Marriage Moment Monday

 1 Corinthians 7:3

Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.

Let's take a closer look at this verse.

First, this verse speaks both to the husband and the wife. The husband is called to do something, but let's not forget that the wife is called to do the same. Don't stop at the colon and just use this verse to tell your husband how he is to treat you; you are called to treat him the same way.

"[D]ue benevolence". What exactly does that mean?

Well, according to the Strong's Concordance, "due" means:

 to owe (pecuniarily); figuratively, to be under obligation (ought, must, should); morally, to fail in duty:--behove, be bound, (be) debt(-or), (be) due(-ty), be guilty (indebted), (must) need(-s), ought, owe, should.

And "benevolence" means:

kindness; euphemistically, conjugal duty:--benevolence, good will. 

We are under obligation to show kindness. That seems simple enough, but how are we to show kindness? Well, "euphemistically" means (according to dictionary.com):

the substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh, or blunt.

If we can say something nicer to our husbands, we should. That means we should watch our tone of voice as well as our word choices. 

Most people should know what "conjugal duty" means, but just in case you don't, also according to dictionary.com:

pertaining to the relation between marriage partners

I know this is a subject that many feel uncomfortable talking about, but sex in marriage is good. God calls us to show kindness in the area of sex (the relation between marriage partners). We should be thinking of our husband's desires and needs over how we feel. Now, I'm not saying that we should just do it whenever he desires (sometimes we just aren't physically able or too exhausted, etc), but we need to take his desires into account and treat him with kindness. 

In short, we need to treat our husband how we would like to be treated. Or, in the words of our Lord, 

 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. ~ Luke 6:31

Sunday Psalms

Psalms 107:1-36 KJV

1 O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;

3 And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.

4 They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in.

5 Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.

6 Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.

7 And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.

8 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

9 For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.

10 Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron;

11 Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High:

12 Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help.

13 Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.

14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.

15 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

16 For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.

17 Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.

18 Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death.

19 Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses.

20 He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

21 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

22 And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.

23 They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;

24 These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep.

25 For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.

26 They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.

27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end.

28 Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.

29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.

30 Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.

31 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

32 Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.

33 He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and the watersprings into dry ground;

34 A fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein.

35 He turneth the wilderness into a standing water, and dry ground into watersprings.

36 And there he maketh the hungry to dwell, that they may prepare a city for habitation;

37 And sow the fields, and plant vineyards, which may yield fruits of increase.

38 He blesseth them also, so that they are multiplied greatly; and suffereth not their cattle to decrease.

 

39 Again, they are minished and brought low through oppression, affliction, and sorrow.

40 He poureth contempt upon princes, and causeth them to wander in the wilderness, where there is no way.

41 Yet setteth he the poor on high from affliction, and maketh him families like a flock.

42 The righteous shall see it, and rejoice: and all iniquity shall stop her mouth.

43 Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.

When Men No Longer Fear God

When You Think About Quitting

I have spoken to a few people who have given Plexus a try about how they are feeling. I had one person tell me that they would like to go off of Plexus for a while to see if they can truly see the benefits that they had been experiencing. Oftentimes, because Plexus is gentle and makes subtle changes, it is hard to see the positive changes it is making in your life. However, instead of going off Plexus, examine how you have been feeling.

Make a list of what you were hoping would change by improving your gut health. Were you hoping to start sleeping better? Were you hoping to reduce your sugar cravings? Were you hoping to reduce your need for caffeine and coffee consumption? Were you hoping to see improved energy? What about better digestion or having regular bowel movements? Whatever you were hoping to see change, write it down and then think about if you have seen an improvement.

When I was put on the spot of the changes I saw when I first started taking Plexus (or even now as I continue to enjoy it), I couldn't come up with things right away. I needed to think back over how my life I had changed. As for the weight loss aspect, I can't physically see that because of being pregnant, but when I go back and examine pictures of my face, I can see a difference so I know it is making a difference. When I think back to previous pregnancies, I realize that I have more energy this time. I realize I am not experiencing many of the discomforts that I had during previous pregnancies. I realize that I have more energy to get more things done even though I am 8 months pregnant.

If you are taking Plexus, make a list of what you were hoping would change and examine if those changes have begun to take place. If you tried Plexus in the past, write down what you had hoped it would change and think back to see if maybe some of those changes had started to take place. If you have been considering trying Plexus, make a list of what you would hope it would change and then contact me and give it a try and pay attention to whether or not those changes are taking place. I am sure you will see that changes have been taking/will take place.

Are You Hungry?

Nehemiah 8:1-13 KJV

1 And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel. 2 And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. 3 And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law. 4 And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam. 5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up: 6 And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground. 7 Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place. 8 So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading. 9 And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law. 10 Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength. 11 So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved. 12 And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them. 13 And on the second day were gathered together the chief of the fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, unto Ezra the scribe, even to understand the words of the law.

After Nehemiah had gathered all the Israelites back to Jerusalem, they gathered themselves to hear God's Word read. God's Word was read from morning until midday. The people were all attentive to the Word.

Not only did they want to hear the Word read, they were eager to understand it. Nehemiah, Ezra, and the Levites helped explain it and helped them to come to an understanding  of what it truly meant. Once understanding was achieved, the Israelites wept and were grieved; however, Nehemiah told them they should be joyful because that day was holy and because God was their strength.

The people were so affected by the reading and understanding of God's Word, they came back th te next day for more! They were hungry to know and understand all of God's Word!

Are you hungry to understand God's Word? Does reading and studying His Word grieve your heart at your sin? Does it also bring you joy at understanding the depths of God's grace and mercy? Dig deep! Study and understand all God has for you!

Words of Wisdom Wednesdays

Proverbs 17:17

A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

I have waited for many years to have a true friend as described above. I am blessed to have a friend who is always there when I need her. While many times it is just a matter of her listening to me and reminding me what God's Word says, it is exactly what I need. She also doesn't care what time of day it is when I call. We have grown so close that we cal leach other "sister" and we know that we will always be there for each other when needed.

Wise Stewardship

7-22-18 Sermon

Marriage Moment Monday

Matthew 7:3-5 KJV

3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

I am sure there are many times in a marriage when we can see the faults of our spouse. We feel drawn to point out those faults because not only would we like them fixed, but we are their helper and we are supposed to help them become a better person, right? However, that is the wrong way to approach this.

I had someone tell me recently that she hesitates to bring up the faults of her husband not because she doesn't feel it is her place, but because she knows that if she brings up his faults, he will return with tell her what her faults are.

Scripture tells us what to do in this situation! We are to examine our own lives first. Then, when we have taken care of our own faults, we can go to our spouse to talk about his faults. Until we are living right, we can't expect our spouse to graciously take our criticism/advice.

Part of our examining our own lives might involve going to our spouse and asking if they see an area (or areas) where we need to change. If we do this, he might return with his own question about his life. This would be truly helpful for each of us and be a sign of a mature and loving relationship between us. I have to admit that this is NOT easy, but it does help the relationship grow closer together in the end.

Take some time examining your life. Go to God and ask Him what you need to change. If you are ready, go to your spouse and ask him as well. I promise you will see blessings come from focusing on your issues instead of your husband's.

Sunday Psalms

Psalms 46:1-11 KJV 

To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth.

1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 

2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 

No matter what we have going on in our lives, we need not fear because God is always with us. Whether it be financial troubles, a broken relationship, or whatever.

3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. 

4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. 

5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. 

When you accept Christ as your Savior, He dwells in you. You will not be moved because He will help you!

6 The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. 

7 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. 

8 Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the earth.

9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire. 

10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. 

Stop striving to take control. Stop trying to do it on your own. Just be still!

11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

Happiness & Appreciation

Plexus P96 Protein Powder

With my last order of Plexus, I got some of the P96 Vanilla Protein Powder to try. I have had a hard time finding a protein powder that works well with my body that is also affordable. I have to say that so far I am highly satisfied with P96!

I have created two smoothies with P96 so far. One was made with unsweetened greek yogurt, milk, a little bit of coconut sugar, and berries. The other, I used some milk kefir instead of the greek yogurt, but everything else was the same. Both were equally tasty and filling.

Have you ever used P96 Protein Powder? What are your thoughts? Care to share any of your recipes with me so I can try new things?

If you are interested in learning more about P96 or any other Plexus product, let me know! You can message me through the contact link on the right of this page or go to my facebook page and message me on there.

Be Like Nehemiah

Nehemiah 7:5-40 KJV

5 And my God put into mine heart to gather together the nobles, and the rulers, and the people, that they might be reckoned by genealogy. And I found a register of the genealogy of them which came up at the first, and found written therein, 6 These are the children of the province, that went up out of the captivity, of those that had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away, and came again to Jerusalem and to Judah, every one unto his city; 7 Who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah. The number, I say, of the men of the people of Israel was this; 8 The children of Parosh, two thousand an hundred seventy and two. 9 The children of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy and two. 10 The children of Arah, six hundred fifty and two. 11 The children of Pahathmoab, of the children of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand and eight hundred and eighteen. 12 The children of Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four. 13 The children of Zattu, eight hundred forty and five. 14 The children of Zaccai, seven hundred and threescore. 15 The children of Binnui, six hundred forty and eight. 16 The children of Bebai, six hundred twenty and eight. 17 The children of Azgad, two thousand three hundred twenty and two. 18 The children of Adonikam, six hundred threescore and seven. 19 The children of Bigvai, two thousand threescore and seven. 20 The children of Adin, six hundred fifty and five. 21 The children of Ater of Hezekiah, ninety and eight. 22 The children of Hashum, three hundred twenty and eight. 23 The children of Bezai, three hundred twenty and four. 24 The children of Hariph, an hundred and twelve. 25 The children of Gibeon, ninety and five. 26 The men of Bethlehem and Netophah, an hundred fourscore and eight. 27 The men of Anathoth, an hundred twenty and eight. 28 The men of Bethazmaveth, forty and two. 29 The men of Kirjathjearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred forty and three. 30 The men of Ramah and Geba, six hundred twenty and one. 31 The men of Michmas, an hundred and twenty and two. 32 The men of Bethel and Ai, an hundred twenty and three. 33 The men of the other Nebo, fifty and two. 34 The children of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four. 35 The children of Harim, three hundred and twenty. 36 The children of Jericho, three hundred forty and five. 37 The children of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred twenty and one. 38 The children of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred and thirty. 39 The priests: the children of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred seventy and three. 40 The children of Immer, a thousand fifty and two.

When the wall was complete, Nehemiah still wasn't done with his work. God called him to check the genealogy of the people.

He went according to the genealogy from before the Israelites were sent away as captives and found the people/descendants and brought them back. This could not have been an easy job!

Nehemiah did not just go looking for the people, but he verified that they were truly of Israel. In the end, the genealogy shows over 40,000 people and "the children of Israel were in the cities."

Again, Nehemiah accomplished a great task because God called him to complete it. He did not complain that it was too hard or that it was impossible because he knew that "with God, all things are possible." (Mark 10:27b)

When God calls me to do something difficult, I often come up with excuses as to why I can't do it. Sometimes God keeps working on me and I comply, but unfortunately, sometimes I miss out on the blessing of being a part of His work because I shirk from my responsibility to do as He has called.

Don't be like me-be like Nehemiah!

Words of Wisdom Wednesdays

Proverbs 16:24

Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

While I have known this to be true, it was made very evident to me not too long ago. Someone said some very hurtful things to me; however, I was blessed with a friend who spoke pleasant words to me which helped heal my soul. I was able to move on and deal with the situation with new strength and clarity. Speak pleasant words!

Thriving in Humility

7/15/18 Sermon

Restocked and Trying Something New!

I had posted last week how I had run out of Plexus Slim and ProBio5 and how being out of those, I really saw the benefits that I had been experiencing. I'm so excited to say that I received a shipment today so I am back in business! I've also been wanting to try the P96 protein powder so I got one package to try.

Again, I would love to chat with anyone who has questions about Plexus because I would love to help others experience health benefits!

Marriage Moment Monday

1 Peter 2:16

As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.

In our world, so many people are so caught up in "what I deserve" that they forget that we are called to serve others. Christ sets us free not to demand or even expect others to serve us, but for us to go and serve others without the premise that they will give back.

Even though we may think it is "right" for our spouse to share in the duties at home or for our spouse to get their own food/drink, we are called to serve. People are often shocked that I will make my husband's plate of food when we are out and about or that if he asks for a drink that I will get up and get it for him. These are small things, small ways to serve, but they speak so much love to the receiver. I never see it as a way my husband is trying to "control" me, but as an opportunity to show him how much I love him.

Spend some time thinking about how you may use your freedom in Christ to serve your spouse today. I would love if you shared your thoughts on this and/or the ways you serve your spouse.

Why I've Been Scarce

As you have noticed, I haven't posted much in the past two weeks and there is a good reason for that!

Of course, we celebrated Independence Day on July 4th. Our family attended the local parade and then just enjoyed family time together for the remainder of the day. Some of our girls had to work the next day (as well as my husband) so we decided to forgo the fireworks that night.

Our oldest graduated from our home school last weekend so we spent the week preparing things around the house, setting up shade tents, making food, etc. for her graduation and open house.

The very next day was our annual Carmichael family reunion so we then had to clean up from the open house and prepare for the reunion. After the reunion, it has become a tradition to go to my sister-in-law's house on the river for some fun in the sun.

The day after the reunion was the start of our three day Bible Bee camp. Our local Bible Bee gets together every summer for three days to have fun, work on learning verses, understanding the scripture passages, etc. While it is very fun, it is also very tiring (especially for this pregnant mama in this heat!). The younger children and I came home every night to do evening chores and then morning chores before heading back to camp. It was pretty rough on the youngest children as well since they either missed naps or had shorter naps than normal as well as getting to bed late every night. It took (is taking) a few days to get back to a normal routine.

Once we returned home from camp, not only did the older girls return to their jobs, but we had to start preparing for our son's 5th birthday! His birthday is today and we will be celebrating with family today and then he will have some friends over tomorrow to have some fun with a Thomas the Train celebration.We also have another graduation open house to attend after our son's party.

After that, we have a "normal" busy week filled with shuttling girls to jobs, tending the garden, midwife appointments, continuing in our Bible Bee studies, etc. before I will be taking my oldest on a girls' getaway for a few days. I have also recently agreed to be a mentor mom for our local MOPS group and the leadership is having a planning weekend that I will try to attend at least for a little while.

Through all this busyness, I have realized how beneficial Plexus has been to my life. You see, I actually ran out of my Plexus Slim last month and due to financial strain, couldn't order more. I went back to needing naps, getting charlie horses in the middle of the night, not sleeping well, not having regular bowel movements, etc. I also noticed that it had been keeping the negative side effects of our neighbors spraying chemicals on their trees at bay. In less than a week of being off Plexus Slim (and the neighbors spraying again), I started having an allergic reaction where my entire body itched as well as the normal sinus drainage that happens every year when they spray (which I hadn't actually experienced this year yet). Those effects made it even harder to sleep and pretty much made life miserable for a while. I did start on some herbal supplements to help combat those effects and started seeing improvements in just a few days. Through all this, I now know how much Plexus had changed my life and I know my gut needs much more healing for me to continue to see improvements.

I truly believe that Plexus can help so many people with their health issues. I have heard story after story of how Plexus has changed the lives of friends and others that I have never met and it is interesting to see how it seems to help everyone a little bit differently. It has also been amazing as I have been learning more and more about gut health, how many different health problems actually stem from poor gut health. 

I would love to discuss Plexus with anyone who has questions. Please just contact me through the form on the right side of the blog!

Here are a few pictures from the past two weeks so you can see what we've been up to!

Can you see what it says?!

 

Sunday Psalms

Psalms 127:1-5 KJV 

A Song of degrees for Solomon.

1 Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. 

2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep. 

3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. 

4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. 

5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

Life

I apologize for not posting all week. Today we celebrate our oldest daughter's graduation from high school. We've been busy preparing for the graduation and open house all week. Since we home school, we had many decisions to make about how we wanted the ceremony and celebration to look. I'm sure I'll share about it all after the fact, but I wanted to share a thought that I will be sharing with my daughter later today.