--but it requires that we also exercise our will, submit to God's discipline, and strain after His ways by following His heart.

Taking responsibility for my children's hearts and minds crafted me into a stronger, more mature adult. As I told them stories, my heart was engaging in great hero tales. What I was sowing, I was reaping in my own life. Cuddled up on the couch, squished together in rapt attention, there were teachable moments as my children would look with wide eyes and open hearts when I would read them tales of conquerors and heroes--those who gave the strength of their lives to bettering or redeeming the world. Oh, how they loved great stories! And when their little imaginations were captured with those stories, I would seize the moment and say,

"To become a world class champion requires struggle, discipline, commitment and the will to submit to the process of developing greatness, and I believe that God has created each one of you to be a champion for His kingdom in your lifetime. I wonder how you are going to be used by God to change your world for the better?"

Training our children to listen to correction is so important. I hope this podcast will encourage you.

Our 24 Family Ways: A Family Devotional Guide

By Clarkson, Clay

Help! I'm Drowning: Weathering the Storms of Life with Grace & Hope & Giveaway

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In a few weeks, I will be turning 68, pretty close to 7 decades. Some day, most of you will be my age and you will look down the corridors of your past life and either you will be thankful for the decisions you made or you will have regrets.

I am very grateful for the life God has led me to live. But, most of my legacy has come through very difficult passages where I was tempted to give up on ideals, wondering if I could make it through, pondering if the work of my life as a mom, wife, actually mattered or if I was just blowing it. There were years of loneliness and isolation and disappointment.

Yet, most of these passages required that I make hard decisions of faith, perseverance, forgiveness, hard work, steadfastness through life storms that threatened to overwhelm me.

The truth is, we are living in a fallen world, filled with storm after storm—culturally, emotionally, spiritually, physically, philosophically.

Yet, choices made in the midst of life storms determined the trajectory of my whole life—my fruitfulness came from doing the hard things that scripture and God required of me, time after time.

The decisions you make during hard times will determine the trajectory and direction your life will take and what story you will tell when you are 70. Often it meant that my friends were not making the same decisions, many times I watched as others compromise and justify their decisions during hard times. Of course I am not perfect, but I did learn personally that,

"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matt. 7:13-14

God desires that we flourish, but we must obey His word and walk His ways.

That is why I wrote Help, I’m Drowning. I wanted to share some of the storms I faced and how walking with God, holding His hand, led me to a life of flourishing and one in which He was building my life on the rock of eternal values. I hope you will join me and buy your own copy and be encouraged right where you are in your own storms and difficulties in life.

Today, as I begin the process of putting this into the world, I wanted to provide you with the introduction and first chapter that will set up the book and why I wrote it. To read the beginning of the book, go HERE.

To celebrate, I will also be giving away one personal mentoring session, where I can meet the winner online, pray with you, and encourage you right where you are. Just share with a friend on facebook, insta or comment and you will be entered. I can’t wait to tell you all that we have prepared for you with this book.

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!

Spend Time with People More Excellent Than You!

One of the best gifts of my life was that an older woman took it upon herself to be my friend and to encourage me. Her surprise birthday tea last summer was a perfect send off to me as I prepared to go to Oxford. She taught me how important it was to have mentors who called you to your best self. I was happy some years ago to see how this advice played out in the lives of my children.

Many years ago, Nathan and Joy and I attended a national actors, singers, and dancers competition where the kids competed in a number of events. One of the perks of the competition was that the kids got to meet with real Hollywood producers, agents, and record companies, as well as some directors and marketers from Broadway.

A poised woman, perfectly styled blonde curls, large blue eyes, and sophisticated clothing was the evaluator for a performance in music and acting. She was a Broadway producer who wrote an evaluation after performances. With a poised demeanor and gentle tone, the experienced woman said,

"You are indeed quite naturally talented at acting and communicating. However, what you need the most is to be surrounded by people who are more talented and more experienced than you, who will challenge you to move further ahead in your skills. It is always wise to put yourself in the company of others who are more excellent than you."

What great advice, and how needed in the lives of my children at the time! I have adopted this principle in my own life for many years. When I read, "He who walks with the wise will be wise" in Proverbs, I began to look for those friendships and acquaintances with women who challenged me to be "more" than what I already was. I seek out excellence in most arenas in my life--not because I have it together, but because I always want to be growing.

Cultural voices tell us that we deserve a break, that it is okay to compromise. Standards of life for most people are quite mediocre. These voices give us permission to rest on the laurels of whatever we’ve already accomplished, and to stay complacent.

Yet, I believe if we understand that we have an amazing capacity and call to be like Christ, hard working, bright, authoritative, influential--because we are crafted in the very image of God to be like Him, then we will always be straining, in a positive way, to become all that He created us to be and to fulfill our capacity in life.

Intentionally placing ourselves in the company of other excellent people; reading inspiring and challenging books, studying scripture in depth, practicing anything in which we would like to become more excellent, will expand our capacity to accomplish great works in our lifetime.

God disciplines us, stretches us, and trains us that we might become more like Jesus--so our hearts might reflect more of His sacrificial life and love and when someone sees us, they will be looking at the very character of Jesus. He delights in using normal, run-of-the-mill people to do great things for His kingdom. Rarely did He choose "important" people to be the ones who experienced a miraculous life.

So, how about you? What kind of woman do you want to be when you grow up? What can you read this summer to better your mind? What can you do to shore up your weaknesses? How can you stretch yourself to become more of the woman Christ created you to be?

It is only in being intentional and purposeful about your life that you will grow. And in growing, your heart and soul will become more fulfilled, because God's will, which is that we become more "holy"--set apart for His purposes--is indeed good and acceptable and perfect.

No one but you can make you more excellent--you must want it and work for it yourself!

So, start a group, join a Bible study, make up a new exercise plan, develop a skill, take some lessons, meet with a mentor--make this summer one of growth, stretching and inspiration so in a few months you will be amazed at the progress you have made, and in conquering one or two areas of growth, others will also fall into place.

We Honor and Obey Parents: Our 24 Family Ways #3

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24 Family Ways # 3

We honor and obey our parents in the Lord with a respectful attitude.

Memory Verse:

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother

(which is the first commandment with a promise)

so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth.

Ephesians 6: 1-2

Countless literally thousands of early mornings through my lifetime, I would arise early, light candles, make a cup of tea and sit quietly with my Bible before the Lord. Faith is not built in a moment, but over a lifetime. Yet, now, in this season, I understand more profoundly how important it is for us to store up and live daily by the wisdom of God. Every day I feel these ideals become even more important, as I watch the difficulties in the world grow greater and mamas growing weary. Sometimes that weariness causes us to neglect to train our children to honor us—which in turn causes even more weariness!

From the first days of life, we speak the attitudes of faith into our little babies. When we treat them with gentleness and respond to them with patience and treat them as little infants of great value, we are already training the value of honor and respect into their brain patterns.

We are living in a time in which everyone is fair game for criticism, every person can be devalued. Especially in online places, there seems to be no decorum that would suggest we should treat others with respect our of our respect for Christ.

If we do not teach our children the value of honoring us as parents, or adults in charge of them, or people in positions of authority, then they will never have a trained heart attitude that says, “I must bow the wishes and needs of my own heart in order to please God.

Children must be taught to submit, even as we adults need to remember that we are to be people who can submit. God is our King and maker and He is in authority over us. We must place areas of practicing this in real life in order for our children to understand what it means to fear and serve our wonderful God.

Honor is a value that must have precedence in a home so that a child can understand the importance of  people, and to learn to bow their knee before others who deserve respect.

Honor comes with humility—the ability to see others as more important than ourselves. To teach honor and obedience means we will have to occasionally cross our children’s wills. It’s not easy, but it’s necessary. I hope this podcast is an encouragement to you, and that you’ll get your own copy of this book which will be a blessing to your family!

Our 24 Family Ways: A Family Devotional Guide

By Clarkson, Clay

Stay Fast To Your Ideals! Every Tiny Bit of Faithfulness Adds UP!

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Many of you know that I am happily and anxiously awaiting the arrival of a precious grandchild, Sarah’s little girl. As I was sitting in the late afternoon sun yesterday, sipping my tea, I was pondering my own sweet little girl, now become woman.

Sarah is delightful. She is an artist in everything—the way she decorates and brings life and beauty to the walls of her home; the spread of food and table decor she prepares to make every meal a visual and taste experience; she spins words together in such a way that she paints living pictures through each story; she plays her Celtic piano pieces and brings dramatic soulful music to life. There are so many things about her now that I am amazed at and have grown to appreciate about her.

Yet, when I first held her, I could not have even imagined all of the ways she would grow and the deep heart of faith and love she would embrace as an adult.. But now I know that each sacrifice I learned to make, each kiss, each late night song as I was nursing; each bedtime story, each moment of training or correction added up to the full person she has become. It all adds up. Nothing is wasted.

As I have been thinking of so many of you, my friends, I know that many of you are feeling weary, overwhelmed, exhausted, as though nothing you are doing matters. And yet, I now know that holding fast to ideals, being faithful one day upon another is what actually builds a life. Stay fast, your labor is not in vain.

I have looked back through the life storms and stresses I encountered and it was holding fast to God’s faithfulness and promises that kept me fast through all the days and years. And now, I know that staying strong and faithful through all the years is what built my own precious one into the woman she has become. And though you can’t see it yet, your thousands of moments of faithfulness is shaping that child into what will become a strong, loving, faithful adult.

I wanted to share some of my favorite verses that kept me going, gave hope, comfort and direction through the years of my own journey. Click the button below to receive 12 Anchoring Verses to Hold Onto Hope, a beautiful poster filled with some of my favorite verses.

I hope my little podcast and the verses will serve you in encouraging you right where you are today.

Books Referenced in this Podcast:

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