Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

Through the weekly and daily devotionals you can be constantly encouraged in your great role of parenting, the highest career in the nation. You can also stay updated on what's happening with the Above Rubies ministry.

Strengthening Families Across the World through the encouragement of women in their high calling from God as wives, mothers and homemakers.

MOTHER, ARE YOU STANDING UP?

This article from Moms for America (link below) is worth reading as it exposes what is going on in our education system. I, for one, would never send my children into such an environment where our precious children are being taught everything that is against God and family. In fact, I would encourage you to take your children out of these anti=God schools.
 
Or, if you are not going to do that, take a stand like these moms. I admire that they are not taking this sitting down. The article ends with:
“Moms are fed up with mandates, pronoun penalties, sexually explicit content, and racist, sexist content being thrust our kids. We want real science, true history, and a classical education that teaches kids to read, write, calculate, and be good citizens. If that makes us radical, then so be it. From Cottage Meetings to Parents Strike to rallies and lawsuits, Moms for America will continue to unite with other organizations and support moms in their efforts to bring truth, freedom, and commonsense back to our schools. We will continue to show up at school board meetings and in the coming elections, we’ll be sitting in a lot of those seats.
 
Will Moms Now Be Listed on FBI’s Most Wanted List? (townhall.com)
 
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TINY HOUSE LIFE

tinyhomeAfter posting the picture of Dawson and Cassidy below, I thought you may like to see their little children outside their tiny house where they live.
 
TINY HOUSE LIFE
 
It’s altogether wonderful and yet we are bursting at the seams. It has taught me so much. It has taught me there are many things I can live without. It has also shown me the things I value.
 
The lesson of this season; where you treasure is, there your heart will be also. My heart has been with my little ones. For lack of a full, bustling house to bother after, I have spent more time with them—exploring nature and looking into their eyes.
 
The goal of course is not quite tiny house living. Of course, it couldn’t be. We desire many more little Stolls coming along. But one thing is certain. No matter the place in which I dwell, the truth of it is:
 
It’s the people and not the house.
 
It’s the hearts and not the things.
 
It’s the moments I look into their eyes and see they are living their best life, climbing on daddy’s woodpiles, eating sun-warmed apple slices, and laughing at the sun.
 
CASSIDY STOLL
@itscassidy.jade
 
(Deborah (3), Tabitha (2) and aby Peter (5 months).
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A LOVELY PERFUME

LovelyPerfumeThere is nothing like the aroma of a delicate and delightful-smelling perfume. It’s pleasurable to our sense of smell, although I must admit that I don’t like chemical perfumes and prefer essential oils.
 
Most husbands love their wives to wear a lovely perfume. God Himself loves sweet aromas (Exodus 30:23-25, 34, 35). It’s not hard to put on some perfume, but often it is a lot harder to wear the sweet perfume of Christ. This means saying No to the flesh and allowing the beautiful life of Jesus Christ who dwells within us to shine through us. This brings delight to our husbands even more than a perfume from a bottle. This fills our homes with love, peace, and happiness.
 
The Bible talks about a lovely perfume. 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 (JBP) says: “Thanks be to God who leads us, wherever we are, on his own triumphant way and makes our knowledge of him spread throughout the world like a lovely perfume! We Christians have the unmistakable ‘scent’ of Christ, discernible alike to those who are being saved and to those who are heading for death. To the latter it seems like the very smell of doom, to the former it has the fresh fragrance of life itself.”
 
Do you carry around that “unmistakable scent” of Christ? Is the life of Jesus spreading out from you like a lovely perfume? Notice that the Scriptures says this should happen “wherever we are.” The KJV says, “in every place.” This doesn’t only mean when you are all dressed up to go out to a function with all the children left behind. This means right in your home, in the midst of everything that is happening--housework piled up, laundry waiting to be completed, homeschooling to organize, and challenges that arise each new day.
 
No matter what is happening or where you are, Christ is in you. He doesn’t change with circumstances. Draw on His life, His strength, His peace, His patience, His joy, and His love. And as you do, you will spread forth the lovely perfume of His presence in your home — to your husband and to your children.
 
Have a wonderful day in your home today,
 
Nancy Campbell
 
Picture: A darling young couple, Dawson and Cassidy Stoll, who have three precious little children: Deborah (3), Tabitha (2) and baby Peter (5 months). Cassidy exudes the perfume of Jesus as she joyfully mothers her little ones.
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WILL YOU LET THE LORD RULE...

LordBuildThe Lord will build your home if you allow Him. Let Him rule in your home. Let Him give you the children He has planned for you.

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ARE YOU AN OPTIMIST OR A PESSIMIST?

OverflowingI want to be the OVERFLOWING one, don’t you?

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ARE YOU DEPENDABLE?

dependabilityTo be dependable is to be faithful, faithful in the little things which add up to the big things. The character qualities of being dependable, faithful, trustworthy, and truthful are being lost in our society today. Let’s make them strong in our own lives and instill them in to the lives of our children. God is not looking for frothy and fluffy servants but faithful servants.

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THE WAITING GAME

WaitingGameWhen God brought forth the first beautiful woman from the side of Adam, what realm did she come into? She immediately came forth to be a wife . . . and then a mother. After the glorious introduction of Eve to Adam, God states: "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his WIFE: and they shall be one flesh” (Genesis 2:24).
 
Wow! She didn’t even have time to be single. She didn’t have time to find who she really was. She didn’t have time to have her fling before she settled down into marriage. She didn’t have time to have fun before she had children. She didn’t even have time to go to college! These are the comments we hear in today’s society.
 
Now don’t get me wrong. I know there are some women who will not get married. There are others who do not meet “the right one” until their thirties, or even forties. However, the majority meet when they are relatively young. This is God’s plan. This is the way He created us. This is the time of life when He puts the desire within us for marriage, and yes, for sexual union.
 
Society today believes in the waiting game. You must wait unto you are more mature. You must wait until you have finished college. You must wait until you are financially settled. You must wait until “you have all your ducks in a row.” You must wait until you have traveled and seen the world! This sounds wise advice, but is it biblical?
 
We read in Malachi 2: 15 about the “wife of his youth” and Joel 1:8 about the “husband of her youth.” We read in Psalm 127:4 about the “children of your youth.” The word “youth” in the Hebrew word “na’uwr” and means “young people, juvenile.” That doesn’t sound like old to me.
 
If Colin and I had waited until we were financially secure before we married, we wouldn’t be married yet! If we waited for the “perfect” time to have children, we still wouldn’t have any children! It all sounds so plausible, but it’s hot air and the wisdom of this world. The reality is that God intends couples to marry young and have children when they are young.
 
We don’t find who God wants us to be by doing our own thing. We find who we are as women through marriage and motherhood. This is how we mature. This is how a young man matures. There is nothing like marriage to mature a young man. You watch him grow before your eyes (unless he is unteachable and without godly training). Ultimately, God gives parents the responsibility to prepare their children for marriage, from childhood through adolescence.
 
Amazingly, many couples are quite happy with the waiting game. But what happens with all this waiting? Instead of coming to marriage as pure virgins and righteous young men they often come violated. God’s plan is for “young men to marry virgins” (Isaiah 62:5). The waiting game does not help God’s plan.
 
Why do we think we know better than God?
 
Blessings,
 
Nancy Campbell
 
 
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HOW DO YOU PRAY IN YOUR HOME?

HowDoUPrayHow do you and your family pray? How often do you pray? I must confess, dear ladies, that it surprises me how little God’s people are praying at this time. How can that be? We are facing lockdowns, vaccine mandates, and tyranny. And still the church of God isn’t calling for prayer meetings and crying out to God? What must yet happen before God gets our attention?
 
Of course, it starts in the home. The church will never be a praying church until we are praying families. In the New Testament I find six ways God wants to pray.
 
1. FERVENTLY
 
God not only wants us to pray, but to pray fervently. Epaphras “labored fervently” in prayer for the Colossian believers (Colossians 4:12). This word means to “contend for the victory, to fight, to wrestle.” What kind of praying do you do in your family? Do you pray fervently? That means fighting against the devil and all evil. Are you teaching your children pray this way? They learn to pray from you.
 
James 5:16: “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
 
AMPC: “The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available (dynamic in its working).”
 
TPT: “Tremendous power is released through the passionate, heartfelt prayer of a godly believer!”
 
2. BELIEVINGLY
 
God wants us to pray believingly. Read Matthew 21:22 and Mark 11:23, 24.
 
3. CONTINUALLY
 
God wants us to pray continually. Colossians 4:2 tell us to: “Continue in prayer.” The word “continue” is “proskartero” and means “to be devoted to prayer, to continue steadfastly, to keep persisting, keep persevering, earnestly and unwearied.”
 
It’s easy to give up on prayer, isn’t it? But Romans 12:12 (NLT) admonishes us to “Keep on praying” and 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NLT) tells us to NEVER STOP PRAYING.” Never give up, no matter how bleak the situation. Do you have a loved one who is not walking with God? They can never get away from your persistent and continual prayers.
 
Read these examples: Luke 21:36; Acts 1:14; 2:42; 6:4; Romans 12:12; Ephesians 1:16; 6:18; Colossians 1:3, 9; 4:2, 12; 1 Thessalonians 3:10; 5:17; 2 Thessalonians 1:11; and 2 Timothy 1:3.
 
4. EARNESTLY
 
God wants us to pray earnestly. Read James 5:17.
 
5. EXCEEDINGLY
 
God wants us to pray exceedingly.
1 Thessalonians 3:10: “Night and day praying exceedingly.” The word “exceedingly” is the Greek word “perissos” and means “exceeding some number or measure, over and above, more than is necessary, much more than all, surpassing the ordinary.”
 
Are you praying beyond the normal? Are you gathering your family together morning and evening to cry out to God for this nation and the nations of the world? Have you thought of having a prayer meeting in your home and inviting others to come in and pray with you? We have never been without a corporate prayer meeting in our home.
 
When we have prayer meetings in our home, we always include the children. We don’t even send the little ones off to bed but encourage them to be part of it. My husband usually says to the children: “Alright children, you can all pay first before you go off to sleep.” So the children will often be the first to pray and gradually they begin to fall of to sleep as the pray3er meeting continues.
 
6. PERSEVERINGLY
 
God wants us to pray perseveringly (Ephesians 6:18). We won’t change the world praying little prayers now and then. We change the world by being committed to prayer, wrestling in prayer, persevering in prayer, and pouring out our hearts in prayer. We do it personally. We do it as a family each day, teaching our children how to cry out to God and intercede in prayer. And we do it corporately, gathering in others to pray with us.
Let’s become praying families.
 
Praying families are nation changing families.
 
Praying families are world changing families.
 
Be encouraged.
 
Nancy Campbell
 
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GOD'S WILL ALWAYS WINS

SpiritualGiant

Keep your spiritual life strong.

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TENDER MERCIES

TenderMerciesIt is wonderful to read Scriptures about the tender mercies of God. It reveals His character to us. I read another one this morning in Psalm 25:6: “Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies and thy lobvingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old.”
 
It is amazing to read the Hebrew meaning of “tender mercies.” It is the word “racham” and means “compassion in a plural sense, cherishing the babe in the womb, tender love, womb.,” This word is used interchangeably in the Old Testament for the womb of a woman and also to describe God’s compassion. The same word! God links His compassion with the womb. This is such a beautiful thing for us to comprehend as women.
 
As we embrace our womb to nurture and bring forth life into this world, we are linking with God to reveal His compassionate and tender heart to the world. And it is not a fleeting thing. God’s compassion is everlasting. The words “ever of old” are the Hebrew word “olam” which means “vanishing point, time out of mind (past and future), eternity, everlasting.”
 
God’s Word translation says” “Remember, O LORD, your compassionate and merciful deeds. They have existed from eternity.”
The Smith’s Literal Translation says: “They are from forever.”
 
Isn’t it sad that many women will give up the beautiful purpose of their womb (which reveals God’s DEVERLASTING compassion) for careers and other lifestyles that are vain and fleeting and which they cannot take into eternity.
 
Bringing forth an eternal soul into the world is something that lasts forever.
 
Be blessed,
 
Nancy Campbell
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YOUR FAVORITE PLACE

HMswHMHow do you feel about your home? Do you feel like a prisoner? Are you longing for the day when you can get on to something different? Or is your delight in your home? Is it your favorite place to be?
 
Psalm 106:24, 25 says: “Yea, they despised the pleasant land, they believed not his word: But murmured in their tents, and hearkened not unto the voice of the LORD.“ The “pleasant land” was the home God chose for His people, but they despised it and murmured and complained.
 
God has chosen a “pleasant land” for you too. It is your home. The first home, which was the prototype of all homes to come, was called the garden of Eden. Eden means “delight” and God wants you to make your home a delight. The word “pleasant” in Psalm 106:24 also means “delightful, desirable, precious, greatly beloved.”
 
Dear sweet mother, I know life is not always easy in your home as you care for your little ones and face all the challenges of each day. But can I let you in on a secret? It is delightful or burdensome according to your attitude. Nothing influential or powerful in this life is easy. It takes hard work and commitment to do anything great. It’s the same with mothering in your home.
 
If you are in the grumbling and despising state, change your attitude today. Embrace your home. You are in the perfect will of God. Delight in it. And commit to making your home a delight—for your husband, your children, and for all who come in your doors.
 
Love to you today,
 
Nancy Campbell
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UPSTREAM OR DOWNSTREAM

UpstreamDownstream1 John 5:19 (ESV): "The whole world lies in the power of the evil one." If this world is in the grip of the evil one, how do we live without getting pulled into its grip? How do we keep our children from its control? We've got to swim upstream.
 
It's not easy to swim upstream, is it? It takes all your effort. The moment we relax, we start floating downstream again, away with the current of the evil one. That's why we must constantly fight the good fight of faith. We must fight it ourselves, and for our family. We must teach our children the principles of swimming upstream.
 
As children get older, and especially into their teens, they are prone to being swept into the current of this world system. We must teach from a young age how to constantly fight the battle and swim upstream. Here are some pointers:
 
1. Penetrate your children with a godly and biblical worldview. How they live and think is determined by their worldview. Remember, the public education system teaches your children a humanistic worldview.
 
2. Teach them to pray. Establish daily prayer times with your children.
 
3. Fill them with God's Word. Don't let anything deter you from Family Devotions each day with your family.
 
4. Make sure you have at least weekly fellowship with the people of God (Hebrews 10:25). Encourage friendships with other godly young people.
 
5. Teach them to say no to the flesh and the devil and yield to Christ who dwells within them.
 
What will take them, and even us, downstream?
 
1. Compromising with the world (1 John 2:15-17).
 
2. Tolerating sin. God does not tell us to tolerate, but to obliterate! Ephesians 5:22: "Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather REPROVE them."
 
3. Undisciplined time with media.
 
4. No daily habit of prayer and reading God's Word.
 
5. Hanging around with the wrong company. Proverbs 13:20: "He that walks with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. " I raised our children on this Scripture. Young people will go the way of those they hang around with. Guide them into wise company.
Are you a swimming upstream family, or merrily floating downstream with the current of this world? Remember- when you are floating, you don't even realize you are going downstream until it is too late.
 
Blessings to you today,
 
Nancy Campbell
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YOUR BABY WILL BE IMPACTED...

motheringbeginsYour baby will be impacted by your attitudes while in the womb. Embrace your precious baby to your heart from the moment you are aware and begin praying prayers of blessings and protection and God’s anointing on your baby.

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OUT OF THE BOX

OutOfBoxWhen Pearl and Evangeline or I have a birthday, our favorite gift is to receive a surprise from Serene. No, it’s not something from the shop! We love it when she makes one of her great concoctions--something that no one has ever tasted before.
 
Serene creates new recipes every day. What will it be this time? We can't wait to try. Of course, it won't be anything you'll ever see in Trim Healthy Mama. A lot of Serene's recipes don't get past our family--they are too "way out" for most people, but they are always amazing, and of course always in the super food realm!
 
I’ll let you have a peep behind the scenes. On one of Evangeline's birthdays Serene came up with a new recipe along with a poem to go with it:
 
To VangiBabe
What can you give a girl with golden hair
Who thinks "out of the box" and makes every head stare?
Can you go to Walmart and buy her some socks,
Or something normal that fits in a box?
 
Shop at the Mall for apparel with prices steep?
She could make better herself from the back of a sheep!
Buy her some shoes? She likes bare feet in the soil!
Soaps, trinkets, or hankies? She'll shudder and recoil!
 
What about a book? The best one in the store?
She'll have read it already, it will be a bore!
I could get spicy sausages and fermented butter,
But I did that last year for her birthday supper!
 
So I'll make her some "out of the box" chocolate truffles,
She'll like them better than store-bought skirts with ruffles,
I'll fill them with ginger, hot peppers, and Oolong tea,
Grass-fed gelatin and vanilla; and she'll scream with glee.
 
She'll eat them for breakfast, even at midnight,
This is what I'll do to fill her face with delight,
I'll send them along with a prayer in my heart
For her best years yet, to unfold and now start.
Love from Sereniebean.
 
I got to taste one before she went over to Vange's. They were DELECTABLE! Melt in your mouth!
 
Blessings from Nancy Campbell
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A SOUL THAT ENDURES FOR ALL ETERNITY...

EverymotherIsn’t that amazing? Motherhood goes into eternity. It is the most lasting career in the universe. I met a lovely mother today who has seven children that she fought against all odds to bring into the world. But she also had 21 miscarriages. Wow, just think of all the precious lives she will meet in eternity! What overwhelming joy.

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OWNING UP!

OwningUpCurrently, my brother and his wife and part of STORY WORTH where they write about their lives in answer to questions from their family. I love reading their stories and the other day my brother shared this confession. It’s a good story to read to your children too.
 
“Instead of making a purchase of a new TV in our small town in support of our local businessmen I went further afield to another city to purchase a bargain.
 
When setting up the TV I discovered I needed some parts. This time I went down the road to the local store. During conversation the owner asked some rather pointed questions concerning my TV and I had to lie to cover up my purchase from out of town instead of supporting my local store.
 
I thought to myself. I can buy purchases from wherever I want. It’s none of his business. I don’t have to tell him all the details, but the fact was I told a lie.
 
I paid for my purchases, thanked him, and returned to my car. On the way out my inner policeman (conscience) accused me of lying. I argued that it was none of his business. I don’t have to answer his questions. But I couldn’t run from the conviction—you lied!
 
I hopped into the car and started the engine. After a few minutes of debating with myself I decided to get my confession over and done with. Back in the shop I again spoke with the owner and told him that when he’d asked about my TV I had lied to him.
 
He accepted my apology, appreciated me coming back, and I walked out with a clear conscience, ready to do battle with the next challenge when it arose.
 
God gave us ten golden rules to live by. One being you shall not lie. How freeing it would be if we all lived out this rule!”
 
~ GRANT BOWEN, NGONGATAHA, NEW ZEALAND
 
My brother, Grant, is also the author of the children’s book we have in stock called BIG BAD BULLY BILLY BROWN. It’s all about The Golden Rule.
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TRUST HIM WHEN...

TrustHimI love these words. We don’t trust when it is easy but when it is the hardest thing of all. And we always find that God is faithful. His everlasting arms are waiting underneath us.

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THE VALUE OF MOTHERING

ValueMotherhoodA daycare worker was sharing with me that they take in babies from six weeks old. And yet dog breeders do not sell their puppies until eight weeks and up to 12 weeks for toy breeds. How is that human mothers can give up their babies so soon? What has happened to the value of mothering? This worker also mentioned that many mothers never even check to find out when their baby or toddler slept or what food they were given for the day or when. Where is their concern and yearning over their child?
 
Oh yes, I know they love their babies and little ones. But we can also love chocolate and love our house and love our new car. Mothering is much bigger than loving. It’s commitment. It’s like marriage. Marriage is more than loving. It takes commitment and daily building and pouring into our marriages.
 
But mothering is even more than commitment. It’s not only something we do. IT’S WHO WE ARE! We were created physically and innately for this divine career. We were born for it. It’s not enough to love our babies and children. We must love motherhood. Yes, the career of motherhood. When we embrace and love motherhood, we will enter into the joy and fullness and glory of motherhood.
 
Motherhood is not just having a baby. It is nursing from the breast, nurturing, cherishing, and pouring out your life. And as you do the blessing is poured back to you.
 
Mothers and babies are not meant to be separated. They are part of one another. Where the mother goes, the baby goes.
Mother and home are synonymous.
 
Live in the glory of motherhood today.
 
Blessings from Nancy Campbell
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WHY ARE WE DEPOPULATING?

I was reading an article this morning of the number of children per family across the world. It’s amazing to see how the birthrates are becoming lower and lower. It takes 2.1 children per family to sustain a population, more to increase.
 
I thought the United States was down down to 1.9 children per family. The World Population Review states that the USA, UK, and Australia are now down to 1.7! Canada is 1.5! The article I read this morning said that once a nation gets down to 1.6 it is impossible for them to recover and that nation will eventually die out.
 
I wonder why we are shooting ourselves in the feet. The increase of a nation is the blessing of God, decrease is curse. A growing population is necessary for successful economy. The Bible links these factors together in Isaiah 29:22, 23 (TLB): “My people will no longer be ashamed. For when they see the surging birth rate and the expanding economy, then they will fear and rejoice in my name.”
 
God is glorified with an increasing birthrate in the nation. Isaiah 26:15 says: “Thou hast increased the nation O Lord, Thou hast increased the nation . . . Thou art GLORFIED.”
 
We are living in a culture that is opposite to the Bible and the kingdom of God. Our culture imbibes contraception, sterilization, and abortion as a normal part of life. Limiting families to two is normal. The sad part about this is that so many “Christian” families have also imbibed this lifestyle.
They even believe the lies about population explosion. God is not in the slightest worried about such a thing. Isaiah 45:18 says: “For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens, God Himself that formed the earth and made it; He hath established it, He created it not in vain, He formed it to be INHABITED; I am the Lord and there is none else.”
 
It seems that it is not enough to wipe out millions with contraception and abortion but now we have this current vaccination which many scientists and doctors believe will result in much fertility. Of course, I am sure you have heard Bill Gates confess with his own mouth that the purpose of the vaccinations is for de-population. Many now call it the de-pop vax.
 
If that isn’t enough, we now have Agenda 21, the United Nations program to depopulate 95 percent of the world by 2030. Does that sound ridiculous? Unfortunately, it is a well-known and documented plan. You can read about it in the link at the end of this article.
 
All these things are masterminded by the devil, our enemy, who hates life. While God is the author of life, loves life, gives life, and wants us to always choose life, the devil seeks to eliminate life in every way he can.
 
Let’s be encouraged, dear folks, to make sure we are on the side of God and that we belong to His kingdom. If we side against life, we promote the devil’s kingdom.
 
Blessings from Nancy Campbell
 
The UN 2030 Agenda Decoded: The Blueprint For Global Enslavement | Truth11.com
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THE WOMB IN HEBREW IS...

RachamIsn’t it so wonderful that the Bible uses the same Hebrew word to describe the womb of the woman as God’s tender mercies and compassion? As you embrace life in your woman you are showing the love and and mercy of God. As a mother comforts her babe so God comforts and consoles in all our adversities.

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Above Rubies Address

AboveRubies
Email Nancy

PO Box 681687
Franklin, TN 37068-1687

Phone : 931-729-9861
Office Hrs 9am - 5pm, M - F, CTZ