I strive to make my priorities in the following order:
God
Husband
Home
Children
Private Life
Public Life

Why this order? Well, one it is biblical. When looking at Proverbs 31, and studying the priorities of the woman described, this is the priorities that we find. It is also what is taught in The Home Experience, which I am currently co-leading. It is funny how when you teach something, you are tested or the enemy will attack you in that area.

First is God. That is who we live for and all the other priorities fall under Him because we do everything to glorify and honor him. If at anytime, something goes before God, we have created an idol. Strive for God to be your number one priority!

Second is spouse. God created marriage and the roles of husband and wife. As a wife, I honor my husband. Often times, our children become a priority over our husband…and it’s true sometimes they take a lot of our time and energy. But God created the institution of marriage before children. If we are not honoring our spouse and giving him the priority he needs by putting our children above him, then our children are really not benefiting. They learn the values of marriage and authority by watching us.

Third is home. When we look at Genesis, we see that God set Adam in the garden and gave him the rules establishing the responsibilities of the home.Because of society, this is often towards the bottom of the list…Homes are often neglected despite the fact that home is where the family was created and where it comes back together, it is where our children’s hearts are formed. Children need the stability of the home. Again, we often want to put our children above the priority of keeping our home…and by this I do not mean that we need to do all of our chores before taking care of the kids. What I mean is we need to make it a priority to keep an orderly, well-kept, peaceful home environment for our children. By placing children above our responsibilities at home, maybe by getting them involved in several different sports, school activities, and church and staying busy busy busy, we may be thinking our children are a healthy priority…however, when there is chaos, disorganization in the home or no prepared meals at the dinner table because of the business outside the home, then our children are actually suffering.

Fourth is children. After the home is the children. God gave the institution of home at creation before they had children. Sometimes I can get selfish and want to do something for me before my children. This is one reason, why I do not currently blog as much as I used to, or would like to. I felt that there were things, children being one of them, that I was neglecting while I was working on my blog.

Fifth is private life…me. This is my time… for women, this is often the last on the list and often never gets done. We need to make time to take care of ourselves, physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Sixth is public life. Specifically for me, this means my leadership roles within church small groups and the media work, my blog, our graphic design business, any other public responsibilities I have. If anything above is out of order (not that it is always perfect but it’s something I have to constantly check and correct), then my leadership is not anointed and areas of my life may not have the blessing and grace that it could. That is why it is last on the list…for me to impact others, walk in leadership and have blessing on areas of my life, then everything above needs to be a priority first. If I put a leadership role within my church above my family, then I am not honoring my family or God. By setting our priorities in order, we are honoring our number one priority, God.

Well, this started out as a small facebook note on I Am Second…turned into a whole blog on what we are teaching in my Home Experience Group! I hope it blesses someone who reads this!

1 Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned–every one–to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? 9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. 11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

What an amazing God we have! What amazing Grace He gives!
Blessings to you this Resurrection Week-end!

I have noticed that my kids have been quite fussy and whiny the last few days. They have also been unkind. Yes they are boys and yes they are kids and they will have their little fights, but I am sensing that it is more than that right now.

Because of this, in my prayer time this morning I began praying peace and joy for our home and family. I prayed that God’s perfect peace would cover us and that the joy of the Lord would fill us. Because the kids have been so whiny and fussy, that is what I wanted to pray for- that they would have peace and joy. As I was praying (which involves listening!) I felt the Holy Spirit urge me to also pray for love…godly love. I was not sure what to pray exactly, because we are a family and we love each other. But as I obediently began praying for love, 1 Corinthians 13 came to mind. This is a passage we all know, but as you read it, think about it and your home and your family.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

I know as I read it, I realized some of the things it says Love is NOT has been occurring in my home.
As a family, are we patient and kind with each other?
Are my kids behaving rudely or selfishly? Are they bragging?
Are we as parents easily angered?
All these things are not love. So I am praying godly love in our home and family. And we know that God is love (1 John 4:16), so if we are obeying and living for God we will love!

I found this today and will begin participating…

Be still. Absorb what the Lord is speaking to you. Just soak it all in. Stay in His presence today. Worship Him with every action, every thought and every breath. Relax, rest, be refreshed.

In my quiet time this morning, I began reading and studying the book of James…one of my favorites. When I read verse 25 of the first chapter, I felt in my spirit that there was something there and I needed to study it further. What a great verse this is!

James 1:25,

But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does.

Personally, this verse is awesome because it speaks of two topics that have been spoken to us lately….
First, liberty (freedom) and second, being effectual (functional).

If I study at the perfect law, the Law of Christ, the Law which brings FREEDOM, and if I abide by it, I will FUNCTION the way God made me and doing so will bring blessing.

See, the mosaic law was not perfect (Hebrews 7:19) and did not accomplish perfection to those who were under it (Hebrews 10:1). It cannot, as each sacrifice is made, ever perfect those who draw near. It atoned for the sins but did not give liberty or freedom. The Perfect Law referred to in James 1:25, is the Law of Christ and under this law we have freedom! The perfect law frees us from the Mosaic Law and from our sin. (Romans 8:2, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.”)

Christ came to fulfill the law and perfect it. The Mosaic Law did not offer the abundant grace that we have now.

I like this quote from John Piper,

Moses gave us a law but it could not change our hearts so that we could freely obey….He offers to slay the dragons of our pride, change our hearts, empower us by His Spirit and fullfill His law.

This is kind of a side note but it’s good, I think

THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME,
BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR.
HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES,
AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND,
TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED

I like how the NASB uses the word RELEASE, some use liberty, but personally, release is a great way to put it. When you read Luke 4:18, you see that Jesus came to preach the gospel, proclaim that we are free, heal physically & spiritually and then to set us free. When we seek forgiveness from God, through Jesus, we are not just forgiven for the sin, but our SIN is forgiven, which means that He will free us from the sin, the guilt and its power over us! When we forgive others, we forgive the person, but we are not capable of forgiving their SIN as Jesus can. THAT is deliverance! and THAT is amazing!

ANYWAY, back to James…
in order to be effectual, functioning as God desires me to, I need to “look intently at the Perfect Law” and abide in it! So what do I need to do first? Study the Law of Christ, in order that I know what to abide in! That is what I am doing for this season, and probably my whole journey through life!

Fifteen Pro-Life Truths
By John Piper January 24, 2003

“You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”
- Jesus Christ

1. Existing fetal homicide laws make a man guilty of manslaughter if he kills the baby in a mother’s womb (except in the case of abortion).

2. Fetal surgery is performed on babies in the womb to save them while another child the same age is being legally destroyed.

3. Babies can sometimes survive on their own at 23 or 24 weeks, but abortion is legal beyond this limit.

4. Living on its own is not the criterion of human personhood, as we know from the use of respirators and dialysis.

5. Size is irrelevant to human personhood, as we know from the difference between a one-week-old and a six-year-old.

6. Developed reasoning powers are not the criterion of personhood, as we know from the capacities of three-month-old babies.

7. Infants in the womb are human beings scientifically by virtue of their genetic make up.

8. Ultrasound has given a stunning window on the womb that shows the unborn at eight weeks sucking his thumb, recoiling from pricking, responding to sound. All the organs are present, the brain is functioning, the heart is pumping, the liver is making blood cells, the kidneys are cleaning fluids, and there is a fingerprint. Virtually all abortions happen later than this date.

9. Justice dictates that when two legitimate rights conflict, the limitation of rights that does the least harm is the most just. Bearing a child for adoption does less harm than killing him.

10. Justice dictates that when either of two people must be inconvenienced or hurt to alleviate their united predicament, the one who bore the greater responsibility for the predicament should bear more of the inconvenience or hurt to alleviate it.

11. Justice dictates that a person may not coerce harm on another person by threatening voluntary harm on themselves.

12. The outcast and the disadvantaged and exploited are to be cared for in a special way, especially those with no voice of their own.

13. What is happening in the womb is the unique person-nurturing work of God, who alone has the right to give and take life.

14. There are countless clinics that offer life and hope to both mother and child (and father and parents), with care of every kind lovingly provided by people who will meet every need they can.

15.Jesus Christ can forgive all sins, and will give all who trusts him the help they need to do everything that life requires.

Here are the places where most abortions are done in the Minnesota. Ask God how the gospel of Christ might be most fruitfully shared with those who work here, with a view to saving life now and for eternity. The one nearest the church (Meadowbrook) advertises on their website that they do abortions up to 21.6 weeks.

Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, HIGHLAND PARK CLINIC: 1965 Ford Parkway, St. Paul, MN 55116; (651) 698-2406. medicalservices@ppmsd.org; http://www.ppmsd.org/medical/highlandpark.asp

Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, MINNEAPOLIS CLINIC: 1200 Lagoon Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55408, (612) 823-6300; medicalservices@ppmsd.org; http://www.ppmsd.org/medical/minneapolis.asp

Meadowbrook Women’s Clinic, P.A.: 825 South 8th Street, Suite 1018, Minneapolis, MN 55404, (612) 376-7708; info@meadowbrookclinic.com; http://www.meadowbrookclinic.com/about.htm

The Robbinsdale Clinic: 3819 West Broadway, Minneapolis, MN 55422; (763) 533-2534;
http://www.robbinsdaleclinic.com/location_and_directions.htm

Midwest Health Center for Women: 33 South Fifth Street, Fourth Floor, Minneapolis, MN 55402; (612) 332-2311; http://www.gynpages.com/midwest/

© Desiring God

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Dahlia will not only survive, but will thrive in 2009.

Thrive-

1.To make steady; prosper
2.To grow vigorously; flourish

AMEN SISTER! Let us thrive in 2009!

I also want to share Dahlia’s blog, she is such a creative and anointed woman of God! She is an inspiration to me! Oh yeah I met her at scrapbook.com and back when I started at sessions.edu for my design certificate, I told her about it and she started attending. Now we are both set to finish this year! We will definitely be encouraging each other to get it done! Love you Dahlia!

Sometimes I feel that there is just not enough time in my day to get everything done…come on, I know I am not alone here!! And that is exactly what she is talking about here. Now, God will not give me more than I can bear, so am I doing only what God has desired for me to do…or have I, as June Hunt said,taken on more than what God intended? It may not be bad, but is it designed by God? I may love everything I do, but the key is to prioritize what God has given me to do and dismiss the things that I should not be doing. There may be a time for that later.

So, since God will not require more of me than I can bear and he has supplied all the time I need, if I am not getting it all done, I must be trying to do more than He desires of me. What it all comes down to is honoring Him with my time.

Whoever keeps a command will know no evil thing, and the wise heart will know the proper time and the just way. For there is a time and a way for everything, although man’s trouble lies heavy on him.
Ecclesiastes 8:5-6

The Lord also reminded me that the biblical principle of sowing and reaping also applies to our time. If I give God my ‘firstfruits’, if I put Him first in my day, then He will bless and multiply the time I have sown with Him.

I need to go and listen to the whole thing because I am sure there is so much more I need to hear! You can listen to this broadcast on Procrastination here.

I do not really like to set New Year’s Resolutions but I think a new year is a great time to focus on what areas of our lives we should improve or change. For us, some things have just gotten out of whack because of the holidays, schedule changes, etc. and we need to get back on track. So here are some personal goals and some things the Lord has shown me, personally…

Crystal posted her great goals here at Biblical Womanhood. She has a mr linky up so we can share and post our progress monthly Thanks for the inspiration, Crystal!

First, I have to say I am so thankful to God for doing what He has done through my blog. I’ve never had a blog before and it has been amazing being able to share my thoughts, my faith and just share my little revelations of God with you. Your feedback, comments and emails are so edifying, thank you. I can go back through the posts since I began this blog and actually see how God has grown me and I cannot wait to see what He does through 2009.

Goals for womanlyexcellence.com

• Blog more about God — such as reflections from my quiet times, etc.
• Continue my Proverbs 31 study
• Be sure to limit my time blogging/reading blogs so that it does not take priority

Personal Goals

• I have loved blogging these kinds of posts but the Lord has shown me that I need to make sure I do not keep that behind the computer screen. My goal is to be bold and speak the things of God to people around me, friends and family and not just online.
• Be more spiritually disciplined– especially in terms of the time I spend before Him listening (necessary for all of the above goals!)

Household/Family Goals

• Have a regular family game/movie night
• Get the kids more involved with household chores
• Get back on a cleaning schedule
• Do a Bible & educational lesson of some sort with them daily
• My husband and I have a heart for hospitality and we have always wanted our home open to friends but we become so busy and self-consumed, so our goal is to set dates aside (maybe monthly?) to have someone over for dinner, or something.

Just for Fun…if I ever find the extra time!

• Get some photos scrapbooked in the kids album (I am getting so behind!)
• Read books (Jeff gave me the 3rd book in the O’Malley series by Dee Henderson, which I love for Christmas 2007 but I have yet to finish…just because I have not had time to pick it up!)