Joy in the Morning

  
 Morning J O Y~these 2 words bring me comfort, peace, encouragment and a smile.

Let me explain, my own time of tribulation. At night during my many trials I struggled. I would toss and turn with overwhelming worries. Satan threw many fiery arrows (Espesians 6:16) at my weakest time of the day. The air would feel so heavy and hot around me. My mind was in a war with fear, I could feel sweat form on my forehead. I would utter these words, faster and faster, "Jesus, I cast you all my burdens, you do not want me to worry...you have given me a sound mind..take away my fear." I would by the grace of Jesus fall asleep. In the night I would wake again- there the fears would flood in my mind again. Quickly I would pray for peace and fall back to sleep holding on to my Savior.

I would wake in the morning, the promises of scriptures would meet me... Joy in the morning. I was released from the drowning fear, a prisoner set free.

"...Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." Psalms 30:5

"Cause me to hear they loving-kindness in the morning." Psalms 143:8

If you have suffered nights with no peace of mind.. maybe you have forgot to do something that you needed to do, maybe you are going over what you need to do the next day, overwhelming guilt where you failed.. going thru a trial and cant see past it? Let me encourage you, to seek His face, pray to Him and give Him all your burdens..He wants to set you free..He wants to give you peace and go a step further with a
gift of J O Y in the MORNING!

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Hope you enjoyed this as much as I did! :}

Did you know?

Did you know, there is a man who loves you so very much that He was beaten, mocked and killed for you?

He knows that life on this earth is not easy... he is reaching out his hand to you, hoping you will take it and follow him.

His ways are simple and good.. they mean eternal life.

He brings peace to your soul during troubled times.. He guides you thru the storms of life and fills your cup heaping full of incredible blessings.

Oh wont you take up the cross and follow Him? Let him open your eyes to truth. He wants to teach you!

Jesus will change you..

oh how I love him, my heart overflows with praise!



Invite Him into your heart today.

Jesus Loves you Bags

As a mommy I really want to raise children who are not spoiled but far from it, to be thankful for the simple things they are blessed with. A home & a meal are trully blessings..!

To plant seeds of selfishlessness I pray to Jesus to guide me.. "show me Lord how I can raise them to care for others and not themselves." Children have a natural tendancy to care for one thing, me!

Matthew 20:28 "Even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

We live in a city where many homeless are on the corners asking for a few dollars. Whenever we see a person, we gladly give. {I hand a few dollars to my kids and roll the window down :o] }


Whenever I do give a few dollars I dont feel like its enough..there has to be something more we could do. My children and I started to keep the person in our prayers and God lead us to a new idea, a brown paper bag full of essentials.

James 2:8 Yes indeed, it is good when you truly obey our Lord's command, "You must love and help your neighbors just as much as you love and take care of yourself."

we call them, Jesus Loves You Bags!

Here is what we put in our bags of love:

All from the Dollar Store

                                 

         Mini New Testament Bibles

     Dental Floss

     Dry Snacks

    Hand sanitizer

     Water Bottle

There are so many other ideas that you could do. I kept with things that would last in the bag, so we could keep a box full in my truck. Here is some other ideas, sandwiches, fruit, mouth wash, gift certificate, gloves and ear muffs in the winter..the list goes on!!

I had my children put the bags together..

Made everything exciting for them!

So cute to watch!

All ready to be handed out! We wrote on the bags, Jesus loves you!

While making the bags, my children kept saying how great their hearts felt, aww!1 John 3:18 Little children, let us stop just saying we love people; let us really love them, and show it by our actions.

Praying for our children to have a passion to serve Jesus is a must!

How do you raise your children to care for others? Would love to hear!

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A Quote to Start your Week

Its Monday again, a new week! Praise the Lord for this day!

I know Mondays arent the most popular days, I already have a 'to do' list myself! But I know at the end of the day when I see my list checked off, I did my duty as "keeper of the home." A job created for me!

 "That they may teach the young woman to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers of the home.." Titus 2:4-5

I wanted to share with you a quote that I have come to memorize and say to myself often.

"I am my neighbors Bible;

He reads me when we meet..

He may not even know my name,

Yet he is reading me." Pearl Anderson

..."and ye shall be witnesses unto me.." Acts 1:8

I hope that you will do the same and memorize this quote. Each day & moment strive to be a witness for Christ.

Take the extra time to smile

Stop yourself from yelling

Stay calm and patient during a frustrating time

Be in thanksgiving, search for things to praise your Father for, let others hear!

Show Christ is in you to everyone & anyone...family, friends, neighbors, strangers you meet day to day.

Its the little things you do

Start memorizing scriptures and be ready to help someone with the Word

Pray for someone

Say something encouraging

Send a 'thinking of you' note

Bake for your husband or an elderly man/woman

Give your children extra xo's

Start praying for the Lord to help you, ask for him to show you opportunities to be a witness by your behavior, words and gestures. Pray to be a blessing in someones life today!

What are things that you do? Would love to hear!

Children & TV

For the past year I have cut down on my childrens time infront of the tv. If we go a whole day without tv then I jump for joy! I know it doesnt sound like a huge goal but we use to spend alot of evenings watching tv. Especially when my children were younger and I felt incredibly tired after dinner and clean up. My husband also worked nights and it was easier for me to just flip the tv on.

God opened my eyes to the truth concerning the shows on today. Its funny for me to think back and ask myself why I didnt see things before..when Jesus shows you the truth, it really does set you free. What I do not like about tv: many of the shows are about dating and crushes. Why I do not like "crushes" is because I am teaching my children God's word which is to wait til marriage. Its not easy to wait so we will not be dating but waiting on the Lord for Him to show my children who is the one He created for them! Many reasons why my husband have chosen this, maybe another post! You also see alot of girls wearing indecent clothing such as short skirts, short shorts, low shirts, skimpy tank tops. The kids in the show often are always disrespecting their parents and siblings. Seem to focus on having things and the girls are always concerned with how they look. Some shows I find to be scary with the themes of magic. Even in my mind I thought it was harmless and my children knew better, but I should have. What we watch, we model. We start to believe this lie: its harmless. But the truth is that playing around with sin is not harmless at all. Jesus died for our sins!

I also want my children exploring, playing, learning.. when we sit infront of the tv we are not doing anything productive.

There is alot of other things children can be doing instead of tv. Playing outside, puzzles, board games, reading, coloring, help with cooking and baking, taking a walk, gardening, working in the garage alongside daddy, playing games like simon says, I spy {our popular games! lol} playdough, sidewalk chalk, riding bikes, shoveling snow, painting, the list goes on!!

One of my favorite things to say is watch nature, not tv! I love God's creation especially animals. I love to watch them..and hope to pass on the same passion to my children. We have been blessed with many chances to watch nature. One time we had a bunny have babies underneath our deck. We have had plenty of deer in our yard. It was alot easier when we lived in the country. But even now we are taking joy in seeing the animals in our new home state. Wild horses, lizards, bugs, birds, rabbits, groundhogs even snakes.

I bought my children a small bug keeper with a vent built all around, they love to catch different bugs and study them for a few hours..even caught a lizard once. We throw alot of old bread outside and wait to see all the different birds come to snack..sometimes bunnies will join too. Its so fun to watch thru the glass!

Ask the Lord today if there is any movies or shows that He doesnt want your child to watch. Pray that the tv is on less. we should always be giving our goals to Him. He wants to help us! Before clicking the tv on, ask yourself..is there something else the kids can do right now??

Much love,
Sarah beth

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Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus!

Ever have a moment where you heart wants to burst in happiness and praise to Jesus??

This evening I had that moment while driving {of all places lol} home from dropping off "snow buddies" at blockbuster lol. "Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus" came on the radio.. as I sang along I thought, yes, Yes, YES it is really sweet to trust in HIM!!

Yesterday I didnt have the best day, I felt  overwhelmed in missing my husband, who is out of town working and I felt super tired. My children were cranky due to lack of sleep as well. Nothing really went as I had planned..

Anyways, yesterday we made it through the day as best as we could.. with many prayers!

I woke up today to my two youngest children singing together while playing, they make songs up constantly, especially my daughter. This song was basically one verse, "Jesus you are my king" It was a beautiful way to wake! I already knew that this new day would be much better then the day before. Actually yesterday I woke to my two younger children fighting.. big difference to today!

I love today, I am praising Jesus and overwhelmed with how he always answers prayers. I really needed today to be plain ol GOOD!

We didnt do anything special or amazing today, but it was the just what I hoped and prayed for... a sweet day, at home with my children.

We tackled alot of our lessons with ease..

The children happily completed their chores and helped one another as I cleaned along side with them.

We had fun creating a "get well soon" card for grandpa and "we miss you daddy" cards..

My home is "pretty" ~ means not spotless but mostly neat ;}

My kids played really well together..

I got to spend an hour talking and looking at my hubby, webcam!

It was a smooth day.. His loving presence all around us!

If you are having a struggling day mamma's, pray, pray, pray! I hope my sweet day today can be an encouragment and a reminder the importance of giving our struggles to Jesus, no matter how big or how small!!! Dont forget he wants you to lean on Him!

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

Tis so Sweet to Trust in Jesus!

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