Persecuted For....Cooking Dinner?

Have you ever felt like you were being looked down upon for trying to be a wife, or mother, like the Proverbs 31 Woman?  I have, and it really took be by surprise.  I do not think those on the other side were being mean spirited, as they were friends and dear co-workers, but they had a much more worldly view of what a wife should be.

The incident happened before we had kids.  I was working as an auditor at a public accounting firm and traveled overnight frequently.  This one time I was with a group from the office headed to training.  On the shuttle from the airport to the hotel, my husband called and we had an pretty run of the mill conversation, of which my friends only heard one side.  They heard something like this.

"There is a roast in the crock pot for tonight and this, this, and that in the refrigerator for the rest of the time I am gone.  I wrote directions on it all.  Your welcome."  It was over 10 years ago, and I do not remember the conversation word for word, but I remember the stares I got as I hung up the phone.  The looks were immediately followed with questions like "Can't he fix his own food?" Comments such as "He's a big boy." and "You are not his mother." still sting today.  In truth, it didn't bother me about me, but I didn't like for him to be ridiculed.  I made it clear that yes, he could get his own dinner,  but I love him and I love doing things for him and while I am away that is one thing I can do.

That event, along with similar others during my time at that job earned me the nickname June Cleaver.  Though it was meant to make me self-concious, the one who started it eventually used it as a compliment, and honestly, I always considered it one.

The world has a very different view of what a marriage should look like when compared to what the Bible says.  Do not let it deter you from what you know is God's will for you as a wife, mother, and woman of God.

Do you have a similar story?  Share it in comments or on the Facebook page. I'd love to hear it!

Never Give Up

Today's post is a quickie because frankly, my kids are on fall break and I want to finish my work so I can play with them.  Today I am praising that I am doing my work in my kitchen's "office corner" while my kids are happy in the living room or play room.  I did not have to figure out childcare for the break, or how to pay for the additional care that would be needed if I were at a regular 9 to 5.  Let me rephrase; I am and shouting from the virtual rooftops THANK YOU LORD!

If you ARE a mom working outside of the home today, you may be fine with that.  That is OKAY.  God has a different plan for everyone, and if you are at peace with it, and you still serve your family as He commands, you are superwoman in my book:)  I did it for years but NEVER had peace.  I knew God COULD change it, but honestly I did not know if he would.  I also knew it would take a totally unforeseen miracle. 

It came on the same day I watched my grandfather air lifted from one hospital to another, moments after I kissed him on the forehead and saw him conscious for the last time.  As I was driving home my husband called and told me about a phone call he had gotten to interview for a job.  This was a job we had prayed for, but you have to understand, he had NOT applied for a job.  We had no clue there was an opening and at the time, no idea how they got his name.  This was the "miracle" we had prayed for... the moved mountain so to speak.  There is so much more, but for now I want to encourage you today that if God has planted a desire in your heart do not lose hope.  Do not give up.  He will grant the desires of your heard that He places there in His time and likely in a way you never imagined.

God As An...Accountant?

¹⁹ For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross."  Colossians 1:19-20

I am loving the study of Colossians with my Good Morning Girls group.  This was our passage this morning and I just had to share.  Bear with me.  I spent 10 years as an accountant after earning my degree with a major in this fun field (sarcasm intended:).  My understanding of the word reconcile may be somewhat different than that of a non-accountant.  Can we all agree we understand the meaning in terms of reconciling a check book?  Even if we don't do it as we should?  If you are still confused, I am talking about balancing, or trying to get an account to the balance that you KNOW it should be. 

Whether it is an account on the books or a checking account, the premise is the same.  You have to look at each and every number that is making up the current balance and take out what is not supposed to be there while adding numbers that are missing.  In a check book this could be subtracting checks or other debits that were not written down and adding in deposits that were not written down.  God did that when He sent his Son to die, declaring us reconciled to himself through the blood of Christ.  He removed the sin debt and added grace.

The other part is easier to see in a standard accounting entry.  If a number is entered into an account incorrectly, it has to be removed for that account to balance as it should.  You cannot just take it out though, there has to be a balancing entry to move it to another account, or to wash it out.  The blood of Jesus washes the sin from us, applies it to His account, and God's almight power destroys it.  Amen?  Amen!

Enough accounting.  Just realize today what a precious gift we are given in the blood of Christ.  It is nature as God created it to balance, and he reconciled us to Him through Christ's blood!  Even if we don't totally understand it, you have to know it is sooooo good!

To find out more about Good Morning Girls Bible Studies click the link above.  Sign up to get the emails delivered straight to your inbox each morning along with the link to the Colossians reading plan. 
 

What God Has Been Doing

My oh my what God has been doing in the life of this chaotic hot mess of a mamma!  When I first began writing this blog it was due to a word from God that I should write.  I needed to get out there how I saw God moving in my everyday life for others to see, now and in future generations, that they might recongnize His work in their own lives. 

Much of the first year of this blog was a lamenting of how I knew there had to be an easier way.  It was a documenting of my struggle to balance work and home with the woman God wanted me to be, and an outward expression of my prayer to be at home with my children to better serve them and my husband. 

I knew God's promise to grant the desires of my heart, and I was waiting (not necessarily patiently) for Him to either get me home or change my heart.  I really expected the latter.  I knew in Him ALL things were possible, but my human mind could not fathom a course of events that could possibly get me home.

Oh sisters have I got a story to tell!!!! Praise God!  I have been working from home for over a year now, and oh how God has blessed and provided.  He gives just enough for us to enjoy His good gifts, but not so much that we forget to lean on Him.  He knows the exact balance of what we need to be the best we can be for His glory. 

Stay tuned... I really will write more this time.  If you are visiting from PinTriedIt, welcome!  If you are new, look around.  Some of my favorite posts and great places to start, in my opinion, are here, here, and here.

God bless, and I look forward to continuing what God started here!

More Hospitality and a Recipe

As I mentioned in the last post, one of my favorite authors is hosting an online book study on her blog based on her book "A Life that Says Welcome."  Karen Ehman is a spectacular at giving practical advice to make daily life special.  Pop over here to see today's guest post and enter the giveaway.  If you haven't been joining in, it's not too late!  Read each post this week and you can still enter the giveaways until the end of the study just before Easter. 

Today she is doing a link up for everyone to share their favorite "company" recipes.  I do make this for my family, but it is especially nice for company.  While it is not hard, it does take a bit to prepare and cook.  However, the payoff is that unless you have a TON of guests staying for a REALLY long time, you do the work once and reap the benefits for several days.  It is very filling and a little goes a long way.  I usually make this unique breakfast casserole on the first morning after our overnight guests' first night (usually anywhere from 3 to 5 people) and then refrigerate leftovers.  I serve the first day with biscuits and sometimes I add gravy for those.  Then everyone morning thereafter I set it out cold with saucers and a variety of pastries and fruit for everyone to reheat as they wish.  Before you get up in arms about serving leftovers to company, I can promise you they all enjoy me getting to visit, they still can have a hot breakfast, and we can get out the door to do the fun stuff we have planned quickly. Most times we can eat off of it three days at least and it reheats fabulously.  No one has EVER minded getting to have it three mornings in a row, and they have other options with the fruit and pastries if they want. 

So, here it is.  I cannot take full credit.  I used to live in Arkansas rice country and this was the rice queen's winning recipe one year.  A co-worker shared it with us at work one morning, and I have adjusted here and there to my family's tastes.  Don't let the ingredients scare you.  It is REALLY good!

Crispy Rice Breakfast Casserole
6 cups crispy rice cereal
5 cups of cooked rice
2 lbs cooked breakfast sausage
8 eggs
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 8oz package of shredded cheese (more if you wish)

Mix sausage and cereal, then layer sausage mix, rice, and cheese in a prepared large baking dish.  (I usually have enough left over to do a second 8x8 dish to freeze....just depends on how large you "large" dish is. )  It works best if you start with sausage, then rice, then cheese and so on.  I have also done this mixing the rice, cheese, and sausage mix in a large bowl and dumping it all in the pan at once and it work fine.  This recipe is full of grace!  ( You might want to bake on a cookie sheet to catch any spills.)

Next, mix the eggs and cream soup in a bowl and beat well.  Pour over the rice and sausage and bake at 375 for 1 hour or until set in the middle.  These are the official directions but give yourself plenty of time.  I have to cook it in my oven at 400 for 1 hour and 15 minutes... just keep and eye on it until you see how it works in your oven.  If it gets to brown on top before it is set in the middle, cover with foil until done.  Once set, sprinkle more cheese on top and put back in the oven until melted and just browning.

You can add in mushrooms, black olives, bell peppers, or just about anything you want.  We have made it with ham cubes too, but with less grease for it to absorb, cut the cereal down to 3 or four cups for this.   If it is too thick, dry, or whatever for your tastes just play with the rice/ cereal measurements until you get what you want.  A word of warning however; be sure to do all of this BEFORE you try it for company:)   Enjoy!

Hospitality

Karen Ehman is beginning her online study based on her book "A Life That Says Welcome."    She is going to lead us through the book and offer practical ways to open our homes to others, which I am positive our lady in Proverbs 31 did.  There will be special guests and giveaways each day(see who and what here), and on Friday there is an idea swap and link up party.  Check out the first lesson which just posted today here.  I think you will be blessed. 

When your done, I hope you will come back and share.  I am doing the study, so I will be posting some thoughts on it here since it is in line with the topic of this blog.  I would love to hear from you.  Today Amy Bayliss is talking things that made her feel welcome as a child and how to use that to make others feel welcome today.  When I was little, I loved going to my grandpa's house.  My grandmother died when I was very young and he was single for a long time, but he always had me over anyway and we had something fun like Coke floats.  He was also the only person I knew with a satallite dish (it was HUGE), and he would sit through HOURS of the Disney Channel just so I could watch. Though an older widower is not normally what we think of when it comes to hospitality, the point is to consider what made US feel welcome, so we can get in that mind frame of making others feel the same way.  Now head over here to join the conversation.   I just know you'll be blessed.  If you still need a book, the publisher is releasing a new print that should be available this week.  Until then Karen is making it easy to join in without a book...so don't let they stop you!

"Strength and Dignity"

"Strength and dignity are her clothing." 

So, okay, I am pretty sure this isn't talking about actual clothing, but if it were, what do you think strength and dignity would look like?  I think it applies.  Us moms are notorious for the stereo type of not showering before noon, spit up all over our sweats, and make-up being only for special occassions... like leaving the house, lol!  If you work outside the home, chances are this is not an issue for you.  It wasn't for me just a few short months ago when that was my life.  But if you work at home, as I do now, or being home IS your work, which is enough of a job in and of itself, then you may struggle with this.  I doubt dignity looks like a ratty pony tale, gray sweat pants, and your husband's white under shirt. 

I understand more than you know that sometimes it cannot be avoided, but other times, well....not so much.  I plan to write later on being clothed in strength and dignity, but for today, check out the new e-book release by Sarah Mae.  She is offering "Frumps to Pumps" for free today for those who subscribe to her blog, which is a great read also!  It is a month long challenge to get dressed everyday.  While I can say I do dress everyday, it is often just before my husband comes home.  I think I would be much more productive if I did it FIRST!  Let's see what Sarah Mae has to say about it:)  See more here.

Practical Ways to Follow God's Command to Help the Poor

"She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; Yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy." Proverbs 31:29

This verse has always troubled me as a young mother.  I would read and have visions of serving in poverty riddled tent camps in Africa, or giving money monthly to the people who advertise and show such scenes on T.V.  Other times I would envision working in a soup kitchen or handing out blankets and water after a natural disaster.  Then I would look around my home and laugh and wonder how I could ever help anyone else when I could barely keep up here.  I would look at the clock and see that neither myself or the kids were dressed, the dishes were still in the sink, and the check book barely made it to the next week above zero as it was.  If I didn't have time or money, what on earth could I do for the poor or needy?

Well, things are not always as it seems.  First, I realized I needed to take a careful look at my life.  Realize that this is a process that has happened many times over the years.  Often my time was not always well spent and I had more time than I thought to help out those less fortunate.  At other times my money was not always well managed and I had more than I thought to give to someone in need. 

There have also been times when things were exactly as I saw them.  There was very little wiggle room in the areas of time or money.  I knew I had so much more than so many, but still saw no way to give.  I asked the Lord for some practical ways to share my blessings.  I was somewhat surprised at the big reveal.  Maybe it would have been obvious to others, but to my humanly thick skull and sinful heart, it was an eye opener.

While we didn't have a lot of extra, we didn't lack anything we needed either.  All those clothes I had grand ideas of selling at a yard sale or on Craigslist could be given away.  Yes, even the expensive boutique clothes in GREAT shape.  (That we received as gifts ourselves by the way.)  Even those that would make a great extra deposit into our slim savings account.  I could offer them up for free to someone I knew, or take them to the local mission.  Our's here in Knoxville is outstanding.  You can donate clothes that are sold for very cheap to anyone, so in one way those who need to can shop there and stretch their money further.  Then the proceeds go to help feed the homeless.  The beauty is that I can even shop there (and I do) and not only does it help my pocket book and allow me to be frugal, but I can help those in need at the same time!

Please understand I am not saying that you should not be frugal, or make the most of what you  have, or be wise with your money.  It is okay to have a garage sale or sell items online.   I am just saying this one way the Lord showed me I could follow his commands to help the poor and needy, manage my home more efficiently (declutter), and manage the financial blessings he has given us at the same time!  Praise His name! 

If you are struggling with this command today I encourage you to take an honest look at how you spend your time and your money.  Is it in line with God's will?  If so, and you see no room to do anything else, ask Him to show you how he would have you follow this specific command.  He will answer.

Idleness

^"She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness."  Proverbs 31: 27 

This one hurts my toes.  I can feel them being stepped all over and it hurts!  I mean, I do not consider myself lazy or even idle, and I feel exactly the same as you do when the rare occassion comes around to sit and read a magazine article or do anything else that makes me happy and is not actively productive. 

So what is idleness?  Think about a car.  When a car is idle it is still running, but it isn't going anywhere.  You can hear the engine, it is using gas (energy) but it is accomplishing NOTHING, unless it is an old fashioned car like mine.  Then it is spewing pollution into the air as well. 

We could consider our idleness the same way.  If we are taking time for ourselves and we are being renewed and rested, then we ARE accomplishing something.  With the right balance, this is NECESSARY to being productive. A car is not idle if it is being maintenanced, even though it is not accomplishing its purpose.  It HAS to be taken care of to work properly.  However,  if your Facebook and blog hopping time turns into hours and responsibilities ( the affairs of your household) are not taken care of, then you have been idle. 

Idle = accomplishing nothin of value.  If we are idling, we are just asking for Satan to come along and direct our energy toward evil.  Incidently, time in God's word in any form is NEVER idleness.  Something is most definitely being accomplished.  So, next time you feel guilty, consider if you are truly being idle.  Next time everything does not get done, seek out where  you were idle, or if you were,  and make a point to change it. 

Welcome Wednesday

Welcome to the "Welcome Wedneday blog hop!  Stick around awhile, and I hope you decide to come back;)  Check out our welcome post to see what it's all about, and then check out what's going on.  I love to start discussions, so don't forget to comment, and let me know if you are a new follower from the hop so I can follow back:).  To join click the button to the right to get started.  Have a blessed day!

The "Work" Dilemma

^"She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. " Proverbs 31:16

For the first 11 years of my married life, including my first 5 as a mother, I worked outside of the home.  I did so out of necessity to pay the bills.  Not saying some of those bills were not our fault, but many of them were the standard: mortgage, student loan, utilities, etc.  I went into motherhood knowing this would be the case, and I thought I was okay with that.  Then I wasn't.  My heart ached with guilt each and every day that I could not do all God had for me to do as a wife and mother because I worked. 

Now I work from home, and thought the perks our OUTSTANDING, there are many times I STILL cannot do all I feel I am meant to do as a wife a mother because of work.  So, I thought we might look more closely at our girlfriend from Proverbs 31.  First, do not let ANYONE fool  you into thinking that she ONLY worked on household chores.  She did NOT only deal with domestic issues such as clothing and feeding her family, though she did do these things, and from scratch no less. 

Consider verse 16.  Now, before you say this was simply a garden, look closely at the verse above.  See that word earnings?  She made money.  I am unclear here as to whether to she already had earnings, bought the field, and planted the vineyard, or if the earnings were from the field.  Maybe some of you who are more studied on the subject can help out.  But one thing I do know almost for certain is that she DID NOT get paid to do regular housekeeping and mothering chores. 

My point is, IF you have to work, please do not be discouraged and do not let the enemy condemn you.  If you feel the Lord leading you to go a different direction, pray for Him to lead you to the way to do whatever it is He is asking, and obey Him.  It may be that He is asking you to take a leap of faith and know that, though you may have to sacrifice some comforts, He will care for you.  It may be He wants you to stay put and minister where you are, and if that is the case, ask Him how you can do so and still do what is required of you at home.  He will NOT leave you hanging if you are willing to HEAR what he has to say.  Even if it is to spend less time online, reading, or watching television. (Ouch)

If you are someone who is interested in working from home there are options, and not all of them include sales or making things.  There really are real jobs you can do online to make money.  I know because I found them.  Try sites such as  WAHAdventures.com and WAHM.com.  These two sites helped me tremendously in finding job postings and weeding out the scams.  Miranda and her team at WAH Adventures.com do a great job of helping you find what you can and and want to do, reviewing sites that hirer workers to work at home, and giving a host of other information.  (Incidently, I am new to the writing team on this blog and some of my stuff should publish this week!)   WAHM.com has job listings, helpful articles, and forums that offer a ton of information as well. 

Whether you work outside of the home or work at home, chances are you feel pulled between doing what you are supposed to do and want to do as a wife and mother, and getting your work done.  I pray this encourages you.  The Proverbs 31 Woman earned money and helped with household expenses sister, so if you do it is OKAY.  If this is what the Lord has for you and you feel overwhelmed, ask Him to help you prioritize according to His will so that you can do all He has for you to do.

Welcome

Welcome to "More than Rubies."  This blog is a work in progress, so bear with me.  My heart's desire is to offer practical advice on how to become more like the woman of Proverbs 31 fame, and in doing so to help us all become the women the Lord intends us to be, and become more like Jesus.  This should be the number one goal of all who profess to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the living Son of God. 

Sometimes the posts are spiritual, sometimes they are more on the practical side, but I pray they always encourage.  I have buttons that link to many other blogs that I find encouraging in this area of life, and I hope you will too.  Check them out.  Like my posts, some are spiritual, some are practical such as how to better save or manage money, better homekeeping, etc., and some are simply written by women I feel are inspiring. 

So grab a cup of your favorite warm drink (you'll learn mine is strong, black coffee) and stay for a while.  Oh, and don't forget to comment!  I can't wait to get to know you better.

Afar?

 "She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar."  Proverbs 31:14

So where was/ is "afar?"  Is this really saying we should go way off and get food for our families?  I do not really think the point of this verse is WHERE she got the food so much as HOW she got it.  She went to the trouble to get it.  Seeing as this is the Proverbs 31 Woman, I imagine she provided healthy, delicious meals within her means.  What does this look like practically for us?  I think it looks like going that little extra step.  I may be supporting a spouse who is on a special diet, whether self-imposed or medically necessary, or it may mean not giving up on finding healhty foods your kids will actually eat. 

It can get frustrating, I know.  As a wife to a husband who is on a medically necessary low-carb diet, a daughter with Cystic Fibrosis who can basically have whatever she wants, and a son who is just a normal little boy who doesn't like his veggies but needs to learn healthy eating habits, I can tell you first hand it is tempting to throw cereal on the table every night or just let them have whatever they want.  Chicken nuggets five nights a week?  Sure!  A bag of potato chips for lunch?  Why not!

Keep in mind NONE of the foods  mentioned above are bad occassionally, but finding ways to provide them with foods they both enjoy and that are good for them, even if it takes a little extra effort, is one way we can be more like the Proverbs 31 Woman in our daily lives. 

So what are your tricks?  One of my favorites is Ragu Old World Style pasta sauce.  It has 2 servings of veggies in every serving of sauce.  Since my son LOVES spaghetti, I can get some veggies in him this way AT LEAST once a week.  The sauce works well in other recipes too.  We switched from meat sauce to spaghetti and meatballs so that when the rest of us has spaghetti, dad can just have the meatballs. 

Let us in on how you put in little extra effort to bring food from "afar."

  

When The Word Reveals Sin

"She girds herself with strength and strengthens her arms."  Proverbs 31:17

I have felt led to do a series of posts on here that takes a much closer look at the Proverbs 31 woman.  I have had a slight case of writer's block however.  I could not see where to start.  Was it with organzing and cleaning the home?  Should I start with respecting our husbands?  As I read the verses that I had read so often, the Lord worked as only he can and illuminated time and time again verse 17.

My flesh recoiled.  Read the second part of the verse listed above.  The first part I can deal with, sure,us moms and wives have to be strong.  But,she did what?  She "strengthened" her arms.  She had time to EXCERCISE!  She did everything she did and still took care of herself.

This was  a new concept to me.  I have never noticed before where this amazing woman did anything but work and sacrifice for others.  She certainly did not appear in other verses to give much thought to her needs.  She didn't even sleep for crying out loud!  The word tells us nothing about he eating habits, but I think there is enough in verse 17 to tell us she did, in fact, take care of herself.  It would take a miracle of God for her body to hold up  to all she had to accomplish if she did not. 

But why?  If she had no weight or other health problems, why bother to excercise?  This is the trap I had fallen into and where my sin was revealed.  I am blessed to not have a weight problem.  Now sisters, please do not hate me if you do struggle with weight.  TRUST me I have my own issues to deal with, but weight has never been one of them.  So I never worried about eating whatever I wanted, drinking my beloved Dr. Pepper, or working out.  Who has time and why bother if I do not need to lose weight?  I have too many other things to worry about.

Wow was I wrong.  First, let's look at why the lady in Proverbs 31 may have cared to care for herself.  She loved the Lord and His word and wanted to do what it said.  So consider these verses. 

"Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?"  1 Corinthians 6:19

" But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."  Galatians 5:22-23

It was easy for me to look past the first one.  That was the standard growing up when it came to why we shouldn't smoke or drink in excess.   I mean, I was healthy, so no special care is needed, right?  I do not do things that are intentionally harmful to my body, so that is good enough.  It was not, however.  And it was also not so easy for me to looking past the issue of self-control noted in Galatians 5.  The benefits of and DEMAND to practice self-control is noted throughout the Bible.  I always thought about it in the context of things that were "bad" or had an immediate negative effect.  Such as, I knew I needed to practice self-control to stay off of Facebook if there was work that needed to be done.  But what the Lord revealed to me was that if taking care of myself for the simple fact that I am His was not enough, there was more.  I was lacking self-control. 

In 1 Corinthians Paul says "But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified." (vs 27)  We are to make self-control a practice in our lives, and what we eat and how we care for ourselves is as much of an area to practice as any other.  We are to be doers and not hearers only, and as I heard from a wonderful speaker recently, the opposite of doing is disobedience.  I had not only sinned, I was (gasp) living a LIFESTYLE of sin! 

Indulging whenever I wanted was not practicing or strengthening my self-control.  However, intentionally denying myself my fleshly desires when offered  the chance for fast food or sweets would give those self-control "muscles" quite a workout.

Sweet sisters, I am writing this not to make you feel bad or to discourage.  Caring for yourself may not be the issue with you.  This sin was mine for the Lord to deal with me personally about.  However, I wanted to show you how digging into His word can reveal not only sin, but motivation to do better when you haven't been able to find it anywhere else. 

There are two books out currently by some very smart, believing women that address the subjects.  The first is "Made to Crave" by Lysa Terkeurst and is written to more specifically address the issue of food.  I had the priviledge of getting to read it before it hit store shelves and it is amazing.  Check it out here.   The other is by Candace Cameron Bure (yes, that is the one and only D.J. Tanner, lol!)  Find out more about "Reshaping it All: Motivation for Physical and Spiritual Fitness"  here.  Candace addresses a lot of what I mentioned in this post, and it is a fantastic read so far. 

I do not know how often I will post, but do hope and pray the Lord will continue to reveal to me how he wants me to address each aspect of this section of His word.  Won't you join me as I do?

God bless,

The New Year

I set some goals for the new year, as most do.  One of them was to take better care of myself.  Another was to do better at getting up at 5:00 am.  Still another was to eat lunch with my son at least once a month.  So far so good, but it is only January. 

The goal most pertinent to you guys, however, is to do a better job here.  I feel led to do a series that examines each aspect of the Proverbs 31 Woman, verse by verse, as overwhelming and convicting as it may be.  So I'm gonna give it a shot....let's see if I get up a post by the end of January. 

In the meantime, what were your New Year's goals, and how are you doing?