Being The Overseer Of Your Domain

Physical surroundings can make a big difference. In the end, though, what our children and husbands need most from us is not a perfect home or perfect training or a perfectly spiritual role model or a wife without faults — but a mother and wife who is committed to doing whatever it takes to love them and make a home for them.

They need to know that they are cherished by someone who is a champion for their cause, a cheerleader for their lives — someone they can always count on in the light and dark times of life. Accepting the responsibility of being the overseer of our domain with all of the heart and energy and faith we can muster is what nurtures our families best and provides our children with the sense of security and stability they need.

Attitude is ultimately what makes a house a peaceful haven. And because we can only accomplish this by leaning on the Lord, it is our relationship with Him that ultimately will provide a nurturing environment for the people we love.

Read more about this in The Mission of Motherhood.

Tea Time Tuesday: Cultivate Your Own Joy

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Hi, my friends. How I wish you could join me today with a warm cuppa by my fireplace and we could chat, tell our stories and be friends. So grab something warm and join me today for Teatime Tuesday.

Today, winds of up to 70 miles an hour blew through my mountain town while snow was blowing every which way. Did I mention that the temperature was below 10 degrees Fahrenheit when I last looked? For some reason, snow used to be beautiful, adventurous, lovely. In the past years, I am less likely to want to drive on the icy highways and risk getting cold by walking outside. So, I wrote a list of 10 things that cheer me and bring me pleasure and joy for the days I am inside with howling wind as my companion.

10 things that bring me small pleasure:

1. Wearing fun earrings every day. I have so many. They are not expensive but all have a memory where I bought them.

2. Wearing lipstick or lip gloss is a Clarkson girl thing

3. A cuppa Yorkshire Gold Tea, of course (or a flat white) in a real china or porcelain cup

4. Lighting several candles

5. Listening to my favorite playlists and beautiful music

6. Breakfast! I love a good warm breakfast

7. Sitting alone and reading my Bible, writing in my journal

8. Walking, walking, walking

9. Reading a Great, warm, heart-felt book

10. Being with my people alone, chatting about everything.

What about you?

Today on my podcast, I am starting a new series—training in truth, virtue, discipling your children. Discipling yourself. What does maturity look like?

“But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, That shines brighter and brighter until the full day.” - Proverbs 4:18

Parenting is a much bigger part of the Christian life than most care to admit. Under your care are the eternal beings whose courses for eternity will be set, in large measure by what you do. Who and what they become will be shaped by how you relate to them, disciple them, instruct them, love them, counsel them.

For the rest of the quote, listen to At Home With Sally podcast.

Answering The Call To Discipleship

I have been blessed by excellent women sprinkled along my life path who have invested deeply in my emotional and spiritual health. I never could have written books, had a national and local ministry, and finished the course as an intentional mother in my home without the help, support, comfort, and strength I received from other women. Each of them helped me to flourish when otherwise I would have floundered.

I began to grow from and appreciate this kind of intentional mentoring as a young woman, and even more so as I started a family. Discipling became a poignant focus of relationship I wanted to pass on to all my children.

My pursuit as a mother and discipler was to become the most mature and wise woman I could be in my own life, and then, from that place, be an excellent woman reflecting my love for God.

I’ll admit that my imperfection and immaturity were evident along the journey, yet I gave all my heart and faith and effort to the hands of Jesus and kept going one day after another toward my goals.

This, dear Mom, is what you can do too. You don’t need a teaching degree. You don’t need a master of divinity. You don’t need a ribbon of honor for oratory achievements. When we choose to answer the call to discipleship by setting in motion traditions formed by faith and values in action, a legacy of love that begins with Jesus is strengthened in our homes.

Read more about this in Teatime Discipleship for Mothers and Daughters.

Endurance With Grace Through All Seasons

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Tea Time Tuesday: My kitchen window by my sink where I wash dishes looks out on a lovely patch of a wood. I have seen baby dear born on the grass below, as well as countless spectacular sunsets. Even as the sun sets on another day, closes the doors of possibility of life and work for that day. So, another year, like the sunset, comes to a close. No more work to be completed in that year, cheeks that could have been kissed, words that could have been said. The possibilities of last year are closed and over. It is right and natural that we ponder how we will affect the outcome of a new year before it also is closed. 

How then, will we invest in this new gift of time? A year granted to our lives in which to bring light, beauty and goodness to our world, to those precious ones in the scope of our days. 

Today, I have been thinking about how to move through the different years, the varied seasons of life with generous grace. And life requires intentional endurance to keep going strong with determination to make it a beautiful story.

The seasons of endurance are many and varied: 

Pregnancy, baby sleepless nights, physical demands of littles, all the stages of learning, training, loving serving — years of building character and attending to constant needs. Followed then by pre-teen hormones, next teen feelings, late nights, and need to talk, and rolling their eyes. Then comes helping young adult children find their way forward in life. Next, adult children and their various opinions and needs for independence, often not even understanding your own stages or sacrifices of life. 

We eventually hit old age, hospitalizations and surgeries, and along the way, marriage ups and downs and all the seasons—house work, etc. Yet, I look back now and see the wisdom of exercising grace, straining towards steadfastness and celebrating beauty at each juncture of life.

The decisions you make, the faith you exercise, the steadfastness you exercise all determine the legacy of the story you leave. And it all matters so much. 

Such fun and interesting ideas on today’s Tea Time Tuesday podcast!

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The Mission of Motherhood Book Club Kicks Off January 18, 2024!

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After spending the holidays with my two boys, I see now, even more, that God created mothers to have an impact on their children their whole lives. I find myself very involved in being a mentor to all of my children, pointing them to God, believing in their dreams, praying with them, supporting them through rough places. Your children will draw life and beauty from you as long as you live.

 

Yet, as I correspond with thousands of mothers, I find that they grow weary in their task, are confused with all the voices in culture and on social media. They become lost in the weeds of so much differing advice or become weary in the middle of the journey, tempted to compromise their ideals.

 

I wrote Mission of Motherhood to inspire, instruct and lead women to understand the profound importance God had in mind when He created mothers to be civilizers, lovers, teachers, trainers of the very children He entrusted into their arms. I hope the stories, the videos, the encouragement will be a shot in your emotional and spiritual arm to give you strength, wisdom and courage as you face a new year. I am looking so forward to our time together. And be sure that I will be praying for each of you who join me here.

 

Blessings and blessings of His grace and love to you this new year.

What will I learn in the book club? 

Not only will you be inspired by the ideals in the book, you will learn how to practically apply the concepts over the course of six weeks, we will learn how to:

  • Discover and explore the meaning of Biblical motherhood and learn how to faithfully commit our lives to God's design.

  • Mother with the heart of Jesus and learn how to lead through serving.

  • Cultivate and build loving relationships with our children, so we can reach our children's hearts for Christ.

  • Enrich our children's lives and train them to think Biblically.

  • Finish the journey with endurance and grace.

 

When does the book club start?

The book club will officially kick off on Thursday, January 18th  with the first week's email sent straight to your inbox! It will be six weeks long and wrap up February 29th.

 

Does the book club cost anything?

No, the book club is a free benefit for all Life With Sally members! The membership costs $15 a month (and be cancled at any time!) and provides access to hundreds of resources from over two decades in ministry. Learn more about all the benefits of being a member below and if you aren't a member of Life With Sally, you can join by clicking here! 

 

Where is the discussion happening? I'm not on social media!

The discussion for the book will be happening on the Life With Sally forum and you will get a link to the discussion thread in each weekly email.

 

How does the book club work?

Every Thursday, starting January 18th, you will receive an email that has two (or so) chapters to read from Mission of Motherhood.

 We will dive into those topics in the email and include special resources to help you break down the ideas, inspiration, and principles of the book into small, actionable steps that you can implement in your own motherhood journey. These special resources can include anything from a guided workbook or journal to podcast episodes, Life With Sally content, recipes, or videos. 

 You will also receive a link to that week's discussion thread on the Life With Sally forum where you can unpack all you've learned and swap stories, inspiration, or ideas with other like-minded moms. 


Life with Sally can help you be the loving and faithful mom you want to be. When you become a member of Life With Sally, you are not only helping Clay and me to support our ministry, but you also will gain access to a deep well of lifegiving content from over two decades of ministry, including: 

  • An exclusive video each month where you and I will share a cup of tea and I share what has been on my heart.

  • Curated content from my friends and me on how to cultivate a lifegiving lifestyle in your home and relationships including delicious recipes and inspiration and ideas to create your own lifegiving home.

  • Topical series, podcasts, and courses by me about what it means to be a disciple of Christ and a godly mom from over two decades in ministry.

  • An exclusive, new Bible study each month where you and I will walk through the Scriptures together through special audio teachings and downloadable notes and journals. 

  • Topical unit studies to enrich your family's home education based on Awaking Wonder, and practical and personal insights for your homeschool.

  • An online community of like-minded moms and a members only forum to help you find and connect with your own kindred spirits!

How to access the book club if you are a member of Life With Sally

  • Every Thursday morning, you will receive an email with the assigned reading, special resources, discussion questions, and a link to the book discussion happening on the Life With Sally forum!

  • If you have not received the email (or lost in your inbox), you can log into your account at www.lifewithsally.com and just beneath the new content for January, you will see a button to access that week’s book club content!

How to access the book club if you are NOT a member of Life With Sally

  • To receive access to the book club, you will first need to join the Life With Sally Membership by CLICKING HERE.

  • Once you are a member, every Thursday morning, you will receive an email with the assigned reading, special resources, discussion questions, and a link to the book discussion happening on the Life With Sally forum!

  • If you have not received the email (or lost in your inbox), you can log into your account at www.lifewithsally.com and just beneath the new content for June, you will see a button to access that week’s book club content!

If you have any questions or need help, please reach out to LWSBookClub@gmail.com!

Filling Our Souls With God's Peace

As the new year approaches, we can become so preoccupied with making sure our house is clean, our desk is tidy, and our schedule is perfectly planned. But just as important as tending to our external living space (even more important, in fact) is tending to our internal living space.

Throughout the past year, we have each become worn down by the daily difficulties, the hardships of life, the frustrations of living in an imperfect world. We have picked up and stored in the walls of our souls regrets and worries; they crowd our hearts and minds, and make it all the more challenging to carry the goodness and beauty that God desires for us and our stories.

God is a Father who longs for His children to live in freedom and grace. He offers us help in dusting away the anxious thoughts, throwing out old grievances, and emptying our souls of the clutter that weights us down, to instead to instead fill them with His love, peace, and guidance.

Tea Time Tuesday: Declutter Your Heart & Soul For 2024

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“Guard your heart, for from it flow the springs of life.” -Proverbs 4:23

Tea Time Tuesday: Over 800 times in scripture, the heart is mentioned. It is our heart that holds our life, our love, the things we cherish, the values we hold true, the people we care to be close to. Every year this time, I go away by myself with a journal to search my heart in order to clear it from attitude, heart clutter.

We have created a Soul Clutter Journal for those of you who want some guidance to your thoughts and prayers as you spend time with the Lord to clean out and simplify your heart and soul. And for those of you who are members of Life with Sally, there is a special podcast for you this month discussing what it looks like to declutter.

Today, I wanted to share a post Sarah wrote years ago about a day in our lives that transformed her little heart. You see, whatever we practice in life from our heart effects the way our children see life. It is a story about choices in hard times. Another story about choosing to engage in the unlikely choice in a moment of duty and responsibility to throw it out the window in order to bring lasting memories of delight to your children, a memory for life.

Unless our souls and hearts are clean, free to respond to the joy and wisdom of the Holy Spirit, we cannot live day to day with a true reflection of His beauty. You will have to listen to my podcast to hear the whole wild details that happened over 20 years ago. But I hope your heart will soak it in.

I am not a perfect mother. So often allowed my feet to be weighed down with duty a ”should.” But, dancing with my Heavenly Father over years taught me to live beyond what the world presented and walk through the wardrobe to celebrate those moments that were truly magical in capturing the imagination of my children for life.

What is weighing on you? What is stealing your joy? I hope our journal will help you start the year well with a lighter heart, soul and body. and I hope this new year will be filled with joy in your every day.

Be sure to join my membership (Life with Sally) where we will have many new resources to inspire you this year.

At Home With The Clarksons on Christmas 2023

Today, after a very full Christmas day, I am easing into reality. I promise a special Tea Time Tuesday tomorrow. There are still messes of Christmas gifts here and there, it is blizzarding outside, and I have a million and one deadlines and responsibilities upon me. Yet, I am choosing to walk through each busy moment with a slow and steady heart. I will cultivate peace today with the assurance that eventually, I will get my life back together, one little piece at a time. And, remembering to take snapshots of my lovely people who will not always be with me.

This is my 43rd Christmas in which to partner with Clay. He has become the stocking master and gets so many interesting things to surprise us with. I am the cook, with now, lots of help from my adult children. But we work together to make Christmas a memorable time for all.

You can see our Shepherd’s meal table before we turned out all the lights. This year was particularly relaxing and filled with sweet conversation.* (more photos on Instagram and Facebook)
Next, a last photo of our “Christmas Room” dubbed by my children years ago.

*Every year we have breakfast out and then meander to a favorite place to take the family photo.

*What a gift it has been to be gifted a daughter-in-law who is indeed my kindred spirit. We have so much fun together.

*This is the first year we had our boys without any of our girls. I had to document the photo. (Keep in mind that I an almost 5’8”, even though they make me look small—and you will know I have tall, handsome boys.

*Darcy Dog and Nathan grace the last photo—It looks as thought they are beholding the angel who spoke to the shepherds. They are both spell bound.

God bless you today, my friends. Peace be yours.


Tea Time Tuesday: Keeping Joy in the Holidays Amidst Tension

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Tea Time Tuesday: My boys are home for Christmas and I am so happy.

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Sometimes the holidays can be hard and families are not perfect. We all need grace to keep joy during the holidays. Often we are surprised when tension rears its head. Some thoughts about how to keep joy alive.

1. Remember. God is with you to help you succeed.

"If God is for you, who can be against you." God is for you — for you. He wants you to succeed. He wants to work in your home. We are not adequate to complete the task of shaping our children's hearts, minds and souls by ourselves. When God's Spirit is working in our midst, He will take our fish and loaves, all that we have to give to Him, within our own limitations and together with Him, our labor becomes enough.

2. "There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1) There are always do-overs in God's economy. All of us mess up, (He is mindful that we are but dust! Psalm 103)

I wonder why we have the illusion that we are supposed to be perfect. Mamas, don't be so hard on yourself and live within your limitations. You will not ever be perfect or do it totally right — not now, not next week, not even when you are 70!

This is the fallen world, and we will never be able to control ourselves, our circumstances, our children or the world the live in. We live in grace and move toward maturity little by little. And so do your children. I promise, little by little they will grow up.

And your children will never be perfect, either. Love them as they are. Believe in them, touch them. Let little boys be boys, as you train them little by little to be heroes and leaders — civilization comes from a mama who treats them with respect, and gives them a heart to be dignified. Let little ones be innocent and enter into their stages of life with joy.

Living in the grace and knowledge that God forgives, knows our limitations, is not surprised or disappointed, but wanting to give us hope is so very crucial. Don't listen to the accusers voice. Of course you have fallen short — you are a mom and you are human.

3. “He lay down and slept under a juniper tree; and behold, there was an angel touching him, and he said to him, ‘Arise, eat.’” (I Kings 19:5)

Elijah was so very weary from spiritual battle that he despaired of his life — wished he hadn't been born. But God knew he was extremely exhausted, battle worn, weary. So the first thing God did when Elijah poured out his heart to Him was to put him to sleep. He slept a long time — took time to physically rest. Next, and I love this, an angel touched him — physical touch, a hug, an embrace, a hand massage, a real massage, is a personal healer. I love it that God's angel touched him and brought him comfort. Then, he still didn't give him a lecture — instead, the angel fed him.

I make beauty to remind me that I am worth something. I light candles, get some flowers at Sam's or Costco's — the kind that last 2 weeks, and I play music all the time.

"The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn which shines brighter and brighter until the fulll day." Proverbs — every day, a little more light, a little more progress, and eventually, full brightness.

I am praying for all of you — but even more, God is praying for you and loves you. Don't give into discouragement or inadequate feelings. With God all things are possible. He is so glad you are trying and that you care.  You are precious to Him and He is training your character to grow strong as you are training your children.

Blessings and blessings to all of you.

Influencing Your Children For A Lifetime

Galatians 6:7 tells us plainly that we reap what we sow—and I believe this is especially true of family relationships. If we sow affection, commitment, and encouragement into the lives of our children, chances are we will reap deep, close relationships with them.

The most intelligent instructor in the world becomes a noisy gong or clanging cymbal to the mind of a child if there is not love present in the relationship. But the ones who purposefully and intentionally lay down their lives to do the hard work of loving and winning hearts will find a pathway to influencing their children for a lifetime.

Because people will last through eternity, relationships have eternal significance. The relationships we make and cultivate and nurture will also sustain us throughout all of life's seasons. The quality of our relationships help determine the level of friendship we can enjoy, the depth of intimacy we can share, the success of our marriages, our ability to work with and influence other people, and even our ability to relate to God.

Read more about this in The Mission of Motherhood.