62bd461
|
Help your children grow and excel in the gifts God has given them. Let them know you're on their team. s a mom I want to leave a legacy that goes way beyond ordinary life skills such as cooking and cleaning. I want to teach values about caring for ourselves and others and shaping a godly atmosphere at home and in our lives. The time you spend teaching your daughters the joys and responsibilities of womanhood will benefit generations to come..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
ed9e190
|
Help your children grow and excel in the gifts God has given them. Let them know you're on their team. s a mom I want to leave a legacy that goes way beyond ordinary life skills such as cooking and cleaning. I want to teach values about caring for ourselves and others and shaping a godly atmosphere at home and in our lives. The time you spend teaching your daughters the joys and responsibilities of womanhood will benefit generations to come..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
bcb3d16
|
ETIQUETTE FOR THE GUEST Important things to remember as a guest: * Be punctual, but not early. * Cancel only if there is an emergency. * Offer to help the hostess if help is needed. * Be a good mixer with the other guests. * If there is a theme to the tea, dress according to the theme. It will add a special touch to the event. * Even though you enjoy talking, try not to be the last to leave. * Be sure to say a goodbye to the hostess. * Writ..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
d4364d1
|
by have a home in the first place? Good question! When I have a tea party for my grandchildren, I'm passing on to them the things my mama passed on to me-the value of manners and the joy of spending quiet time together. When Bob reads a Bible story to those little ones, he's passing along his deep faith. When we watch videos together, play games, work on projects-we're building a chain of memories for the future. These aren't lessons that c..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
ac81385
|
Lfr Jp tZ~ LLtI~ A righteous [woman] who walks in [her] integrity-how blessed are [her] sons after [her]. -PROVERBS 20:7 My Bob often says, "Just do what you say you are going to do!" This has been our battle cry for more than 25 years. People get into relational problems because they forget to keep their promises. It's so easy to make a verbal promise for the moment and then grapple with the execution of that promise later. Sometimes we un..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
49716d2
|
HEART ACTION Take any situation that comes and find the goodness in it. Look at a trial as a chance to draw closer to God. Look at a struggling relationship as a chance to be faithful and forgiving. Then look at the sunset and praise God for the beauty He made, which is, for us, a constant reminder of His love and presence. Tea is wealth itself, Because there is nothing that cannot be lost, No problem that will not disappear, No burden that..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
92a5b85
|
Pray with a friend this week. I know Christ dwells within me all the time, guiding me and inspiring me whenever I do or say anything. A light of which I caught no glimmer before comes to me at the very moment when it is needed. SAINT THERESE OF LISIEUX Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure-pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in r..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
7e8867f
|
HEART ACTION Think about when you are silent about God's activity in your life. Look for a chance this week to speak out about God's goodness. Giving and gratitude go together like humor and laughter, like having one's back rubbed and the sigh that follows, like a blowing wind and the murmur of wind chimes. Gratitude keeps alive the rhythm ofgrace given andgrace grateful, a lively lilt that lightens a heavy world. LEWIS B. SMEDES Our Father..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
16b22c7
|
Don't Run on Emptiness Elijah was a man with a nature like ours. --JAMES 5:17 NASB Have you ever been to a large concert or a speaking event with thousands of others around you talking or clapping or singing and still felt alone or empty? That feeling is very common to those of us who are living in a merry-go-round world. So much noise, but so little caring. Elijah of the Bible felt just like that--empty with no purpose in life. In 1 Ki..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
6e95bd6
|
The Search for Happiness Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of [children]. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate. --PSALM 127:5 Storm Jameson, a twentieth-century English writer, wrote, "Happiness comes of the capacity to feel deeply, to enjoy simply, to think freely, to risk life, to be needed." Parents want to make their children happy, employers want to make employees happy, married coupl..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
94d4fe5
|
Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions. -LUKE 12:15 One of our universal problems is the overcrowding of our homes. Whether we have an apartment or a six bedroom home, every closet, cupboard, refrigerator, and garage are all crammed with abundance. Some of us have so much that we go out and rent additional storage spaces for our possessions. B..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
0ff51b4
|
HEART OF TEA DEVOTION Now stir the fire, and close the shutters fast, Let fall the curtains, wheel the sofa round, And, while the bubbling and loud hissing urn Throws up a steamy column and the cups That cheer but not inebriate, wait on each, So let us welcome peaceful ev ning in. WILLIAM COWPER Perhaps the idea of a tea party takes you back to childhood. Do you remember dressing up and putting on your best manners as you sipped pretend tea..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
9af976a
|
tuff. Almost all of us have it in abundance. What can we do with it? One of my favorite hideaways is an old faithful: the cardboard box. Cover it with festive Contact paper and stuff away. Or hang a shelf about a foot from the ceiling, and use it to store items you don't want sitting around. It's also great in a child's room for toys that aren't played with often. Get old school lockers or trunks, paint them, and use them for storage. Clutt..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
e3a1b8c
|
Olo-keZ G-- a tc There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven. -ECCLESIASTES 3:1 What would we do without our day planners? I have a large one for my desk and a carry-all that goes with me. I don't know how a person functions without some type of organizer. I just love it; it truly has become my daily-calendar bible. I take it with me everywhere. My whole life is in that book. Each evening I pe..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
816bef9
|
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." --Mark 1:35 2. Have an honest heart. "Call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."--Jeremiah 29:12-13 3. Open your Bible. "The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to divi..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
175bff0
|
Easing Your Worries I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? --MATTHEW 6:25 I don't know how things are in your world, but I can tell you that in Southern California we live in an age of anxiety. My neighbors and I have it much easier than our parents, but we certainly are much uneasier tha..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
c0bf111
|
Allow spontaneity in your life!
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
780971d
|
Little touches can make a big difference.
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
5935109
|
1 PETER 5:3 Over and over I have attempted to be an example by doing rather than telling. I feel that God's great truths are "caught" and not always "taught." In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses (the author) says the following about God's commandments, statutes, and judgments: "You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up"..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
0a728e5
|
Be a Listener When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise. --PROVERBS 10:19 I've heard it said that God gave us two ears and only one mouth because He wants us to listen twice as much as we speak. I don't know about you, but I've never had to apologize for something I haven't said. It's much easier and really more natural for us to speak rather than listen. We have to learn to listen. It takes discipline ..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
7d4c3d9
|
_qt ~~ L,4_-k,,d_e, V q99- You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb ...I am fearfully and wonderfully made. -PSALM 139:13-14 IfI could only have a straight nose, a tummy tuck, blonde hair, larger (or smaller) breasts, or be more like so-and-so, I would be okay as a person. Never have I heard women satisfied with how God made them. "God must have made a mistake when He made me." "I'm certainly the exception to His model cr..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
83b3297
|
Mow a neighbor's lawn. * Give your spouse a back rub. * Write a check for a local charity. * Compliment a coworker. * Bake a pie for someone. * Slip a $20 bill into the pocket of a needy friend. * Laugh out loud often and share your smile generously. * Buy gift certificates and give them away anonymously. hildren and gardens go naturally together. Children are observers, and they learn so much more when they can see what they're learning. A..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
67eeb9d
|
Jd_O wti d-d- God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. -GENESIS 1:31 As we look at life, are we bound to the idea that bad things happen to people? Look at all the bad news on television and radio. The newspapers are full of disasters: people dying of illness, accidents, drownings, fires destroying property, uprisings in countries abroad, and on and on. Do you so..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
61dff38
|
Prayer: Father God, thank You for giving me the joy of family. Help me to create a place where there is forgiveness and love. My children are truly a reward for me, and they come straight from You. Thank You. Amen. Action: Be bold and ask your children tonight, "Do you feel loved in our home?" Be ready for unexpected answers. Today's Wisdom: Discipline is demanded of the athlete to win a game. Discipline is required for the captain runn..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
6b6b5da
|
Great men [women] never complain about the lack of time. Alexander the Great and John Wesley accomplished everything they did in twenty-four-hour days. FRED SMITH
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
5c109ca
|
Everything I didn't do yesterday Added to everything I haven't done today Plus everything I won't do tomorrow-completely exhausts me!
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
e0a2f02
|
Legacy of Love In the future, when your children ask you, "What do these stones mean?" tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever. --JOSHUA 4:6-7 In your family's history there are probably many examples of sacrifice--some you may know about, but many othe..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
31308a2
|
se "in-between times" to get things done. For example, it takes 15 minutes or less to change the sheets on a bed. So when you're waiting for dinner to finish cooking, to go somewhere, or for something to finish up, make a bed. Planning saves you time. Know what you have to do-and set your priorities. ere's a fun idea! Why not lighten a gathering together load a little by hosting a tea "potluck." It's a great way to widen your circle of frie..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
731c8e9
|
Wisdom comes from knowing God and understanding His will for our lives. The Holy Spirit assists us in our quest for wisdom by enabling us to view the world as God perceives it. From an early age we can seek God's wisdom. We don't have to wait until we are old to figure out this puzzle of life. In Psalm 111:10 we read, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise en..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
60e366c
|
f you're living in a place that's just not big enough for that huge Christmas tree you'd love to have, get branches of evergreen, balsam, or juniper and use them to outline mirrors, arrange on mantels or windowsills, or decorate tabletops and bookshelves. Add gold or silver balls or showcase your holiday collectibles among the branches, such as snow villages, angels, and Christmas teacups. And don't forget to use plenty of unlit candles in ..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
3a61792
|
PRAYER Lord, Your model prayer has come to me in the night on several occasions and has given me great comfort. Your prayer has become my prayer, and I enjoy reciting it often when I think of You. Amen. HEART ACTION Trust the Lord each day for your provision. Let me live according to those holy rules which thou bast this day prescribed in thy holy word; make me to know what is acceptable in thy holy word; make me to know what is acceptable ..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
e0d711a
|
HEART ACTION Plan a tea party to gather together some old or new friends. Even having just one person over for a cup of tea and good conversation will create a time of hospitality and connection. Make it simple so that you enjoy it and can focus on sharing your heart with your guests. A TEA PARTY HAS ITS OWN MANNERS Serving tea is a wonderful excuse for sharpening etiquette around the table. Mothers can use this time to teach their young da..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
8bcae73
|
Become someone who is eager to give freely and to give first. And when others offer you injury or doubt or sorrow, return to them only forgiveness, faith, and joy. PRAYER Father God, You are truly a God of giving. Thank You so much for all You have given me. I can never repay You for all Your graciousness. Amen. HEART ACTION Are you waiting for someone to give to you before you are willing to give to him or her? Try the reverse: Give to tha..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
65b749b
|
ant an easy and wonderful tradition for you and your children that will provide years of joy? Create a prayer page for each of your family members-husband, children, grandchildren, friends of the heart, and keep them in a notebook. I asked each of the special people in my life to trace his or her handprint on a white sheet of paper. Then I encouraged them, especially the children, to decorate their pages. When I pray for these people, I put..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
ca0134f
|
Next, comparing children to arrows in the hands of a warrior, Psalm 127:4-5 talks about how parents are to handle their offspring. Wise and skillful parents are to know their children, understand them, and carefully point them in the right direction before shooting them into the world. And, as you may have learned in an archery class, shooting an arrow straight and hitting a target is a lot harder in real life than it looks like in the movi..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
d0191bd
|
ave you thought of your family photos as a collection? One of my tables held photos of many generations of women in our family. I displayed them in a variety of frames, and the mother-daughter-granddaughter theme pulled the collection together. No one could resist stopping and taking a peek. Group as black-and-white photos or formal or informal in groups. Another idea is to keep the same frames but change the photos for the seasons. If you ..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
24c55a8
|
Action: Tell your husband how much you love him. Today's Wisdom: Eternity is not something that begins after you are dead. It is going on all the time. We are in it now. --CHARLOTTE PERKINS GILMAN
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
1ca57b1
|
ant to give a memorable tea party? Want a wonderful moment to share God's love? For my granddaughters and their friends I carefully selected old teacups-all different and lovely. Then I put out clean hankies to use as napkins, along with spoons for each girl. We had special tea treats and a lovely time. Once we'd had our delightful tea, we collected all the cups and carefully washed them together. As I handed a cup back to each girl to take..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
65307c1
|
Z L/ti ~0"I/~ Z t4 k Lt(n. I/ ~ Z L When I awake, I am still with You. -PSALM 139:18 Isn't it great to know that even though we sleep eight to ten hours, when we awake God is still with us? He hasn't dozed off during the early hours of the morning. I know that when I am the closest to Jesus, my prayers come more easily and more often. During dry seasons of life I have to consciously set a time for prayer-and often it's more out of duty than..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
031519e
|
ave you noticed the focus these days is back on the simple things of life? What's the first thing you do when you pick a rose? You smell the fragrance. Maybe it brings back a memory of the time you picked flowers for your mom. Perhaps it's time to recapture some of that girlhood simplicity. A lavender sachet in your drawer can be an unexpected and simple pleasure. Spray a little cologne on your notepaper or even on the bathroom throw rug. O..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
69ee8cc
|
want to be someone who really celebrates the gift of the people God has given me to love. Here are a few simple ways to celebrate friends. Hold a special tea for your friends and their mothers. Celebrate with a tea for graduates, Mother's Day, or the first day of spring. Put on a birthday tea with special attention on the "big 0" ones. The anniversary of a special event or even a cup of tea to celebrate the end of a bad week or month are al..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
67a5cb2
|
Children Are a Gift Behold, children are a gift of the LORD; the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. --PSALM 127:3 NASB In a recent women's Bible study, the teacher asked the group, "Did you feel loved by your parents when you were a child?" Here are some of the responses. * "A lot of pizza came to the house on Friday nights when my parents went out for the evening." *..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
7355c64
|
Being a Helper It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him. --GENESIS 2:18 One of the joys of being an older woman is helping teach the younger women how to be helpers for their husbands. Daughters and daughters-in-law need to hear your wisdom when it comes to marriage. Sharing your experience becomes a great reward of your station in life. When I make this suggestion to a group, many women who have adu..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |
3a00dd4
|
Father God, I want to be a person that others can trust when I make a promise. Let me examine my words to make sure I only give promises to others when I'm committed to fulfill what I've uttered. Truly, keeping promises reflects on my Christian witness. Convict me to be true to my words. Amen. HEART ACTION Practice integrity in all that you say and do. Work on making promises only when you are certain you will keep them. Become a woman that..
|
|
|
Emilie Barnes |