Making My Home A Haven is important to me. Sharing homemaking skills. Recipes and food. Bible Studies. This is a treasure chest of goodies. So take a seat. Have a glass of tea and enjoy. You will learn all about who I am.
Today’s memory verse Today is the third day of Making Your Home A Haven Bible study. My gratitude and prayer list. There are so many verses to pick for my SOAK today.I particularly liked this verse, Psalm 37:3 Trust in the Lord , and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily […]
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Philippians 4:4
{Cue the Confetti!!!}
It’s time to begin the 11th Annual Making Your Home a Haven Bible Study! This week’s spiritual focus is to Delight in the Lord! Join me for Week 1’s video as we discuss How to Delight in the Lord —then pull out your journals and begin!
When our schedules are full and our to-do lists are overwhelming, it’s hard to stop and enjoy life to the fullest. Because of Jesus’ death on the cross and the forgiveness of our sins, we have a personal relationship with God. Not only should we delight in God as our savior and friend, but God is also a giver of good gifts, that he wants us to delight in!
So how do we delight in the Lord and the good gifts he has given us?
We must stop.
We must stop and open our eyes to the generosity of our God. When we sit still in his presence and simply enjoy the Lord, we find that our souls can be satisfied in him. He is a delight to know!
Once we are still in God’s presence and delighting in him, the fullness and richness of all God has given us, comes to life. Suddenly we see God’s hand in everything. We see God’s love in the chirping birds, a crispy apple, a hot cup of coffee, a bouquet of flowers, a hug from a friend, a beautiful sunset, a powerful storm and the changing leaves on the trees.
People who work too much, don’t delight in life. Instead of experiencing freedom in Christ, they lack the self-control and faith to simply stop, rest and delight.
Every evening the sun sets, signaling it is time to rest. And on the seventh day of creation, God rested. Rest and delight are God given, built-in needs for our souls.
So, it’s time! It’s time to take 15 minutes a day to stop and be grateful, pray, meditate and delight in the Lord and then go forward with the day, delighting in the good gifts God has given us to enjoy. Let’s get started.
Go buy an extra large candle and light a candle everyday in your home. Each time the glimmer of the candle catches your eye, let it remind you to say a prayer of thanksgiving and a prayer for peace in your home.
I will be starting mine in the morning but you can start yours at dinner time or whenever is convenient for you. I will be placing mine in the kitchen – the main hub of my home. Let’s make our homes feel like a warm hug and a sweet haven all month long!
You see when we do not take the time to tend to our own souls – we have nothing left to give to others. So many times I have found myself busy and running on empty and then I snap – in a moment of frustration and weariness I say or do things that I would never do if I was more rested and connected with the Lord.
And so this month – let’s be intentional!
Begin your gratitude list now.
Pull out a pen and paper and begin. As you set your pen to the paper – wait on the Lord. Seek God and ask him to show you all the ways he has shown himself to you lately.
Give thanks to God for both the big and small blessings in your life.
They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)
Introducing the 11th Annual Making Your Home a Haven Bible Study
From Sarah:
FROM SARAH I WILL BE STARTING WEEK ONE TOMORROW : MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2020
This study started last week for everyone else. I had to delay starting it due to being sick. Truly sorry about that. The first part was posted early October. It Introduced The Making Your Home A Haven Study For The 11TH Year. The following are the posts that followed. Women Living Well /Good Morning Girls Check Out The Printable Book Mark And The Coloring Book For Children In The 2nd Post.
“Welcome to the 11th Annual Making Your Home a Haven Bible Study! 11 years ago, we began this series and never could I have imagined how much it would resonate with so many women around the world!
Our souls desperately need a deeper connection with God.
So many times we try to mask our struggles, pain, confusion or emptiness by keeping busy and distracted, eating food, going on vacations, seeking success or elevating certain relationships. While many of these things are blessings from God, they are not good substitutes FOR God.
This Bible Study is going to help you slow down.
It is going to force you to pause every day and enter into the presence of our Almighty God.
God’s pace is much slower than this world’s pace.
We must slow down to catch up with God.
We must create calm moments in our day because it’s in the unhurried moments, that we can clearly see and hear the voice of God.”
“Self-care is a very popular concept these days, but I believe that soul care IS self-care.
So, let’s take care of our souls by intentionally creating a physical environment, as well as a spiritual environment, in our homes that brings us closer to God. As a result, we will experience peace and a sense of calmness inside our souls, no matter what we are facing.
Each week, I will provide for you a practical challenge of something I do in my home that makes it more of a haven. I hope you will take the challenges. They do make a difference!
Each weekday, we will pause, give thanks, pray and meditate on God’s Word through SOAKing in the daily scripture reading for the day.
Also, you will find 4 videos, one per week, that correspond with the scriptures we are studying.”
All the resources are free for this study but there is an optional Study Guide available on Amazon titled: Delight in the Lord
The Study Guide is optional, as I will provide for you the daily Bible Reading Plan and many free resources each week here on the blog. BUT I highly recommend the Study Guide. It provides space for your daily gratitude list and daily prayer requests, plus a place to keep all of your Bible study reflections/SOAKs and video notes.“ https://womenlivingwell.org/2020/10/resources-for-the-delight-in-the-lord-bible-study/
Here’s the topic schedule:
Week 1: Delight
Start a daily gratitude list and delight in the Lord, the giver of good gifts.
Go buy an extra-large candle and light a candle everyday in your home. Each time the glimmer of the candle catches your eye, stop, pray and give thanks.
Rejoice in the Lord always; I will say it again, rejoice. (Philippians 4:4)
Week 2: Draw Near
Slow down, be still, listen, pray and commune with the God of the universe. He is near.
Keep your candle going and add to it soft music everyday in your home. Choose worship, classical or another form of peaceful music that helps you focus on the Lord.
The Lord is near. (Philippians 4:5)
Week 3: Desires
Take your desires to the Lord in prayer this week.
Keep your candle burning, the music playing and purchase a small bouquet of flowers for yourself. Let that bouquet be a daily reminder of God’s love and presence with you.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6)
Week 4: Dependence
It takes faith to rest in the Lord and depend solely on him but he is trustworthy. Delight, draw near, and exchange his desires for yours and depend on God. He loves you so!
Rest is a need not a want. Rest is not optional and it is a blessing from the Lord. So, seek out a place of solitude to rest and pray. Get alone with God outside or in your home. Be still with God and take a much needed bubble bath, nap or still time with the Lord.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)”
Candles are an important part of the Making Your Home A Haven Fall Challenge. Do you have to have a candle lit in your home to take the challenge? Of Course not. Why wouldn’t you want to have one lit? I do understand there might be those of you out there that for some reason, […]
Who We Are At Home Is Who We Really Are By Women Living Well And Good Morning Girls. October 20, 2015 by Courtney This is the same Bible Verse that I did for my morning Bible Verse and Study. “This Week’s […]
I was going to start the series with everyone else this week but due to being really laid up, I will be posting this weekend and officially starting on Monday. I am sorry for the delay. Love And Hugs, Sarah
I goofed. Nothing like being determined to eat health and then totally blow it with the salad dressing. I added dressing that had MEGA sugar in it instead of the sugar free one.
It’s officially Thursday Morning/ Day 3 … but it’s still Wednesday here. Our schedules are completely off track. Danny was working late field so we were getting up around 10 AM. He is back to early field and he has to get up at 7AM. We had a good night. Hectic but good. I will take it. He was on a chat tonight with a friend he met on YouTube. He asked me to join in. So I did. I stayed all the way through it. All 2 plus hours. I also did other things as well. I was bored out of my mind most of the time. But, I stayed and I commented as needed. And was so thankful when it ended. I am really trying to join in on things that Danny asks me to. I have wanted to be a part of what he was doing for a long time.
The photos don’t do justice to the food.
Chicken And Sausage, Guacamole with Pork Rinds, Lots of Tea, Made From Scratch Keto Pizza, Clam Chowder.
Going on 6 AM. Danny is asleep in his chair. He didn’t eat supper AGAIN…… Thank heavens his lunches are filling.
I am so excited to start this month off right and do what I need to do to make my body even healthier and happier. I hope you guys will show up for yourself this month in whatever it is YOU know you need to be doing. Happy September!! (From Neisha)
I always have good moments in my day. Usually it’s Baby Girl just doing what she always does. Or it’s the way the sun looks in the morning or even shadows.
Day 2 - September 2, 2020
Last night I reacted badly to Danny signing out 45 minutes early. I was relaxed. Still calm. All it took was here him sign out over the work radio. I went from Calm And Relaxed to this "Witch Bitch" I still don't recognize as myself. Even after feeling this anger for a year and a half.
Danny was home within 10 minutes so I had only a few minutes to calm down. It didn't happen. While I kept the anger out of my tone, I was still a bit agitated. OK, I was Full Blown Irritated. It really wasn't his fault and it should NEVER have been an ISSUE.
I made it one.
The rest of the night didn't go well. We were both out of sorts.
Working on my temper.
ALWAYS.
Working to stay calm. To not react every time something small happens.
I never went to bed Tuesday night. Mainly because I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep. Danny had to get up at 7 AM. He DID NOT go to bed until 6:15 AM. Yep, 45 minutes before his alarm went off.
He had not been quiet during the night. Everything was setting him off And he would start fussing from his computer room. Then the actual yelling would start. I am proud of myself for remaining fairly quiet through it all.
I got tired of having to interrupt what I was doing and having to go find out what he was upset about. This goes on every night. Not always as bad. I can never relax. He invited me to a chat that he was having with a follower from his You Tube Channel. There is a long story pertaining to this type of request that I won't go into now. Let's just say she was a young female. I had NO INTEREST in being there. Yet, I was trying to please Danny. He wanted me to be there with him.
There is nothing wrong with this person or her channel.
It's just a reminder of what happened last year with YOUNG FEMALES online. (Not ready to explain any further).
So I was frustrated. We waited for the chat. It never happened. I REMAIN CALMER than NORMAL. I remained fairly calm ALL NIGHT.I had to work at it. I wanted to explode when he said he wasn't eating Supper. The special dish he asked for. The one that I couldn't eat because it wasn't healthy.
So this morning I had to really hold in my anger. Keep my cools as Danny's alarm clock went off for 30 minutes. I kept my cool after trying 2xs to get him up. He finally got up and got dressed. He was a bit HUNGOVER. I wanted to yell at him but I didn't . I made a few faces but never said a word. He left a little late. I was anxious until I heard someone call him over the radio an hour later. I knew he was OKAY. I was able to finally relax. I slept off and on. Not soundly. I got up around 2ish. Made the beds. Got dressed. Etc. Got certain things ready for him for Thursday. Went out side. The sun was shining brightly. It was HOT AND HUMID but I forced myself to walk around the yard for 15 minutes. I at least got some Vitamin D. Took a shower. Changed Clothes again. Did a little Bible Study. I need to get back into it. Read a few posts on Wellness And Health. Looked up some YOGA exercises. I only had a couple of hours to work on my anger still festering inside me. I wanted to be calm when Danny got home. I SUCCEED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!