July.

I’ve decided it is my new favorite month.

It used to be May- because it signaled school coming to a close, summer beginning, and a warm weather settling in.

But now it’s July.

(I love the hot weather!)

And nothing says summer like:

Fireflies.

Sparklers.

Ice Cream.

Lemonade.

Go-Kart nights.

Campfires and s’mores.

Barefeet and flip-flops.

The smell of sunscreen and bug spray.

Late nights.

Garden mornings.

Freeze pops.

Water fights.

All things red, white, and blue.

Cookouts.

Fishing.

Buzzcuts.

Friends.

Family.

Really…I just love everything about July. 

We’ve been up way too late these days, and I am savoring it. Laughing and chatting and eating ice cream. Even though most nights, I am begging to go to sleep while my kids are just getting going! I know this time is precious.  It’s just such a fun and relaxing time of year. I am learning to savor it. 

It’s a simple month filled with all the things summer is made of.

July. Enjoy it. A simple time filled with simple things. The busyness of the year is behind us and the hazy days of summer won’t last forever.

Reposting from a few years back… Happy Mother’s Day!

As many of you know, I have always been a Little House on the Prairie girl at heart. I idealize the simple life on the prairie. Living in small quarters always brought the family closer together. The struggles always made the family seem more tight knit. The simple life- growing food, keeping animals, and the hustle and bustle are far off in the city. Life on the prairie was simple and beautiful.

I know I completely have a picture in my head that isn’t quite real. I know life was anything but simple on the prairie. Yet, the idea of having just enough without modern day distractions is appealing.

One of my favorite moments on the show was Laura said this about her Ma:

“Her smile is the first thing I want to see each morning, and the last thing I see each night.”

Wow. Every time I see that episode and hear those words, I tear up. My eyes well up mostly because it is just so sweet and because that truly epitomizes Ma on the show–gentle and loving, yet we all know she is firm and strong when needed.

The tears also come because I wonder if my own kids would say that about me.

Do I give them that smile before bed and when they wake up? 
Do I choose gentle? 

Or do I (in my own flesh) frown all too often, complain, or even yell? What are my children seeing first thing in the morning and last thing before bed?

Do I display humility and most of all reliance on the Lord? Because the truth is, in my own strength there are days I do not feel like smiling. There are days I just want to scream. There are days I am anything but gentle.

Yet, we are told to DIE to self. We are not called to seek after our own comfort and then smile. We are not told to treat others depending on our moods or circumstances.

We are told to put others needs above our own, be gentle and meek, and to seek Him above all else. Not to put my fleshy wants first, but His desires.

My children are living their only childhood right now. There are no do-overs. I am shaping their memories that they didn’t even ask to make. God brought them into this world as a complete blessing to me, and my job is to die to self as a disciple and as a mother. My kids don’t always care that I am tired or having my own “issues.” They need to be raised and cared for in a way that honors the Lord and points to Him.

When I am having a bad day I need to take that to the Lord and let His strength get me through. My children should not suffer because I struggle.

I know this sounds harsh, but I have been convicted lately to truly let them yearn for their Mama’s smile first thing in the morning and the last thing before bed…

So that in Ma’s smile they can see Jesus. 
His love, His strength, and His provision…even when I don’t feel like it.

I talk so much about mental clutter and not filling our minds with junk. Instead, let’s feast on the Word of God!

Who’s with me?

But today I also want to address the fact that we can be our own worst enemies when it comes to mental clutter. We often have a negative mindset, one that is critical and complaining…even if we don’t voice it out loud (but it does have effects on others when we do) we are still cluttering up our minds with the wrong things.

I was watching a teaching the other morning about having the mind of Christ. This refers to having the mindset of Christ in humility and considering others above ourselves. Having a mindset like Christ is a humble spirit willing to serve others no matter what the cost to us.

(Read Philippians 2:1-11)

So when we find ourselves with a critical spirit or complaining (out loud or in our minds) we are actually focusing on ourselves and our wants and our pride. It is saying, “We deserve better!”

The verses immediately following those I cited above, then go on to say,

“Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation” (Phil 2:14-15)

So, yes, we are told not to complain or grumble…we are to have the mindset of Christ.

If you are looking to clear some mental clutter, start right there, in your mind. For out of the heart, flows actions..and it all starts with thoughts. Set your mind on things above!

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This summer, I am hosting a women’s retreat in Gettysburg, PA. In a world of excess, we are going to focus on that fact that Jesus is enough. The world will tell you YOU are enough. But truly, HE is enough. He is all we need. We don’t rely on ourselves, or earthly comforts, but on Him alone.  I have lived with it all stripped away, and I have seen that yes, Jesus is enough. In fact, Jesus is MORE than enough.

Early Bird Registration is Open! Join us for this life-changing and life-giving event. You will spend two days with other sisters in Christ, tired of what the world offers, and ready to live the life that HE offers.

Check out where I am speaking in 2018—-> SPEAKING (UPDATED)

Listen to the Podcast—-> PODCAST

Watch my YouTube Channel–->YouTube

Visit my homeschooling site–>Bible Based Homeschooling

Shop Simply Living for Him——>SHOP (new items added!)

As I look at this world which seems to get darker every day, I can get quite discouraged. All I can do is pray that those who do not know Jesus, will come to know Him. Afterall, we will never have peace in this world until He returns, and for all those who know Him, that will be a truly glorious day.

I get disgusted by the news, the behavior of those in the dark, the immorality of our culture. Sometimes it is just too much to comprehend. And then I remember, that I was one of those people…

How soon we forget.

Being a Christian is not about being right, although there are so many caught in arguments right now trying to prove just that.

Being a Christian has nothing to do with pride.

Being a Christian is not about us.

It is all about Jesus and who He is and we can start by loving others.

It doesn’t mean we condone the culture, but we love them enough to share the Good News with them.

Someone once did that for me. I wouldn’t have heard her message about Jesus if it was clouded with her telling me how wrong I was. She didn’t condone my choices, but she also guided me to the truth in love. And in order for me to hear her, she first established a relationship with me, truly invested in my life, and took care to know about me. 

We can’t expect an unbelieving culture to behave like believers, but we can start by showing them how a true believer behaves.

I encourage you to listen to this story and then go out and love on others…especially those who are not the same as you. How can we show them God’s love if we don’t love them first?