You'll have to listen to our podcast today to hear how the Lord miraculously brought this together and made it a possibility?a long life dream come true.

Gentleness grows stronger with practice. It comes with humility. It grows as wisdom and takes root in the heart that values the ones she loves.

There is something sacred about life celebrations. To underline and commemorate a life accomplishment, a normal day, a birthday, or just life, gives the person value, adds importance. Celebrations live in the hearts, minds, souls of the one celebrated for a lifetime and gives hope and courage when hard times come.

In April of 2003, my husband Clay released his book, Heartfelt Discipline, with the most beautiful study of reaching the hearts of children, giving them a vision for the life of relationships, faith, character, values through personal relationship, love and biblical training.

Training our children to commit to godly character happened day in day out, correction, instruction, taking time, learning to be gracious in relationships, working hard to complete a task, years of training in the midst of normal life circumstances.

I love historical biographies that inspire, give me a model of faith I can learn from, have full-bodied Christian women who call me to my best self and stay with me for decades. Lilias Trotter has been a favorite Victorian role model for me for quite a while. It just happens, a very dear friend of mine just released an excellent, soul-filling book about her life.

Words must also be initiated to be useful. It is no good just thinking appreciation. Words are water to thirsty souls, food to hungry hearts. May we pour out a flood of great words today and see the lives of people who need to hear God's voice, be changed by the grace that He uses through us to give to them who are longing for a touch from His Spirit.

Today, I am quite tired to my bones, but it is a good tired. I never knew God would give me 4 children, or that they would live far, far from home. Or that I would have the privilege to have a ministry amongst kindred spirits all over the world.

We must persevere, to subdue, to create beauty in our world. When the walls within our home bring safety, the music brings comfort, the food satisfies the body, the touch brings affection, the words bring hope, we are like the Holy Spirit?bringing the reality of God to the dark places of our world.

Lifegiving words have deep, abiding power. It is through words that we come to understand the truth about the Lord.

I am so excited today to be able to tell you about a wonderful new book that is coming into the world today. My lovely daughter in law, Keelia Clarkson, is sending out her first book, Chapter One Again.

Do you remember that He has come, that He is coming, that He continues to call men and women to Himself? Do you live your life with an eye open to the eternal things God might want to do in your own life? To love your neighbor, give to the needy, spread light?

Do I say, "yes" to God, give myself to serve in whatever way He asks?

Faithfulness happens over thousands of days, years, of laying down our lives.

There is a depth of love and a sense of "belonging to one another," a completeness, when I can be with my adult children and grandchildren. 

I will be gone for one more week, but I will keep trying to make at least short podcast to tell you where I've been. Have a great week! And be sure to make something new and creative to delight yourself and your family.

Today was a really fun podcast and recording with Ainsley and my dear friends who have been a part of God's movement through our lives into this world.

Without love, we become noisy gongs, clanging symbols, and fail to reach hearts of our people with messages of truth. Love is the most profound reflection of Christ in a fallen world.

I had to become willing to place myself at the altar of God's will. I had to relinquish expectations about life, God, relationships?that I held tightly in my fist. With each relinquishment, I discovered I could trust God, find happiness.

s your picture of God, his transcendence, HIs joy, His beauty, His love and affection a part of the design of your home? Your home is a workshop to reflect the many facets of the jewel of His reality.

We are agents of His grace and light and have the privilege one time on this earth to sing, teach and tell of His ways and light, until the victory dinner when we see Him face to face.

Discernment is the ability to judge well between truth and vanity. Discernment between good and evil, willingness to obey whatever God requires is evidence of a person walking in the power of the Holy Spirit and following God's word.

As I look back now, I realize that seasons?singleness, marriage, parenting, birthing, raising children, growing older, are all seasons of life that we pass through. God even built seasons into nature as a picture to us that mirrors our real lives.

All of our lives, if we are believers, our goal is to relate to God, His purposes, His plans, His personal love and involvement and love for us, and His faithfulness to us,  no matter what assails us in our lives. It is our glory to walk with Him every day until we see Him face to face.

One of the deepest blessings of my life at this stage is the very close, intimate, inspiring, fun friendships I have with my now adult children. But, of course, as with everything else, it took years of heart-work.

God has given us this opportunity, today, to invest our lives for His glory. But greatness requires endurance, perseverance. Am I one who keeps going, seeking, trusting, moving ahead by faith? What does it require us to accomplish God's work? A steadfast heart, mind and work ethic.

In his new book, I'm The Worst, and in the conversation we had on today's new podcast, Nathan explores the necessity of acknowledging and paying attention to our brokenness, as it is the conduit to freedom and redemption, not a hindrance.

It is not logical to forgive someone who has offended us, but it is supernatural ? it can only come from walking in the power of the Holy Spirit. Yet, forgiveness and humility was constantly on the heart of Jesus.

If our goal is to become like Christ, little by little, every day by seeking to please Him, growing  in the direction of righteousness because of obedience, seeking to understand Him, His instruction, His ways.

As I ponder what I want to become more of this year, I must take seriously the cultivating of my own soul, so that when others come to draw from me, they are drawing from Him, because I have invested time in Him, His word, His wisdom, His truth and His ways.

Even as we declutter our home, put it back in order after a busy holiday season, so I find that I must declutter my heart to go into my year free, with grace, hope and good plans. Proverbs tells us to "Guard our heart, for from it flows the springs of life."

What you choose to believe and cherish, practice and submit to, work at and believe, happens when no one else is looking. These are the glorious days your children will remember?the joy of the meantime, the moments cherished, the memories of this Christmas, feasting together, choosing joy. Life teaches us to cherish every day.

As I was on my walk today, I had you in my heart. In such a dark time, it is difficult to put aside our anxieties. Yet, I have learned slowly to move in the direction of trusting God more practically, learning to claim, feel how to breathe peace in those moments of such feelings.

Advent is not only about longing for Christ to come again and put everything back together; it's about repenting and receiving grace so that we get to be put back together now.

A culture separated from God's wisdom over the centuries must surely provide lures that will destroy and distract from Him, from what is eternal, from what is true. Yet, to throw away those things which are not necessary, I must constantly be straining my ear to His voice and not to the voice of those who would draw me to vanity or more strife of busyness.

Real influence comes all the moments of the ways we live our lives in front of our children. It is not just about passing on doctrine, but as much about relationship, love, beauty as it is the concepts we teach them.

Today, sweet mama, you are building a gift of love for yourself that will bless you your whole life. Cherish this season with your precious ones, cultivate some delightful moments that will fill your heart and theirs. Watch it grow into something beautiful.

David seemed to understand the need for himself to restore and saw God as the source leading him beside still waters and restoring his soul. His shepherd heart valued nature from years of walking amongst the hills beside his sheep, enjoying sunrises, evening stars and the vast artwork of nature.

Embracing ideals that matter always comes with a cost, and yet, the giving of our rights and expectations to serve God and to follow His will is always worth it. God's ways change us, deepen our faith, build humility, teach us the value of love and perseverance and of course deepen our appreciation for the life and model of Christ.

Sometimes we don't realize how much life and duty have drained us and how much we need filling. But it isn't the activities, "things" or accomplishments we need?it is the real live moments of relationship and loving one another well, to be heard, to feel close and understood that create the type of relationship we all long for.

Today, after a series of unexpected adventures and plans, Joy and I had the opportunity to visit this amazing historical home where part of one of our favorite film series was filmed. Join me today to hear our story. What a day of deep delight and whimsy as we spent hours exploring this wonderful place. 

On my podcast today, I tell a story of when grumpy mama me had to retreat from a bad attitude so that I could fully enjoy a precious moment to experience joy and laughter with my young children.

The changing weather whispers, "change is coming, your days are shorter than they used to be." With each leaf swirling delicately toward the ground, are reminders that we all have limitations to the story we live in life, I see the autumn more clearly than ever before.

Join me today on my podcast as I pursue joy in the darkness.

We cannot please God unless we cultivate a heart that wants to obey Him. It is not about being religious, works oriented, or "churchy." It is having a heart to ponder His words, stories, ways that He dealt with people, and then do what we can to obey His heart lessons.

Join me today on my new podcast about trusting God for His work in our life.

The Holy Spirit patiently taught me to keep working. I can see I was not always self-controlled. I learned little by little, one step at a time. It was not a part of my character at first, but it was my spiritual worship of God, to love Him, to make Him known.

The more we experience His gentleness in the depths of our hearts, where fears, selfishness and anxiety live, the more we will be able to exhibit the gentleness of Christ to those surrounding us. Our children, husband, friends, long for gentleness as our response.

My friends, this week, be still and listen to the music of life that is pulsating from the heart of God, create a few moments of peace and I pray you are blessed with joy unexpected even if for a few moments.