Tackling the Sunday Morning Grumpies~~Practical and Prayerful Ways

For those of you with little children, you know that Sunday morning presents a whole list of challenges. Between making sure that everyone is awake on time, laying out clothing for church, preparing breakfast, and making sure that everyone really is in the van when the family departs for church can be a challenge that not even the bravest of men and women are willing to face. ;-) 

And then, on top of all of those challenges, there is often the added bane of what I call the "Sunday morning grumpies." Why is it that generally happy children succumb to these? Is it just me or does it seem that Sunday mornings often have the blight of an extra level of morning grumpiness? Just on the the day when we should be hearing the sounds of birds singing, sweet hymns playing in the background, and feeling a general lightheartedness, instead we hear the bickering of children, the shuffling of feet, and experience that general feeling of unrest and irritation that just crawls under the skin and settles there like a worm in an otherwise very lovely apple. 

What is it about Sunday morning? Sometimes I believe (truly) that Satan goes through extra pains to make sure that we will not go in the right spirit to worship God. He hates it when God's people go to worship Him in spirit and in truth, and so he tries to create chaos and havoc. He attacks the day of worship with a vengeance and tries to defeat the Lord's people in whatever way that he can. But we are called to resist the devil and his devices. There are practical ways of doing this as well as prayerful ones. I want to share some ideas that the Lord has opened my eyes to through the years that I've had with little children--this is still a work in progress--but here it goes--perhaps some of these ideas will be helpful to those of you with little ones. 

How to Counteract the Sunday morning grumpies . . . 

• Prepare ahead of time. Lay out clothing the night or day before to minimize upheaval on the morning of church. Make sure that older children have done this as well; get them into a habit of laying out their clothes for Sunday and making sure that the clothing is pressed and ready to go. Prepare any bags for little ones (diaper bag, activity bag, etc.). Don't bring too many things to church, but bring what is needful for your children at their present age. Let little children bring one stuffed animal or doll to church to hold during the service and allow them to dress the doll or stuffed animal in special Sunday clothes! This helps a child to become excited about church and to give a feeling of "special-ness" to attending church.  Prepare breakfast ahead of time if you make something from scratch or have muffins, etc. ready. Keep breakfast simple on Sunday to minimize the mess and to place the focus upon going to church and worshiping God, not upon an elaborate breakfast.

• Talk to children during the week about how special Sunday is. Remind them that God's house is His special place where we go to worship Him. Remind children not to run or raise their voices loudly in the church building. Set the place of worship apart in your heart and in your speech directed toward your children. God's house is a special place of reverence. Remind children of how blessed we are to go to church and to worship God in this country without fear of persecution. Church should never be talked about as a "chore" but rather, a blessing and a privilege. Showing this attitude toward church will help to encourage your children to view church as a wonderful, special place. 

• On the morning of church, wake up a little earlier than usual to make sure that everything flows smoothly. Get children up a little earlier as well. Use Saturday to sleep in, if your family does that, but keep Sunday as a day of preparation and praise to our God--take a nap later in the afternoon if you need it! Spend some time in prayer before waking up the children so that your own heart and mind are refreshed and ready before the bustle of Sunday morning activity begins. 

• Play quiet and reflective music as the family eats breakfast and prepares for church. A hymn CD helps to put everyone in the spirit and mood of worship. I would avoid loud praise and worship music on Sunday morning, personally--there may be a place for this if you enjoy praise and worship music, but I would avoid "revving" everyone up on a Sunday morning. Rather, encourage quiet, peaceful hearts of reverence before the Lord.

• And finally, pray. Pray before Sunday. Pray during the week. Pray as your family prepares for church. Address any "heart attitudes" that you may see in yourself or in your children. Ask the Lord to give you hearts of joy as a family to worship the Lord together with other believers. And the prayer of faith will be answered. 

What about you? Do you have any ideas to counteract the "Sunday morning grumpies?" I would love to hear them! The Lord bless you as you serve and love Him together as a family. 

Click HERE for another post that might be an encouragement to you! 

You might find me on these link-ups:

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Having a Daily Quiet Time with Kids

You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth.

Deuteronomy 11:19-21 NKJV

Something that the Lord has pressed upon my heart since my children were babies is the importance of having a daily "Quiet Time" with them. This is a focused time in which we read the Bible, pray, sing a hymn and memorize Scripture. All of my life, I watched my Mom have a daily Quiet Time with the Lord; hers was always early in the morning. This made a great impression upon me. She stressed through her words and actions the significance of having a daily time with the Lord and I witnessed how that focused time of prayer and reading the Scripture deeply impacted her life. 

As a little girl, my Mom encouraged me and my sisters to daily read the Bible and pray as well as keep a prayer journal. Actually, she set aside a certain amount of time that we were expected to do this when we were elementary-school-age. I balked at the notion at first, and then later grew to crave that time with the Lord and to choose to do it of my own free will without any prodding. This habit has stayed with me into my teenage years and now into my adult life. Children learn by example. Children want direction. Children need to be guided; they will not naturally "evolve" into a Bible-loving Christian--they need to be led. This is why we are figuratively "shepherds" of our children. Watching my Mom's example and being required as a child to have a daily Quiet Time with the Lord, helped me to be disciplined as an adult to keep this sacred time with the Lord consistently. I watched a Mom who was full of joy in the Lord's presence and I wanted the joy that I saw in her. This yielded the peaceable fruit of righteousness in my life as the Lord worked in that desire to bring grace through His Word, through prayer and through the memorization of Scripture. 

We need to lead our children in this area; I cannot stress it enough (Deuteronomy 11:19-21). It is of vital importance. Children are only little once. We have one opportunity with them; we have a responsibility before the Lord. Lay tiredness, lack of motivation, lack of desire, or even the perceived lack of time aside and do this. You will be glad that you did and not have any regrets. 

When my two children were little babies (they are age 3 1/2 and 5 now), I held them on the floor in the morning and read from the Bible to them. I sang a hymn to them and prayed. We did this consistently every morning at around the same time each day. A few years ago, I noticed that my daughter knew phrases from many, many hymns. This was a gift to me from the Lord to encourage me to continue to have this daily time with my children. We have continued the same practice over the past few years, with my children participating more and more in our daily Quiet Time. Sometimes we read from a children's Bible, sometimes I include a devotional and then we sing a hymn and pray together. We work on memorizing Scripture verses. At night, after dinner, I've begun to read from the regular Bible and to sing a hymn after we've eaten. I have tried to be very consistent with this by the grace of God and my children have come to expect it and to love the Bible stories. 

Something that I think is so very important as a parent is to gently enforce schedules, rules,  and expectations--it is something that I am learning and growing in as a parent and that the Lord is teaching me in my life with my children. If I do not guide and lead my child, who will? And of course this needs to be done in a loving, Christ-like way--never in an authoritative "You WILL read your Bible" attitude. Because that will drive your children away from the Lord and cause them to resent the Bible. They need to watch from example. It is important that they see you reading your Bible, not only studying it, but reading it because you love to read His Word. It is important that they see you on your knees, humbling yourself before the Lord. It is important for them to see you bring your worries and problems and needs before the throne of grace. Lead by example; lead from a sincere desire for them to become godly adults who love His Word--not just because you want "good kids"; if you don't feel this way, pray that the Lord would give you that desire in this area. I promise you; it will have a profound impact upon your children. 

As children grow older you may encourage them to have their own Quiet Time. Set a timer (I love timers--and so do kids, even if they think they don't! ;-)) Give them a special prayer journal. Make sure that they have their own Bible that they can carefully outline and keep on their desk or by their bedside. Be consistent. Keep a schedule and follow it diligently, as well as you are able by the grace of God. Don't allow the cares and distractions of this life to keep you and your children from this practice. Years from now, you will be so glad that you encouraged and practiced a daily Quiet Time with the Lord. 

And if you don't have a daily Quiet Time or are not consistent, begin now! The Lord will reward you; the Lord will bless your obedience. It is never to late to begin--the Lord is able to redeem all things. Make Him first and He will honor you and bless your family and use you as a blessing to others (I Samuel 2:30). 

Below are some resources that have encouraged me and my children in our daily walk with the Lord and with having a daily Quiet Time. I would also encourage you to purchase or acquire a good hymnal--many times churches will be happy to give your family one if you ask. I have found hymnals and devotionals in local thrift stores as well for an extremely low cost. Seek and you will find! :-) 

The following are a few devotionals from authors that have blessed our family and that I would recommend highly:

God's Good News:  A Bible Storybook, by Billy Graham

The New Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes, by Kenneth N. Taylor

Big Thoughts for Little People, by Kenneth N. Taylor

My First Bible in Pictures, by Kenneth N. Taylor 

Every Day with Jesus: 365 Devotions for Kids, by Charles F. Stanley

Note: I especially love the older Kenneth N. Taylor devotionals for kids that are sometimes available at thrift stores, the Goodwill, etc. If you find any of these, they are treasures, as the older versions are so good and out of print, I believe! They usually include hidden ladybugs on each page that the children can search for. 




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Men At Home

Without the will, marriage is a mockery; without emotion, it is a drudgery. You need both." 

- Ravi Zacharias

In his beautiful, rich book, A Promise Kept, the late Robertson McQuilkin recounts a humorous but poignant story. (You can read more about Robertson McQuilkin here.)

McQuilkin was caring for his wife, Muriel in their home. He had resigned as President of Colombia Bible College in order to be her full-time caregiver, a conviction which he believed the Lord had personally placed upon his heart. 

Muriel had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's at a comparably young age and would often have accidents as her disease progressed and her memory worsened. She came to the point where she could not control her bodily functions and went to the bathroom on the floor. 

McQuilkin recalls cleaning the mess up, while at the same time trying to keep Muriel from "helping" him to clean (he was concerned that she would slip and hurt herself.) As he was cleaning, McQuilkin, who had been listening to a Charles Swindoll broadcast, suddenly heard Swindoll say "Men, are you at home? I mean, really, at home?" And McQuilkin, seeing the humor in the situation, replied, "Yeah, Chuck, really I am; do I ever wish I weren't?"

Men at home. 

And so often we hear of women at home. Women who speak glowingly of their husbands and their children. Women who value the title of wife and mother. Women who build their lives around their spiritual calling to fulfill the feminine roles that the Lord has entrusted them with. 

This is evidenced in the subject matter of many, many Christian women's blogs. Often, the focus is upon marriage, children, and other homemaking interests. Not always, but often.

It is a God-honoring focus. Women seeking to fulfill their God-given roles in the unique and personal ways that the Lord is leading them to fulfill them. 

But men... men at home? 

This is something that has been upon my heart, especially in light of the Josh Duggar scandal, as well as other recent incidences. 

Are our men really at home? 

And some of them are. Definitely are. Their hearts are "at home," serving Jesus in whatever vocation He has called them to, supporting their wives and children, loving the Lord with all their hearts and leading their families in worship and praise of Him. 

But we have to admit, if we really want to be honest before the Lord, some of them are not. 

And we love them, and we pray for them, and we want the best for them through the Lord, but their hearts, as it stands, are not "at home."

We want our men to be at home. With us. With our children. With their God. But they are not. Something else captivates them, whether it be work, a hobby, another "love." 

Something else captivates their hearts. And they are not at home. Not at rest. Not at peace with God and with their family. 

They may give lip service, but don't really care about spiritual matters. Or perhaps they have grown cold towards their First Love.

They are not at home. 

There are other men who give all the appearance of being at home. They attend church regularly. They fulfill their duties. They help around the house. They do what is required of them, and perhaps beyond what is required. 

But their hearts are not at home. Not really. Their heart is bound to their electronic device, or their social media, or their work. They are actors but not real men at home with beating hearts of love and devotion and joy and selfless sacrifice. 

They are lukewarm. 

A part that always makes me chuckle in the Disney movie The Aristocats involves the English geese and the male cat, O'Malley.  The female geese question whether or not the cat is married, and he evades the question. One of the geese looks him squarely in his shifty eyes and states--"You either are or you're not," To which he replies, "Alright, then; I'm not." 

We need men who are at home. Men who love the Lord with all their hearts and souls and minds and strength. Men who lead their families; men who take the hard, costly path of obedience; men who follow in the footsteps of our precious Savior. 

There are men at home.

I have seen them in action. I have read of them, watched them, looked up to them, appreciated their devotion, commitment and love.  

I thank God for the men who are truly at home.

What about those who are not?

The answer is not manipulation. It is not ungodly pleading. The answer is not to ignore the problem, to falsely convince oneself or others that a man is "at home" when he is not. 

The answer is prayer. It is fasting. It is pleading with God. 

The answer is surrender. Entrusting oneself and one's family over to a merciful and loving Heavenly Father. Entrusting the situation over to His love, knowing that He will work good from it. 

We all struggle with this malady. Sometimes we are not "at home." We are not in the center of God's will. We are running, either physically or mentally away from it; we are wasting the life that the Lord has given to us on things that do not matter. We are not "at home." 

May He have mercy upon us. May He work in our minds and our hearts and our homes to be faithful to Him, to love Him with our heart, soul, mind and strength. 

May He encourage men to become true men of God, leading their families in the ways of the Lord. May He strengthen women to be the discerning support of the head, praying, encouraging, strengthening.

May our families be built up in Him. 

Men at home. Women at home. Children at home. In Him. Because of Him. Only by His grace.

At home. 

You might find me on these link-ups:

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Sounding the Trumpet Call: An Interview with William Levi, Part 1

William Levi is the founder and director of OMNI--Operation Nehemiah Missions International. Operation Nehemiah's mission is "to rebuild & restore the Biblical family and the Church in the republic of the South Sudan which is recovering from the ashes of war & Islamic persecution through the preaching of the Gospel, promoting sustainable & Biblical stewardship. As Nehemiah 2: 18 says. 'Let us rise and build, so they join their hands together for this good work.'" 

The Lord wonderfully and providentially allowed my path to cross with William Levi's and his family's after reading his autobiographical book, The Bible or the Axe, and subsequently contacting him to speak at the church where I attended after I finished his fascinating story of persecution, escape, and subsequent ministry. William obeyed the call of God upon his life and returned to his homeland to rebuild there what had been broken by war and devastation. His story is one of trial and persecution, suffering for the sake of the Gospel, and difficulty. It is also one of hope, redemption, grace , and the miraculous and powerful hand of God upon his and his family's lives. I've divided this interview into several parts. I felt that it was too full and rich to condense. I encourage you to read and savor each part and rejoice in the way that the Lord is using this humble, willing man and his family for the glory of our precious Lord. I'd also encourage you to visit his website, Facebook page, and order a copy of his deeply encouraging book, the The Bible or the Axe. I know that it will be a blessing to you. 

And now, Part 1 of Sounding the Trumpet Call: An Interview with William Levi . . .

Would you tell us a little about your upbringing and background?

I was born and raised in Moli, Eastern Equatoria State, and South Sudan in 1964. From January 1, 1956- July 09, 2011, the Republic of South Sudan was part of the Sudan after the country got her independence from Great Britain. The northern part of the Sudan was Arab and Islamic and the Southern part of the Sudan was African and Christians. I came out of a generation in the Sudan that was born and raised in between two major wars of religious persecution conducted by Sudan Islamic regime to the north against Christian families and churches in the South Sudan. Between 1955-2005, the war of Islamic persecution claimed 2 million Christians and 4.5 million people displaced into exile. I was the seventh among twelve siblings, five boys and seven girls. My parents lost three of our brothers and sister. There are 9 of us alive to date. Our home was in a small village called Moli in the equatorial district on the eastern bank of the Nile River, bordering Uganda. My parents, Ajjugo and Anna Levi, were devout Messianic Hebrews of the tribe of Levi, the son of Jacob to whom the hereditary priesthood was entrusted. By the providence of God, we found ourselves deep in the African interior along the Nile valley. For ages this beautiful land has become our dwelling place for many generations.

My family lived off the land. We had a lot of ancestral farmland on which my parents built our home and raised food to support our family. As Messianic Hebrews, living in a country where our faith was constantly tested and tried, by fire of Islamic persecution, my parents raised us up to love God with all our hearts, minds and souls. They instill the word of God into our hearts according to scriptures. “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. 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. "You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.” Deuteronomy 6: 4-9.

My parents were faithful couple. They loved the Lord and they were hardworking farmer who wanted to raise us up with the love and fear of God and to be hard work. Little did we know that within a year of my birth, Islamic war of persecution would engulfed my village and my community which caused my parents to flee to Uganda as refugees for the next 15 years?

In the year following my birth, the situation in the Sudan became increasingly unstable. The war escalated and spread from the larger population centers in the cities out into the countryside until even small villages were in disarray. No one was safe. Our future was uncertain. Churches were burned, schools were closed, and crops were destroyed and western missionaries were expelled. The conflict had touched our small town. The parents in our community feared for the safety of their families, and many people determined to escape from Southern Sudan across the border into Uganda. My parents decided in late 1965 that the time had come to leave our beloved homeland. For the most part, I grew up as a refugee in the wilderness of Uganda during the first Sudan’s Islamic Persecution against Christians in the South Sudan.

My very first memories as a child are those of growing up as a refugee in Uganda. I didn’t think of myself as a “refugee”, because my parents provided me with the stability of their love and worked hard to build a home for us without the help of the UN camps. I just knew that I was born in the Sudan, and that our family would return there some day. As it turned out, that day was a very long time in coming. Our family would have to make the best of a bad situation for nearly ten years. My parents were farmers, hardworking and industrious. They felt the Lord would have them to raise their children and their crops in peace. But the land in the Abalo Kodi region was not fertile, and the population was too dense. The additional crowding brought about by the refugee crisis made this particular location untenable for any sort of long term living arrangement. There was simply no way to grow the food necessary to support a family. My parents were soon forced to make the difficult decision to move on, trusting God to provide a place for them. They knew that they would have to step out in faith, believing that God had a good and perfect plan for their family. With fervent prayer and careful inquiry, my father sought out a home for us in the Ugandan wilderness. He was well aware that the wrong choice could prove disastrous. I remember how it came about that our family moved away from the safety of Abalo Kobi into the untamed Ugandan wilderness with nothing but strong faith and strong arms to sustain us.“ My father’s face reflected his resolve to find a suitable home for his growing family. My Mother Anna was his partner in everything, and she completed him in every way. She had an inner beauty that radiated through her life and in her actions. Mama was gracious, hospitable, and tough—she and my father made a great team. Mother was not afraid of settling in the Ugandan wilderness. God blessed me with two wonderful parents, and I loved them very much.

I still cherish my first memories of my parents working together to open the wilderness, building a home and a productive farm with nothing but hard work and trust in the Lord. And it was so beautiful. It was as if God had re-created the Garden of Eden right there in Uganda. Every type of animal and plant flourished in the unspoiled jungle. We built our home atop a hill beside a huge tamarind tree. This leafy giant grew to over fifty feet tall, and its pretty yellow flowers gave way in season to a wild edible fruit. I remember that its broad boughs provided a dense shade, suitable for family gatherings away from the hot equatorial sun. Tamarind fruit, called “iti” in the Madi tongue, changes from green to brown when it is ripe; and the juicy flesh is both sugary and sour. I loved to peel away the fibrous brown pod and suck out the juice, spitting out the seeds as I ate. 

My Mother knew that it was an excellent source of vitamins, and she used it to flavor porridge and also for medicinal purposes. When work was done, I learned to climb in the sturdy limbs of our Tamarind tree. My brothers and sisters could play hide-and-seek among the green branches. Sometimes we would even climb to the top to get a better view if we heard an airplane fly overhead. Living next to that tree was like living next to a park—complete with a playground and a free picnic basket. I suppose it kept us younger children busy while Mother and Father set about the serious business of construction. Building a home with no nails, materials, or power tools is a skill passed down from father to son. I remember watching my father select the proper trees to build our new home. The dense tropical forest was rich with trees, reeds, bamboo, and herbs to be used in the building process. “How about this tree, Father?" I asked, pointing out a sturdy-looking trunk. Father smiled, and reached out to strip away a portion of the bark. Every part of life was an opportunity to teach, and Father was preparing a lesson for me. While our home was being built, my parents did not neglect the planting of food. When my father had mentioned that the land near Ambuluwa Mountain was rich and unspoiled, he was understating the truth. The land was so fertile that plants seemed to spring to life wherever seed touched earth. When we first moved into the wilderness, we had nothing but some provisions that we carried from Uncle’s village. It wasn’t long, though, before we were truly self-sufficient. I can’t remember a time when we didn’t have plenty of fresh, delicious food provided for us from God’s bounty. We drank from streams quite naturally. There was no pollution. Birds and animals of all kinds, such as ostriches, giraffes, lions, leopards, elephants, crocodiles, hippos, buffalo, and many others inhabited the forest. The work was very hard, but the land rewarded our efforts lavishly. We were a happy family. So, although we were refugees driven from our true homeland by war, we did not live as oppressed people. My parents protected us from that. We just knew that we were living in another land, and my parents would often talk about going home to South Sudan someday. By the time we were settled in our wilderness home, all of our relatives were scattered through Uganda.

In the Ugandan wilderness, we knew nothing of going to church; but we came to realize that we were part of the Body of Christ. My parents taught us about God and told us stories from the Bible. Our home was always open for fellowship and prayer. The great tamarind tree became a sort of outdoor chapel where we all could gather to sing and worship together. We had no money, so we joyfully brought the first fruits of all our labor as an offering to the Lord. In keeping with our Hebrew heritage, we never failed to remember the traditional feasts and holidays that had become a part of the very fabric of our lives over the centuries, We were so thankful for God’s provision of a refuge for our family. Soon, several Christian friends of ours from South Sudan began to hear of the little village that my father had started, and they came with their whole families to join us. Little by little, our tamarind tree covered a congregation. Over time, the work of plowing fields and raising roofs became lighter with many hands to help. Eventually, we had a flourishing community with men to build silos and women to weed the gardens, and children to grow together. We called our new village Ambuluwa. Our home was no longer a wilderness.

Please join me for Part 2 of "An Interview with William Levi" next week . . .



You might find me on these link-ups:

Strangers and Pilgrims on Earth, The Modest Mom, What Joy is Mine, Yes They Are All Ours, Missional Call, A Mama's Story, Mom's the Word, Rich Faith Rising, Time Warp Wife, Cornerstone Confessions, Mom's Morning Coffee, So Much at Home, Raising Homemakers, Hope in Every Season, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Ministries, Whole-Hearted Home, A Soft Gentle Voice, My Daily Walk in His Grace, Messy Marriage, My Teacher's Name is Mama, The Charm of Home, Graced Simplicity, Children Are A Blessing, Mittenstate Sheep and Wool, Imparting Grace, Preparedness Mama, A Look at the Book, Essential Thing Devotions, Count My Blessings, Beauty Observed, Christian Mommy Blogger, Renewed Daily, Soul Survival, Good Morning Mondays, The HomeAcre Hop, Mommy Moments Link Up, Grace and Truth Linkup, Faith Filled Friday, Saturday Soiree Blog Party, Tell It To Me Tuesdays, SHINE Blog Hop, Motivate and Rejuvenate Monday Link-Up, A Little R&R Wednesdays. TGI Saturdays Blog Hop

Sisters

For there is no friend like a sister
In calm or stormy weather;
To cheer one on the tedious way,
To fetch one if one goes astray,
To lift one if one totters down,
To strengthen whilst one stands.

- Christina Rossetti

I love my sisters. 

They are one of the greatest earthly gifts that God has given me. 

Kindred hearts, true friends, lovers of Jesus, my soul is bound to theirs, even  to joyful eternity-

And I am thankful for the treasure that God has given me in them. 

My sister, Londie . . . 

My older and wiser sibling, the one who I look up to and can always count on for practical advice. 

The mother of two little ones . . . devoted, dedicated, creative homeschooling Mom--who pours all of her heart and her soul into her work and never goes halfway. 

I love my Londie . . . she is the one who I tagged along with when I was younger, the one I constantly annoyed by attempting to creep into her bed at night when I was afraid of the dark, the one whose clothes I always borrowed (and thank the Lord that she had better taste than me! :-)). 

We sang together. Her sweet, rich voice blending with mine; her confidence giving me strength and prodding me on. 

To sing--and to live for Jesus. 

I have always looked up to Londie, my lovely artistic, winsome, wet-humored friend who lives for Jesus, and Whose strength and light shine brightly through her. 

Whose heart touches all that she does and whose creativity sparkles through all of her work. 

My sister is, I think, above all else, someone who perseveres, even when all of the odds are against her, even when the way seems "shut," even when she faces adversity. 

I know that, by the grace of God, my Londie will not give up, 

Will never give up. 

And her dogged perseverance has always inspired me--

Never give up. 

And then there's Lishy--Alicia--my younger sister by 3 years,  petite and fiery-hearted, passionate about all that she does and says and lives for. 

I can always count on Alicia to tell me the truth. 

Because she doesn't mince words and doesn't make up an excuse and won't offer a half-truth. 

Conscience steel-hard and yet her heart beats soft and gentle beneath. 

Her words, sometimes hard, always wrap around the freeing, beautiful truth and the hope of living righteously before Christ . . . 

In spirit and in truth. 

My Lishy--

Is sensitive--towards animals, towards other's suffering--

The one who has walked with me through deep waters, through our family's poverty, through persecution. 

She is the one who I know will pray for me, who has prayed for me when I could not pray. 

Who loves to read more than talking and who writes the most beautiful, thought-provoking stories that make me cry.

Who reminds me constantly through her words and through her example, 

Press on. 

I love my sisters. 

Two women who love the Lord with all of their hearts, whose lives are an inspiration to me, who help me to persevere and to press on in my walk with the Lord. 

How grateful I am--

And so I thank the Lord--

For this sweet gift of my sisters.  

You might find me on these link-ups:

Strangers and Pilgrims on Earth, The Modest Mom, What Joy is Mine, Yes They Are All Ours, Missional Call, A Mama's Story, Mom's the Word, Rich Faith Rising, Time Warp Wife, Cornerstone Confessions, Mom's Morning Coffee, So Much at Home, Raising Homemakers, Hope in Every Season, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Ministries, Whole-Hearted Home, A Soft Gentle Voice, My Daily Walk in His Grace, Messy Marriage, My Teacher's Name is Mama, The Charm of Home, Graced Simplicity, Children Are A Blessing, Mittenstate Sheep and Wool, Imparting Grace, Preparedness Mama, A Look at the Book, Essential Thing Devotions, Count My Blessings, Beauty Observed, Christian Mommy Blogger, Renewed Daily,