FROM OUR HOME TO YOURS w/ Nancy Campbell

PODCAST 95: BUILDING A HOME FOR GOD, PART 2

We find six adjectives regarding the kind of home God wants us to build for Him. Are you ready for them? EXCEEDING, MAGNIFICENT, FAMOUS, GLORIOUS, GREAT, AND WONDERFUL! Does that sound too much over the top? Sorry! They are all Biblical words. Join with me.

Announcer: Welcome to the podcast, From Our Home to Yours, with Nancy Campbell, founder, and publisher of Above Rubies.

Nancy Campbell: Hello ladies. Today I'm going to be giving you a podcast that I had already shared with you, but you didn't get. Because Number 94 was Building a Home for God. Number 95 was also building a home for God, Part 2. Now somehow Part 2 disappeared into thin air! When you got sent out Part 2, it was the same as Number 94, Part 1.

So I'm so sorry about that. Some have called in, and said, “Oh, we want to hear Part 2.” So I'm doing it again for you today. Trust that you will be blessed.

Let me start by sharing a poem with you, an old, famous poem called “The Builder.”

I saw them tearing a building down,

A team of men in my hometown,

With a heave and a ho and yes, yes, yell!

They swung a beam and a sidewall fell.

And I said to the foreman, “Are these men skilled

Like the ones you’d use if you had to build?”

And he laughed and said, “Oh no, indeed,

The most common labor is all I need,

For I can destroy in a day or two

What it takes a builder ten years to do.”

So I thought to myself as I went my way,

Which one of these roles am I willing to play?

Am I one who is tearing down,

As I carelessly make my way around?

Or am I one who builds with care

To make the world better because I was there?

Of course, this applies to us as mothers, doesn't it? Proverbs 14:1 says: “Every wise woman buildeth her house, but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.”

A true builder is a professional. He knows what he is doing. If the builder is hiring people to pull down something, he doesn't have to hire professionals. He can just get any old laborer because any old laborer can just pull something down.

So we must be those, dear mothers, who are the professional builders of our homes, not the foolish ones who can tear it down. Anybody can tear down. It's easy to pull down, especially by the words that we say. But it takes training to be a real professional builder.

Anyway, as we go into Part 2 of Building A Home for God, we are looking at the example of David and Solomon. Remember how David got the vision to build a house for God? David talked about the kind of house that he wanted to build. We read about it in 1 Chronicles 22, verse five: “The house that is to be builded for the Lord must be exceeding magnificent, a fame and glory throughout all countries.”

This is the vision that David had. He used four adjectives here. Did you pick them up? Exceeding. Magnificent. Famous. Glorious. David didn't want a house like any other house for his God. He wanted a house that was greater than any other house.

Dear precious mothers, we are building not just a house, we are building a house FOR GOD! Yes! Just as David wanted to do that. This should be our passion and vision too, to build a house for God. Now if we're building a house for God, we're not going to just want it to be like any other house. We want it to be GREATER than any other house.

So shall we look at these adjectives and see what they are? We'll talk about “magnificent” first. Now this word “magnificent” in the Hebrew is gadal. It means “to make large, advance, exceeding, excellent, grow up, increase, magnify, and promote.”

My, that's a lot of words for one word. We find this so many times, don't we, that when we look up a Hebrew word for the word we read in our Bibles, that it gives us so many adjectives, because there's not, not one word is enough to describe that word.

So this word “magnificent” means “to be increasing, getting larger, growing.” It's never the same. Our building a house should never be stagnant. It's always increasing, always something more. We're always seeking to strengthen our family that little bit more.

So, in fact, I may have shared this with you before, that this is a great principle to keep in your lives as you're building your families. When you're facing a situation, or you're facing a decision that you have to make for your family life, this is the great thing to do. Think about it. If it's going to weaken your family, or fragment your family in any way, don't do it!

But if what you're planning to do will strengthen your family, and make it stronger, and keep it together, do it! Because that's what you're wanting to do, you're wanting to make your family stronger and stronger all the time.

So, do you think we could build a magnificent home for God, dear ladies? That means your home will never be stagnant. It will always be growing. You will always be thinking of new things to do to make it better, make it more wonderful for your husband and your children. It'll always be growing.

I think of some ways that we can make our homes more magnificent. Of course, the word before “magnificent” was “exceeding.” We'll talk about that word later.

# But we should make it exceedingly magnificent in godliness, don't you think?

I love that old quote, do you know it? It says:

“The beauty of the home is order.

The blessing of the home is contentment.

The glory of the home is hospitality.

The crown of the home is godliness.”

And so we should always be seeking to increase in godliness. Sadly, there are some homes that start out well, and then down the years they become less godly, more worldliness comes in. They end up going to church less and less. They're not growing at all in godliness. But let's continue growing.

# We should be exceedingly magnificent in the beauty of order and simplicity, as is shared in that quote I have just given you.

# Exceedingly magnificent in family togetherness. We're always seeking to bring the family together, do things together as a family. It seems in our society today, that most of the things we do tend to fragment the family. Many things that we get involved in, maybe they just involve one member of the family. So not everybody is involved in that. We've got to try and think, where possible, to do things that we can do as a family.

I know some families who, they don't get involved in individual sports because they find that it just takes their children all away in different directions. Instead, they choose to do the things that will keep their family together.

# Exceedingly magnificent in the disciplines of prayer and love for God's Word. That means you're seeking to have a time with your family every day where you read the Word together and you pray together.

The ultimate, of course, is two times a day, because that's the principle we read about in the Word of God. If you want to know more about that, you can go to my website and look up “The Morning and Evening Principle.”

Here is the link: http://aboverubies.org/index.php/2013-11-12-17-55-51/english-language/bible-in-the-home/901-bible-in-the-home-the-morning-and-evening-principle

So that's what we do in our family. We meet every morning and every evening to pray and read the Word.

Of course, there is more than that, too, because we read about David, who came before the Lord three times a day. He came morning, noon, and night. Daniel did that too, remember? Three times a day he bowed before the Lord.

# Exceedingly magnificent in peace and harmony. Exceedingly magnificent in joy, gladness, happiness, laughter. Oh, we want to make our homes places of joy, places of laughter, places of happiness, don't we? 

I love the Scripture, Romans 14:17: “The kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.” So if we're building a home for God's kingdom, it should be a home of joy and happiness, and where we laugh, and we work, and we play. I believe in playing and working. So we do both, don't we?

# Also, exceedingly magnificent in the manifestation of the Presence of God. That's the most beautiful thing we can have in our homes, isn't it?

And so, dear ladies, take that word “magnificent.” Let's build a magnificent home for God, always growing, strengthening, increasing. Amen?

Well, let's look at the word “exceedingly,” shall we? Because David didn't only want to build a magnificent home, but an exceedingly magnificent home. Now the word “exceedingly” is maal. This word means “above, very high, the upper part.”

This word is translated in the Bible as “above” 53 times, and “upwards” 59 times. So it actually means “above the normal.” It is not status quo, it's not mediocre, it's not normal. It's above, it's higher.

So, ladies, now we've got to think about building our homes above the normal. It's easy to look around at your neighbors, and maybe other Christian families in your church, and think, “Oh well, I'm pretty much like all of them.”

But that's not our standard. We, our vision should be, to build a home (because it's not for us. OK, if we're just building it for us, we can have it normal if we want to), but if we are building it for God, I think we want to make it above the normal, don't you?

Let's get a vision for going beyond the normal, status quo, mediocre, apathetic, boringness of most people's lives. No! We want to go beyond that. Let's have a look, shall we, maybe at some of the average homes in the nation.

# Well, in the average home today, most people like to do their own thing, each one going here and there. Most are glued to their iPhones. Consequently they're shut out from each other . Or they're listening to other things on their earphones. 

Now ladies, I guess we have to acknowledge that this is becoming the norm in our homes today, because we're living in a different society. Never have we lived in a society like this before, when everybody's on their iPhones, they're glued to them. And in fact, in some homes, they even bring them to the table!

I beg your pardon. I trust you don't allow that in your home. That's one thing that I will not allow. I will not allow iPhones at the table. Or people having them down under the table, and their eyes are looking down. They're so glued to them, they're so addicted, that they find it hard to leave them. It is good discipline for us to leave our iPhones for certain times, especially at the time at the table.

Maybe there's other times where you're doing some special family things together—get your children to put their iPhones away. Of course, I'm talking about older children. I don't think you'll allow younger ones to them, for sure. But you know, when you're doing things together, put iPhones away. Don't let other things and other people intrude on your family time.

When you go to restaurants, or have a family meal, put your iPhones away. Isn't it sad when you go to a restaurant, and you see a family, and they're all sitting looking at their iPhones? Why do they waste their money going to the restaurant if they're all just going to look at iPhones and be texting other people when they're there to have a family meal?

So that's the normal home today. But you're not building a normal home, dear mother. You're building an above average home, above the normal. That word “exceedingly,” have you got it? It means “above, more than, above, higher, upwards.” OK? You're getting it.

# In the average home, there are more TVs in the home than children. In the above normal home, this home has more children than TVs. So we can kind of get which home we are. Do we have more TVs than children? Oooooh. Or are there more children in our home than TVs?

When you've got more children than TVs, you don't hardly need a TV, because you've got so much entertainment and so much life going on in your home. You don't need all that other entertainment, do you?

# In the average home today, most families don't even sit at the family meal table together. Maybe, perhaps once a week. But in the above average home, the home where they are building an exceedingly magnificent home for God, they're trying to meet together and sit at the table every night of the week.

Of course, there's times where maybe you're all going out somewhere else, or something has happened. But on the average, you'll be sitting together every evening at the family meal table. You'll be sitting there to, you're not just going to eat a meal. No!

The family table is so much more than just eating some food, dear precious mothers. Maybe that's why a lot of people don't sit around the table together. They think oh, well, mealtime is just eating some food. No! Mealtime is far more than eating food. Mealtime is interaction, discussion, dialog. It's gathering together to talk to one another, to communicate with one another. That's why we gather.

We gather around the table where we can look at each other eye to eye, not looking at iPhones. We're looking at one another. We're sharing together. So when we come to the table, (and, of course, I don't always do this now as my family has grown although I often do, when I have extra people around my table), I would always bring to the table a subject for discussion or a question.

“All right, children, what do you think about this?” We'd give them a subject that they can discuss together. Or a question, “What do you think about this?” It's a good thought-provoking question.

If you have little ones, you can keep the questions simple. “All right, children, we want each one of you to tell us what was the best thing you did today?” Or maybe if they're getting a little older, “Tell us something new that you learned today.”

So there are loads of ideas and questions. I have a list on my website if you go to, I guess it's the Family Mealtime Table. You can find “Table Conversations.” Maybe something like that and look it up. It's handy to have.

Here’s the link: http://aboverubies.org/index.php/2013-11-12-17-55-51/english-language/family-meal-table/797-family-meal-table-dinner-time-conversations

Let me read you another poem. This is a poem I wrote years and years ago about the table. The table is such a wonderful place. This poem says:

AT THE TABLE

Where can you communicate while you eat?

Where can you enjoy real fellowship sweet?

Where can you laugh with friends who are neat?

At the table.

Where can you pour out your heart and soul?

Where can you explain what is taking its toll?

Where can you share your vision and goal?

At the table.

Where can you dialogue and sift through ideas?

Verbalize thoughts and yet still be at ease?

Discover new subjects to debate if you please?

       At the table.

Where can your hearts be knitted as one?

Where can you yarn and old stories be spun?

And feel accepted so you don’t have to run?

       At the table.

Where can your children learn to sit still?

Acquire eating habits that won’t make them ill?

Be taught good manners of which some have nil?

       At the table.

Where to imbibe values and ethics for life?

Learn to eat correctly with fork and knife?

Observe how “to father” and be a good wife?

       At the table. 

Where can you reveal God’s ways to your kin?

Teach them His Word will keep them from sin?

And to follow God’s laws is the way to win?

       At the table.

Where can you encourage your children each day?

And boost the confidence of these “jars of clay”?

Give counsel that will keep them from going astray?

       At the table.

Where can you make your house feel a “home”?

With a lovely warm ambience and happy tone?

From where your children will not want to roam?

       At the table.

Where can you show love to God’s special “flock”?

Feed those who come to your door and knock?

Even those who don’t know God can be their Rock?

       At the table.

Where does God love His presence to fill?

Where does He want His blessings to spill?

Where does He want restless hearts to be still?

       At the table.

Dear father and mother, look again at your table,

Family meals together will make your home stable!

Make it a priority--your God will enable!

       Sit at your table!

 

So I believe this is what we'll do when we are seeking to make an above average home.

# In the average home, most families are so busy that they don't have time to have family Bible reading and worship. But in the above normal home, they make everything else fit around their morning and evening times to pray and read the Word.

I've found that, ladies, do you find the same thing? That you have to MAKE IT HAPPEN?  You'll find, I know, that if you just hope it will happen, or think it's a good idea, which we all know it's a good idea, but it never happens unless we MAKE IT HAPPEN. Over the years, for years and years, I sought to make it a habit in our home. I made it happen.

Everything in our home revolves around our morning and evening gathering together to hear from God and to cry out to Him. I don't think there is anything more important in the whole of the day. So I have to make it happen. See what you can do about making it happen in your home too.

# In the average home, there is often bickering and fighting. In the above average home, the siblings are friends, rather than fighting with one another.

# In the average home, most families live to themselves. But in the above average home, they love to open their homes in hospitality. They love to invite others to their table to share their meals. They enjoy food and dialog and fellowship with others. I believe this should be just . . . well, I was going to say the normal home, but the normal home is not the normal home today. We are seeking to have to build an above average home.

The above average home will be a home of hospitality. I was so blessed to be brought up in a home of hospitality, where our back door and front door was always open. People coming in, people sitting around our table. Oh, it was the spice of life.

So it was something that we carried on in our home. It has been the spice of life in all the years of our marriage together, having people in our home, coming to stay, coming to our table for a meal. In fact, as time goes, and I haven't had someone, I'm in withdrawal. I've just got to get someone to come and sit around our table.

Because we love  it. We love sharing our meal. We love the wonderful fellowship of kindred spirits. Of course, we don't always invite kindred spirits. We love to reach out to others too, who may not be kindred spirits, and who need encouragement, who need to get a glimpse of the different way of living. So hospitality is part of the above normal home.

# In the average home, families spend a lot of their time running here and running there to sports, extracurricular activities, and this and that, and everything. But in the above average home, they realize it's more important to spend time together.

Of course, they will be doing certain things that they know are very important, but they're not going to be pulled away by everything. They're going to discern what is the best. They will discern what is important, and what they can let go. So they can keep their family intact, keep their family together.

Well, there's many other things. Those were just a few. I trust, dear lovely ladies, that you will seek to build a home that is beyond the homes of everyone you know. And build a home that goes higher, that's above the normal. Amen?

All right. So David said he wanted to build this exceedingly magnificent home for “fame” and for “glory.” He wanted it to be famous for God because he was building it to the Name of the Lord. That's why he didn't want it to be famous for his name. No, he built a home for himself but this was the home for God.

When we're building a home for God, we are not wanting to make it famous for ourselves, but for God's Name. We don't want to do anything that will bring shame to the Name of the Lord. We're building a home that will bring glory to the Name of our God.

That's why David said “for fame, and for glory.” He wanted this home that he was building for God to bring glory to God. Not only the people there in Jerusalem, but the whole then-known world would know that this was God's home. It was a home that was going to be a place of prayer for all nations. It became famous.

I mean, this home became such a glorious home. When Solomon began to build it, there was no other building like it. It was completely covered inside and outside with gold. Oh, I mean, it was just filled with silver and gold and precious stones. It was just unbelievable.

I'd better talk about the glory. The word “glory,” tipharah, means “beauty, bravery, honor, majesty, glory.” Once again, lots of adjectives for one word.

So now we're going to get on to the words that Solomon used, because David, although he had this great vision to build this exceeding magnificent, famous, glorious house, God said, “Sorry, David, I don't want you to build it. I want your son to be the builder.”

So Solomon took on the same vision. He used different adjectives. He said, “The house which I'm going to build for God will be great and wonderful.” So now we've got two more adjectives. SIX ADJECTIVES in all to describe this house for God.

OK. The word “great,” well, of course, it just means “great, exceeding (again) mighty.” And then the word pala, oh, well that's the word “wonderful.” The Hebrew word for “wonderful” here is pala. Oh, it is an amazing word.

Oh, now have I written down here what it means? Oh yes! Look at all these adjectives to describe the word wonderful, which is pala in the Hebrew: Distinguished. Extraordinary. Miraculous. Astonishing. Marvelous. Yes, it goes beyond, it means that it goes beyond the bounds of human power or expectation. This was the description that Solomon used for building this house for God.

Precious ladies, all these adjectives I'm talking about, do they seem a little bit over the top? Do you think, “Oh goodness me, here I am, just in the throes of diapers and little babies and children screaming and other children fighting . . . and oh, this is happening, and that is happening, and you expect me to be building a house that's glorious and magnificent and wonderful?”

Well, darling ladies, I'm not making it up. These are Biblical words, and this was the vision that they had. I believe God doesn't put anything in His Word for a joke. I believe that He wants us to take on this vision. Let's begin to think like this, and to believe for this, and have a vision for this. So we're now going to make a GREAT and WONDERFUL house.

Now let’s look at some other Scriptures where this word pala is used. It was not only used for building this house for God. It was used for a baby being conceived. It was used when Sarah was not able to conceive, and she had waited years and years and years and years and could never have a baby. Then God came to her and said that He would give her a baby in the time of life.

At the next season she would have this baby. And she laughed, we know. But then God said to her, in Genesis 18:14: “Is [the word is pala] anything too hard [pala again] for the Lord?” In other words, “Oh, nothing's too hard for Me,” God says. “I am the God Who is the God of the miraculous and the astonishing and the marvelous, and that which goes beyond human bounds or human expectations.” So this is the word He gave to Sarah, and we know how God blessed her. She conceived and gave birth to a baby.

This word is also used in Psalm 139:14, talking again about a baby, about how the baby grows in the womb. “I will praise Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Thy works [that's the word pala]. Marvelous are Thy works, and that my soul knoweth right well.” A little baby growing in the womb is wonderful, miraculous, astonishing, marvelous!

Yes, Psalm 111:4: “He has made His wonderful works to be remembered.”

Psalm 96:3: “Declare His glory among the heathen, His wonders, [His pala] among all people.”

And so, lovely ladies, that's an amazing word to take on. But let's build a marriage and a family and a home that is wonderful. To build a wonderful marriage takes work, doesn't it? Oh yes because it's not always perfect. And your husband's not always perfect, but you're not always perfect either.

So here we've got us two imperfect people, and how on earth are we going to make it? We're going to make it by the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, and by having a vision. Keep the vision before you that you're going to make, and you're going to build, a wonderful marriage.

You see, lovely ladies, you can have the marriage you want. It's true . . . now don't blame it all on your husband and all his faults, oh goodness me, because it's so easy to see all the faults in them. Oh yes, I have seen faults in my husband. I can remember seeing all those faults. I had to learn not to see them, and instead look at the good things, and love him anyway.

Build a marriage of love. It's your choice. It's not the faults they have. No, it's your choice. You choose. You choose the marriage you want. And it is possible to have a glorious, wonderful, astonishing, amazing marriage, if you're prepared to build it.

Yes, you'll have to sacrifice your own feelings, and your own self, and your own ways. Put them aside. Instead, pour out love. See what you want and go for it! And you can have it.

So you're going to build a wonderful marriage and a wonderful family. You're not going to settle for the ordinary. You're going to make marvelous things happening every day, because remember, lovely ladies, that marvelous things are little things. Just hugging your little children, smiling at them, having a forgiving spirit even when you've been hurt. Making family togetherness happen. Making little things, just the little things, that add up to the big things that become marvelous. And you will build a wonderful home. I know you're going to do it.

Let me end with another poem. This is a poem podcast, isn't it? It's another poem about building, also called “The Builder,” an old famous poem.

A builder builded a temple

He wrought it with grace and skill.

Pillars and groins and arches,

All fashioned to meet His will.

Men said, as they saw its beauty,

“It shall never know decay,

Great is thy skill, O builder!

They fame shall endure for aye.”

A mother builded a temple

With loving and infinite care,

Planning each arch with patience,

Laying each stone with prayer.

None praised her ceaseless efforts,

None knew the hidden plan,

For the temple the Mother builded

Was unseen by the eyes of man.

Gone is the builder’s temple,

Crumpled into the dust;

Low lays each stately pillar,

Food for consuming rust.

But the temple the mother builded,

Will last while the ages roll,

For the beautiful unseen temple

Is a child’s immortal soul!

Shall we pray?

“Dearest Father, we thank You that You give us a vision, a vision beyond the normal. You don't want us to live the average, normal, mediocre life. You don't want us to build average, status quo homes.

“Oh God, You have a greater vision for us. Help us to take hold of it. Help us to build a wonderful marriage. Help us to build a wonderful family life. Help us to build a wonderful strong home for God.

“Lord, we thank You that we, as mothers, have power to impact the nation, because as we build strong homes, the nation becomes strong. Help us to see our worth as we build these exceeding, magnificent, famous, glorious, great, and wonderful homes! In the precious Name of Jesus. Amen.”

Transcribed by Darlene Norris

 

FROM OUR HOME TO YOURS w/ Nancy Campbell

PODCAST 94: BUILDING A HOME FOR GOD, PART 1

Rocky Barrett: Welcome to the podcast, From Our Home to Yours, with Nancy Campbell, founder and publisher of Above Rubies.

Nancy Campbell: Hello ladies, it is so lovely to be with you again today.

Can we pray? “Dear Father, We ask that as we open Your Word today that You will open it to our minds, that You will show us wondrous things from Your Word, that You will open up new vistas that we have never seen before. “We ask it in the name of Jesus. Amen.”

How wonderful that we can come to the Word of God and find wonderful truths for us as mothers as we’re building our families. Dear wives and mothers, you are in the greatest vocation in the nation: building godly families. There’s no greater thing that you could be doing. It is so powerful.

MOTHERS DETERMINE THE DESTINY OF THE NATION!

As you build into your marriage to make it a beautiful and godly marriage and as you build into your family, to each child that God has given you, you are building a strong family that helps to build a strong nation.

If we have weak marriages and weak families, we end up with a weak nation. But when we build strong families, we become a strong nation because the nation is what its families are.

We as mothers in the home are doing a powerful work and the devil knows the power of motherhood. He knows the power and influence of motherhood and so he seeks to woo mothers out of the home. When mothers are wooed out of the home the home weakens because it’s a fulltime job of building your home.

It’s so wonderful that we can come into the Word of God and we can see from examples, even way back in the Old Testament, of how God wants to build our marriages and build our families.

I love the story of when David got a vision to build a temple for the Lord his God. He didn’t build it because God said to him, “It is good, David, that it is in your heart, but I don’t want you to be the one to build it.”

Isn’t it beautiful? David had a vision. It was a consuming passion of his to build a house for the Lord God of Israel. Although God was happy with David because he wanted to do it and He said to David, “David it is good that it is in your heart but you’re not going to be the one to do it.”

I love that because sometimes, ladies, we have things that are in our hearts. We have a vision. We have a passion about something and yet somehow it never comes to fulfillment. We wonder why we have got that passion or that vision? Maybe it’s to pass it on to someone else.

As God said, “Oh David, it’s good. It’s good that it’s in your heart but I want your son to build this house. You’ve been a man of war. You’ve shed so much blood. You are the one who has brought peace to the land so now your son, who will be a man of peace, he can build the temple.”

God wanted His temple built in a time of peace and rest.

So we go back to this story and we can read and get the feeling, vision, and passion that David and Solomon had for building this house of God.

David passed on his passion to Solomon. We read in 1 Kings 5 and Solomon is now speaking because David has passed on this vision to his son. In verse five he says: “And, behold, I PURPOSE to build an house unto the name of the Lord my God . . ..”

He didn’t just think it was a good idea or, “I might like to do that sometime.”

No, he said, “I PURPOSE to build a house.” He had a purpose, he had a vision and I believe, dear mothers, we need to have that, too.

Sometimes we can be mothering and going about our daily routine in our family and we just go from day to day, but we don’t have a vision.

I believe we need a vision. We need to know what we are doing. We need to have a passion and have a vision. To get that, ask God to put that passion and vision in your heart.

I remember as I was raising our children, there was a Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:23. It says: “ And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

I took those words. I took that prayer as my purpose and my vision as I was raising our children. I wasn’t satisfied to only care for them physically. I wanted to build into their lives and not just physically but spiritually, emotionally, and mentally.

My longing was that I would be able to present my children before the Father on that day when we will all stand before Him, that they would be whole in body, soul, and spirit. Sometimes we have a vision and we may not totally fulfill it but if we have a vision, we’re going to be working toward it.

You may have a different vision and God will give you a vision as you ask Him. If you can’t think of anything else you can take that Scripture, too, 1 Thessalonians 5:23!

Anyway we are going to 2 Chronicles chapter 2. Here the same story is repeated because the story is repeated in Kings and Chronicles.

This time it says in verse 1: “And Solomon DETERMINED to build an house for the name of the Lord . . ..”

Here we see the word purpose and the word determine. They are strong words, aren’t they?

If we go back to the Hebrew, the word is actually ‘amar and it literally means: “To say, to declare, to boast, to publish, to report, speak, answer, command.” It is mostly used of speaking something out. This word is used nearly 6,000 times in the Bible. Only 18 times does it use a different word other than “speak” or “say” or “publish” as it does in these two Scriptures.

Let me give you some examples of where it uses the word “speak” or “say”.

Leviticus 20:1-2: “And the  Lord  spake {‘amar) unto Moses, saying (‘amar), Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel . . ..”

Jeremiah 34:2: “Thus saith (‘amar) the LORD, the God of Israel; Go and speak (‘amar) to Zedekiah king of Judah . . ..”

So usually it’s translated “speak,” “boast” or “command.”

When it’s talking about Solomon “purposed,” Solomon “determined” to build a house, you notice that he also SPEAKS about it. He spoke out his vision.

If you really have a vision, you’re passionate about you will speak about it so don’t be afraid, ladies, to speak about your vision of building a family for God.

When someone asks you, “Well what do you do?”

You can respond, “I am building a godly dynasty!”

That would really let them know what you’re doing, wouldn’t it? Have a good statement ready of your purpose and your vision.

“What am I doing? Oh I’m doing a great work! I’m building a godly family in this deceived world.”

Speak out your vision! As you speak it out it becomes more real to you.

You can even speak it to your children: “Children, this is my vision. I’m building a godly family. Children, we’re all in this together. You are building it with Daddy and Mummy. Together we’re building a family for God. Let’s all put our hearts into it.”

It’s good to confess out what you are doing. It is so important.

As we were reading in this passage here, 2 Chronicles chapter two, Solomon goes on to speak out what his vision is.

I mentioned this last week in our podcast when I was talking with Nadia. Let me read it again, verse four: “Behold, I build an house to the name of the Lord my God, to dedicate it to him . . ..” See, he is speaking it out, his purpose and his determination.

What is he doing? He wants to DEDICATE this house to the Lord.

Verses 4-6: “ . . . and to burn before him sweet incense, and for the continual shewbread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts of the  Lord  our God. This is an ordinance for ever to Israel. And the house which I build is great: for great is our God above all gods. But who is able to build him an house, seeing the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him? who am I then, that I should build him an house, save only to burn sacrifice before him? . . ..”

That was his greatest purpose. He was saying, “Who am I to do this?”

Sometimes, wives and mothers, we feel like that, don’t we? Sometimes we feel like utter failures. Here we are, we’re trying to build this house and this godly family and, oh my, it doesn’t seem very perfect at all. Sometimes it doesn’t seem very godly. I know. There were times where I used to feel like a failure when I was raising our children.

It’s a huge task. It’s a bigger task than we are capable of in our own strength of course. But God is with us and we have to come to Him and seek His wisdom and strength because He’s promised to be with us and help us in this great task.

Although Solomon said, “Who am I to do this?” he also said, “But I am doing it for just one thing, the main thing! I’ve mentioned other things, but this is the main thing: to sacrifice before Him.”

He was talking about the morning and the evening sacrifices, which were to take place in the temple. They had taken place in the tabernacle but now the tabernacle had been destroyed. It had been in Shiloh for about 360 years but then their enemies took it and so they now want to build this temple.

I think this is something we should get into our hearts, precious mothers, because this is here in the Word of God. It’s literally telling us about Solomon’s vision but every word that was written is written for our learning and our admonition. Every single thing is a type for us today (Romans 15:4 and 1 Corinthians 10:11).

So we should have, like Solomon had, this longing, this passion, this understanding that this is the main thing I want to do in my home and that is to meet with God every morning and evening.

That’s what the sacrifices were about. Every sacrifice pointed to Jesus, to the Lamb of God Who would be the ultimate sacrifice. When Jesus came and when He sacrificed His body and His blood for our sins, it was ONE sacrifice. Never did there have to be another sacrifice for sins. All those sacrifices back there in the Old Testament pointed to Calvary.

But they also pointed to meeting with God because He says in the Scriptures, “There will I meet with you.” God was always there because it pointed to His Son coming to be the sacrifice for our sins.

God wanted them to do it every morning and every evening. They sacrificed upon the Brazen Altar. In Leviticus 6:8-13 it tells us how God told Moses to pass this on to the priests.  He said, “You are to keep this fire on the altar burning continually. This altar where you are going to sacrifice, it must never go out.” (Leviticus 6:13).

The amazing thing is, is that when he dedicated this altar when they had built it, the fire of God came down. It was a supernatural fire from God, but God said, “You have got to keep it going. The way you will keep it going is to attend to it every morning.

“You come and take out the ashes and put on the wood but that’s not enough. If you leave it till next morning it will go out.” So they had to come and attend to it in the evening as well because God said, “This fire must never go out.” God repeats those words two times (verses 12, and 13).

He says the same thing to us. When we come to know Him and He lights that fire in our spirits He says, “I don’t want this fire to ever go out. I have lit this fire in your heart by My precious Holy Spirit, but I want you to keep it burning. You don’t keep it burning in your own strength. It will keep burning by the power of My Holy Spirit, but I want you to attend to it every morning and every evening.”

It’s a Biblical principle. So every morning we come personally to the Lord and then we come as a family. We gather our family around and we come into the presence of the Lord. If there’s anything in our hearts that is evil or it’s not pleasing to the Lord, it’s like the ashes. We’ve got to take it out and get rid of it.

Then we put on the wood. The Word of God is like the wood. It’s like fuel to keep our fire burning. So we read the Word personally and then we gather our family to read the Word to them because we want to keep this fire for God burning in the hearts of every one of our children and in our families. We want to be a home that is set on fire for God.

The only way we can keep the fire burning is to come morning and evening.

Did you notice about burning sweet incense? That was talking about the Golden Altar of Incense.  That altar was in the Holy Place just by the curtain before you went into the Holy of Holies. The Altar of Incense, which they also had to burn . . .  when? You can guess . . .  every morning and every evening. They had to burn this beautiful sweet incense. It was called sweet incense. It filled the Holy Place. It was so beautiful. As the day wore on it would be fading and God said, “No, you’ve got to come back again. You’ve got to come back in the evening because I want My Home filled continually with My sweet presence.”

The Altar of Incense speaks of prayer and intercession and praise and worship. We see that in Revelation chapter five. Here it is in verse 8. This is John looking into the heavenly realm. It’s amazing, when John looked into the heavenly realm and he saw what was there, he saw an Altar of Incense. You see, the Altar of Incense back in the Tabernacle was only a type of the heavenly one. The Bible tells us that and so now John is looking at the heavenly one.

“And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odors [incense], which are the prayers of saints.”

There the Bible specifically declares what the incense is. It’s the prayers of the saints.

We go over to chapter eight of Revelation. John is still seeing things in the heavenly realm. Verse 3: “And another angel came and stood at the altar [this is the golden altar because it was covered with gold, The Golden Altar of Incense.], having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.”

Of course Solomon was building this Temple to put the golden altar of incense in it, in the tabernacle and Temple. It was right before the Holy of Holies, which contained the Shekinah Glory of God. Now as John looks into the heavenly realm he looks and sees this Golden Altar right before the throne of God and the prayers of the saints are coming up.

Oh precious, lovely ladies—this is not just some story we’re reading about in the Old Testament. We are reading about something that is now and is to come. John saw it in the heavenly realm and the prayers going up.

As we meet together as a family morning and evening our prayers are going up as incense before the Lord. How much incense is going up in your home, darling ladies? Is it just a little bit of incense?

Do you think: “Oh goodness me, life is so busy. How could I fit this in?”

Sometimes you have Bible reading or prayer together, so you have a little bit of incense. But that’s not the picture. God wants MUCH incense going up from our families. MUCH incense every morning and every evening.

Let’s get a passion like Solomon had.

Of course, we are no longer building a real literal altar or a brazen altar. We’re not doing sacrifices or lighting the candlestick in the Holy Place. That had to be lit every morning and every evening, too.

The morning and evening principle was so powerful back there, but it’s so powerful for us today. We’re not doing it literally with altars and sacrifices, but we are doing it literally by doing it and by coming into God’s presence and gathering our families around.

Precious mothers, can I ask you a big question? Do you have that passion and vision that David and Solomon had, to build a house for the name of the Lord?

The most important thing he wanted to do was to sacrifice before Him, to come into His presence, to pray to Him, to send up MUCH incense, to get fueled every morning with His precious Word.

His Word is our fuel, our sustenance, and our life.

If that is not your consuming passion for your home, what is? What is your passion?

Sometimes we get overtaken and overwhelmed with all we have to do and it’s just getting through each day. There’s so much to do. I know, darling ladies, I know. Sometimes you feel overwhelmed. There IS so much to do.

But we can’t do everything. I realize that. I can’t do everything. You can’t do everything. We have to work out what is the most important to do.

Do you know that we have to get rid of a lot of other things we do? There are so many superfluous things we do, so many things we don’t need to do. We have got to work out the most important things that we have to do.

Of course, when you are a new mother with little ones around you, you won’t get much else done in the day except to care for them, your nursing baby, and your little toddlers. You’re not wasting time. No, it’s powerful. It’s beautiful. God sees it as just beautiful unto Him. Do it unto Him.

As your children get older, then you get busier in different ways. You do not just have to do everything for these little toddlers. Now your children can do things for themselves. But now you end up running them around everywhere. You’re going here and there, and life today is just like a rat race.

Darling ladies, it’s not meant to be a rat race. Can you take a moment to get before the Lord? Ask Him what’s the most important.

Can we come back to this passage of Solomon and see what was the most important to him? He was a king and he made that kingdom of Israel the greatest kingdom of the world at that time. It was the richest kingdom of the world at that time. There was hardly a thing that Solomon didn’t do or think of! It was so unbelievable if you just read about it!

And yet still his greatest passion was to make that Temple a place where he would come as the king of a huge, incredible, rich and busy kingdom. He made time every morning and every evening to sacrifice before the Lord and to come into His presence.

Yes, we do have to sacrifice other things, but really, this word sacrifice, I’m not sure we use it in the right way.

Sometimes I hear mothers say, “Well, I sacrificed my career to come home to my children.”

Well praise the Lord they came home to their children, but I don’t really think it’s quite the right word. Maybe you have also done that, dear mother. But you really didn’t sacrifice your career to come home to your children because THIS IS YOUR GREATEST CAREER.

Now we are thinking of how do we fit into our family lives a gathering together of our family every morning and every evening? How can we possibly do that? Help! We are just too busy! We’ve got too many things we have to do.

No, you’ve got to put some of those things aside. It’s not sacrifice, because they’re not as important as the most important thing.

I have realized that the most important thing in our lives is to meet with our Maker, with our Savior, with our great God morning and evening. So in our home I arrange my whole life around these two times of the day. Everything else fits into them.

I don’t ever put them aside because they are the most important. If something else doesn’t get done, who cares? This is the most important.

Even back in the days when all our children were home, many years ago now, and our children were getting older and our sons were out at work, but still living at home, I still expected them as older children in their late teens and early twenties to be back home for the evening meal.

There we would enjoy fellowship together around the table. We would sit and talk and discuss and debate and really get into things together, heart to heart. It was really exciting! It was such a wonderful time. We would never leave the table until we opened the Word of God and prayed.

I would say to them, “You have got to be home unless there’s something specific on and there is a good excuse and you let me know. Otherwise you have to be home for this evening meal.”

It’s not, “Oh well we come if we want and if not, we just go where we like.”

No, it’s: “While you live in our home, this is the vision of our home, so you fit in with it. When you leave home and you begin your own family then you start what you want to do. But in our home, while you’re under our roof, you do the vision that God has given to us.”

This is what we are meant to do as parents. Dear precious mothers, there is something happening in our society today where parents are losing their authority.  They are losing their grip on their children. Their children are just doing what they want, going here and there. They seem to rule the house.

No, you are in charge, you have the authority, God has given it to you, and He holds you responsible. Every child under your roof is still responsible to you and to your vision and your plan of the day until they leave home.

Sometimes we’ve just got to pull things back in again.

We’re reading about this passion in 2 Chronicles chapter two. Go back when you have some time and you can read this chapter over yourself. We keep reading down 2 Chronicles chapter two. Let’s go down to verse 9: “Even to prepare me timber in abundance: for the house which I am about to build shall be wonderful great.”

Wow, he uses two amazing adjectives there: WONDERFUL and GREAT. In verse 5 he also uses the word great.

We have to lift our vision, dear precious ladies, to not just build: “Okay, we’re just building a family like everybody else down the street.”

Instead lift your vision: “No, we’re going to have a BIGGER vision! Our vision is great! It’s wonderful! We’re building a family that’s actually WONDERFUL and GREAT.”

Before I even get on to talking to you about what those words really mean, we better look at the word “build” because that comes first, doesn’t it?

“ . . .For the house, which I am about to build . . ..” That’s what we are talking about, isn’t it, building?

Proverbs 14:1 says: “Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.”

The word “build” in the Hebrew is banah. It has more than one meaning like so many Hebrew words.

It means, of course: “To build.” We understand that, of course, don’t we? With building it’s something that you have to keep at. Building a house doesn’t happen in a day. It’s little by little, day by day; we build and strengthen our marriage and our home, just another little thing every day.

It’s good to think, precious ladies, of just adding a little more to your building project every day; just add a little something more to make it bigger. When you’re building you don’t get less, you get bigger, don’t you?

I’m sure you don’t want to build a little shack; you want to build a BIG home for God just like Solomon wanted to build this big Temple! So we add a little bit each day.

For example: building your marriage. Today, think of some little thing you can add to your marriage. Can you think of something special you could say to your husband when he gets home from work? Can you think of some way you could encourage him or bless him or have some special little thing waiting in the bedroom for him when he comes into change after a hard day’s work?

Just think of some little thing! That’s adding! That’s building up your marriage!

For your children, think of something special to do for them each day. Think of some new encouraging word to say to them. Keep building.

Also contained in the word build is the word “repair.” Oh my, we know, that’s part of building, isn’t it? We know life’s not perfect. Oh goodness me, there’s always hurts and rifts coming in relationships. Maybe it’s amongst the children or maybe it’s between husband and wife. My, these things happen because we’re not perfect. We are fleshly people and so we have to keep repairing.

If there comes a rift, we never let the sun go down upon our wrath, our anger. We always put it right. We say, “Sorry.” Keep short accounts with one another. We keep repairing and repairing.

Even our physical homes, they need repairing. We have things falling down around our ears! My, we have to put up new spouting around the house! We have to do this, and we have to do that, because it kind of wears out and it’s no longer working.

You have to do the same. It’s the same in our relationships. We have to keep working on them and repairing them.

There’s another thing about banah, too. You won’t expect this one and I’ll just finish with this on this session. It also means: “To bring forth children.” Wow. You don’t expect that from building, do you?

But go to The Strong’s Concordance and you will find it right there and right before your eyes it says, “To bring forth children.”

There are a number of Scriptures that use that word.

For example, Ruth 4:11 speaks of Ruth and it says: “ . . . The Lord make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel . . ..”

Now, how did Rachel and Leah build the house of Israel?  Did they do it with hammer and nails? No, they did it by bringing forth children. They brought forth the twelve sons of Jacob and a daughter. There may have been more daughters, we don’t know. This is how they built up the house, by bringing forth children.

Every child you bring into your home builds up the family a little more and it adds so much to the family! I can’t even think of how people want to stop having children, stop at maybe two or three. My, that’s only a little building.

Of course we know that there are some who long for children and they just don’t come. That’s in God’s hands. God sees your heart. He sees your longing. He sees that it is good.

There are some mums who were only able to have two and yet the next generation God gives them many, many, many grandchildren.

It’s what is in our hearts.

It is also true, literally, that every child does build up that family more. They bring more blessing and more joy to the parents and more joy to the siblings.

Then of course, it’s building up the generations because each child we have is not just a child for us. It’s a child that one day will build another dynasty. We are building dynasties and generations for God.

When I started building our family it was just Colin and me. Then we had our first child. Then we had more and now we have many grandchildren and now we have great-grandchildren and the building is getting bigger and bigger.

But let me pray:

“Dear Father, We thank you for how You give us vision in Your Word. You don’t leave us just hanging and not knowing what to do.

“We pray that You will give us a vision like David had and like Solomon had to build a house for You, a family that is strong, a family that walks in truth in the midst of all the deception of this age. Lord God, help us to put into our homes that which is the most important. Help us to, Lord God, to see that the morning and the evening principle is Your plan. It’s the way we keep the fire going. It’s the way we keep the sweet incense burning in our homes. It’s a way we keep the anointing of the Holy Spirit continually burning in our homes.

“Please God, give us a consuming passion, just as David and Solomon had. We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.”

Transcribed by Morgan Roth. Thank you, Morgan.

 

FROM OUR HOME TO YOURS w/ Nancy Campbell

PODCAST NO. 93: PASSIONATE MOTHERING

Well it's lovely to be with you again today, ladies, and I have another visitor with me. Well, she's not really a visitor. She's a great friend. In fact Nadia Mutana has shared with you before, way back, we can’t even remember what number it was, can we Nadia? (laughter)

But anyway Nadia is here with me today. I'll get Nadia  to remind you all of her children. It’s always lovely to know about people's children, isn’t it? In Above Rubies, when I share articles of mothers, I always love to put the names and the ages of the children. I know you love reading them and finding out different names, that mothers call their children. So! Remind the ladies about your family, Nadia.

Nadia: Hello Ladies, so good to be with you here, today. So I am a mom of seven, my children range from 14 down to two. So Jeremiah is 14 1/2, they’re all, or lots of them in halves—Samuel is 11 ½. Wonder is nine, about to be ten, and Elizah, my next girl, she is seven. And I have a Jairus, Jay-irus  you would call it, five, and Cyrus who is three, and little Grace who just turned two.

Nancy: Yes, they are the most beautiful children and just a delight. We always love it when they come, and their children are such a blessing.

But the other day Nadia was sharing with me and pouring out her heart of how she doesn’t want to have a normal Christian family and longing for something so much more and my heart just ignited with her heart because, dear ladies, I wonder where you are today? Are you satisfied with just being normal like every other Christian family? Or do you want something more? Do you have a greater vision?

I know, although my children are grown, and yet I still have such a vision and such a longing and prayer for them. I mean, I was never satisfied as our children were growing up to see them as, you know, wonderful Christian people. That’s not enough for me. I want to see them totally filled with God’s Spirit and with such a passion to live for Him.

Of course, now we have grandchildren and now we’re having great-grandchildren, so my burden and passion is for them. I can't stand normality! Well, maybe you can, maybe you’re happy with normality. But I can’t be. How do you feel, Nadia? Well, I know you don't feel like that. Just tell me a little bit of your heart.

Nadia: Well I think normal is a little exaggerated but the last thing I want for me . . . like, I got into this following Jesus because I believe it's real. You know my background, I’m an Ex-Muslim so I didn’t leave that to just feel good. To just, you know what I mean, to just be okay. I know, praise God, that my name is written in the Lamb’s book of life! Praise God that I know where I’m headed.

But that's not the end of the story is it? Cause if it was, you and I, He would just take us to heaven. We’re here today for a purpose and I’m just determined to live that purpose. It’s not okay that we’re just a Christian family that just goes to church on Sunday. Yes, we don’t do bad things, we don’t say bad things. But is that really the end of what life is supposed to be? I want to live a life that is so significant in the eyes of God.

I mean, here on the earth we care about the heritage we have. Right? We care about leaving an inheritance and that is so important. But my heart cries! The greatest inheritance I want to leave my children with is their walk with God, is an intimacy with Him. I want them to know how to talk to Him, to hear His voice. I want them to know Him. And I want them to fulfill the purpose why they were designed for. Beyond everything else I want them to know. Those things are great, those things are awesome, but if I’m going to fail at anything, let me fail at that, but not at failing to reveal Jesus to them.

Nancy: I think something you said there, Nadia, that you want your children to know Him. Dear precious mothers, I think that should be our greatest passion, shouldn’t it? It’s not enough for them to just grow up in a Christian family, even grow up in a homeschooling family. But that they know Him, that they experience Him.

I mean, you were just telling me, Nadia how you were asked to speak at this Sunday school and you're speaking to children who go to church morning and evening on Sundays and midweek and sometimes a further meeting. And they don't even know anything about the Bible! Tell me!

Nadia: It broke my heart! I mean, I went, you know, because a local church called me, that is why I went. And I was sharing the Word with the children. I love to share the Word with my children and other children. I was illustrating and talking to them about basic Bible principles like the story of Moses and I'm asking them “Tell me any miracle that Jesus did.” You know, ‘cause I want to prove a point and nobody could tell me it. One boy was able to say, the storm, but nobody else, and this is a room, this was their ages the children were about up to twelve years of age. And they could not. And I’m thinking, it just broke my heart! And I know you, some of the women are just like, Wahh, I’m surprised. But you know what?

We think because children live under our roof and they go to church that the Word of God is just going to just rub off on them. It takes work! And none of the parents who bring their children to church three times a week would tell me that they are doing it because they don’t want their children to know God.

Nancy: They want them to know God.

Nadia: No! They want them to know God. And they would probably say that their children know God but it's so important that we make the Word of God so real. It is nobody else's responsibility to teach my children about the love of God. I'm the mother. We’re the parents. It is our responsibility to train them. The Bible tells us to tell them of His Word when they rise up, and when they lie down, when they go about. It's our responsibility. So when we fail at it, no wonder, we wonder they don't know the story.

I mean. When I first read that Scripture in Exodus that says, “There rose up a generation that did not know the Lord nor the things he’d done” (Judges 2;10). I remember, you can read about it. It's like what!?

How could the children, the very direct children of the Israelites who were just in the wilderness, not know about the parting of the sea, not know about the mana that was falling down, not know about all these great things God did. This is the next generation. What happened? There was a disconnect between the parent and the child.

Nancy: I think it's a HUGE thing passing on the baton, don't you? Like there is a saying that says, “One generation is one generation away from degeneration.” Which is sad and I think it is very true because I see degeneration. But oh, that we could have a testimony that one generation is one generation away from regeneration.

Nadia: Hallelujah, Yes.

Nancy: That our children are going to know God and even be more passionate about Him than we are. But I think you know we want our children to know Him. But it's not just . . .  yes, I am a great, great believer in taking our children to church—and faithfully, habitually, that it's part of our lives. I feel sad today, that there are many families who, yes, they go to church when it's fine.

Nadia: They just go to church when it's convenient.

Nancy: Yes, when it's convenient.

Nancy: But oh well, mostly, but you know, if something happens, or some friends turn up . . . “It’s such a beautiful day today, why don't we just go out for a picnic? But it’s not the thing, okay. We do this! Now I am a great believer in that. I am a passionate believer in that but that's not all of it. It’s  got to start in the home. It's the home, and it starts with us.

Our children have to see our walk with God. and that we are passionate for God, and that we love His Word, and that we love to pray. Does that sound boring? Oh, help no. and if we don't love those things, what are they going to see in us? They are going to see, oh life’s just about everything else.

Is life just about everything else? And that is the sad thing, because I do see that in many Christian homes today. And beautiful people, oh goodness me, the most wonderful Christian people, but really, their lives are about everything that's happening around them. Because life can take over you, can’t it? It can just take over with so much there is to do, and we can get into just the way of everybody else.

We have to take our children to this and to that and we’re so busy. We’re going here, we’re going there, we’re taking them here, we’re taking them there. It's just this great big rat race. And how much time do we have for God?

We were just reading in our family devotions this morning and we read that wonderful Scripture in Malachi 3:16 and I think you’ll all know it: “Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another.” Oh do you notice that word “OFTEN one to another”?

Now we often think of this Scripture of being about fellowshipping with other Christians and that is true, but everything starts in the home. Even this starts in the home. How often do we talk with one another about Jesus? How often do we meet together as a family to read His Word, talk about it together, pray together, how often? Well, let me tell you, darling ladies, did you know that God is writing everything down in His book?

Oh my, God has so many books. When you read through the Word of God, it is amazing how much it talks about God writing books and then God inspiring other people to write books. Well, the whole Bible is books that God inspired to write to get His message to us.

But He is also writing books. He writes a book about every person's life and every detail, even this. Every time we talk with one another; every time we think about Him, He's writing it down and Heaven must be filled with libraries and libraries of books.

I was actually doing a study on this and, oh I’ve got to start again, because I lost all my notes. But you wouldn't believe how many Scriptures I found. But anyway here we are:

“They that feared the Lord spake often one to another; and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him.”

God has scribes in Heaven. Some of the angels must be scribes who are writing everything down. And it was written down in His presence this “book of remembrance” that God’s got remembering everything and it “was written before him (in His presence) for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.”

Now, how are we going to get our children to have a passion for God, if, help, when do we talk with Him about it? When do we get together with them to pray and talk about His Word?

Nadia: I think, you know, most of the women who listen to Above Rubies might say, “Oh we already do that. We already do devotions. I think I want to challenge us to go from just devotions to throughout all your day. It's not just the once. Right? ‘Cause I could have ten, fifteen, twenty, minutes of that, but what’s the rest of the evening? Is it three or four hours of TV? Is it whatever?

It's learning to carry Jesus in everything we do When the child falls down and has their owie or whatever it is. When there's a need . . . but they are to see it as a lifestyle. Like you say, it's not just something we do, we just did a morning devotion, but it's who we are.

Nancy: Yes, and I think there is always this balance in everything, so we have BOTH. If we don't make stipulated times, somehow nothing happens, but we make stipulated times and then we carry that out as you say, so that it is a lifestyle throughout the day.

Because it is true, there are certain things you have to do and get on with and life is duty, and life is work, and life is, you know, getting things done. And you have to do that. But we bring, you know, Jesus into everything. Your little one falls, well pray! Have a little problem, pray! You know prayer is the answer to everything. So it becomes a lifestyle.

That kind of brings me to this balance too, how you need the Spirit and the Word. Sometimes there are children that grow up in homes where they have their family Bible reading, or whatever you call it in your home, and there's no life in it, unfortunately. You see, we have to have the Spirit and the Word.

I love that old saying, which I learned as a child:

“If you have all Word, you’ll dry up.

If you have all Spirit, you’ll blow up.

But if you have the Word and the Spirit,

You’ll grow up.”

Nadia: Yes, you’ll grow up. Praise the Lord.

Nancy: I'm thinking of Isaiah 59:21. Let me go to it here. Wonderful Scripture, it’s a mandate for parents. I have most probably quoted it to you before, but we could say it every session, it's so powerful.

“As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit, which is upon you and my words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, nor out of the mouth of your children, nor out of the mouth of your children's children, saith the LORD, from henceforth and forever!”

What a mandate God has . It’s not just for us now. It's not just for our children, but for our grandchildren, our great grandchildren, and every generation following.

And precious mothers today, you are not mothering just for your children now. No, you are mothering generationally. Your mothering now will impact generations to come. The impact and power and influence of a mother is so great because what we put into our children will go into their children and what they put into their children will go into the next generation.

But remember what it is, it’s the Word and the Spirit. So when we come and we make these special times to bring our families together, they should be times to . . . “Oh this is going to be so exciting. Come on, children we are going to hear what God is going to say to us today.” Wow! What could be more powerful than that?

Nadia: That's right, I believe so.

Nancy: This is God speaking to us. We have to give our children such an understanding of His word that this is not some boring thing, this is God speaking! Wow and we want to get them. “Okay children, I want you to open your eyes. I want you to open your ears. I want you to listen with your outer ears and I want you to listen with your inner ears and I want you to listen to what God’s going to say to you.”

Nadia: That's right, what He is going to say to you. Not some religious “we’re just sitting there and doing it.” But what we actually get out of this time. What did each person have to take from it?

That life, that word is for each one including my three-year-old, my five-year-old. But what did you get out of the family devotion? How does it apply in you when you go out to play? The same word I take away as a mom and he takes away as a father but it's from the same Word. We all have to walk out with our understanding, because then the enemy steals it, we just wasted our time. That's the normal part. I don’t want to be normal. We did it but what did it bear?

Nancy: Exactly, I think it's a lovely thing. You don't have to do this every time but every now and then just say, you're getting your children, like “Okay, we’re going to listen.” Don't read too much, just you know, a short passage.

We love “The Daily Light On the Daily Path” but then you can say, “What did God say to you?” Isn't it amazing what children will say? Whoo! They get revelation, they hear from God. Often they hear clearer than we do. So let’s give them the opportunity.

Nadia: Because they're going to need it, right. If they don't learn to hear His voice, how about when they’re grown up and making decisions?

Nancy: Well, this is how most adults are today. They go to church on Sunday. They open their mouth and they let the pastor just spoon feed in the little bit of the Word. “Thank you, I've got my meal for the week” and back they go home. They don’t even know how to get it from God for themselves.

Either we are going to be raising children who will have to be spoon fed all their lives. Someone has to preach the Word to give them some bit of revelation, or they get it themselves!

Nadia: But where we are going, the world where it is going, that's not going to work. It might have worked, you might have gotten away with it up to now but look at the changes that are coming. The things our children are going under. Spoon feeding is not going to work.

Nancy: No, it’s not. We’ve got to teach children how, when they read the bible they’re not just “Oh well, I read the Bible.” No I'm looking, I'm listening, for God to speak to me. Oh wow, we do it ourselves and we teach our children. Oh, it's so powerful and then they learn to hear from God themselves. I am so blessed with my own children. Now of course they are grown raising their own children. But I love it when I meet them. They are always getting a revelation. Have you ever met Evangeline in your life without getting a revelation?

Nadia: No! Every single time. I love it. I love it.

Nancy: Or Serene, I mean she gets up to share in church every Sunday with some little something God has shown her. She's not getting up to preach a message but some little something God has shown her. Pearl is the same. They’re always getting revelation.

Nadia: Because God is a speaking God.

Nancy: Yes, He's a speaking God but it's learning to listen isn't it. It is exciting. It's so exciting. Yes, so that's why in the tabernacle there was the table of showbread with the twelve loaves of bread which speak of feeding from Christ feeding from His Word. But just over opposite, was the candelabra, the seven branched candlestick which was light. It was lit each day, twice a day, with the oil which speaks of the Holy Spirit and that was shining down upon the bread, to illuminate, to give light. We can't have light, we can't even have understanding, without the Holy Spirit.

Another Scripture that we read this morning. Yes I am remembering our Word that we had this morning (laughter) and it was the one about the disciples on the way to Emmaus and it says that they were walking along and they were reasoning and there was another word that they were doing (Luke 24:15 the word is “communed”).

Then Jesus came near and began to talk to them and began to OPEN up the Scriptures to them. That's what we need, Jesus to come near and open up the Scriptures and I think that's a beautiful thing to pray when you come to reading Scriptures with your children.

“Lord Jesus, please come near, come near, and open it up to us. We don't understand. We have so much to learn but we’re listening. Come.”

He loves to come to the listening hearts and even those who are talking about it, reasoning, and wondering and trying to figure it all out. I love to do that with people. I love, “Oh I am wondering about this Scripture, what it means, what do you think about it? The sad thing is, there's not many people you can do that with. Most of them look at you with a blank stare. They don't even get into the Scriptures so they’re not even thinking about it. Goodness me!

Nadia: That's why we’re saying, no more of that! (laughing)

Nancy: But it's the Spirit and the Word and of course prayer. We always pray in our times. We get together morning and evening for our family devotions. What do you call it in your house?

Nadia: I think we call it family devotions.

Nancy: You call it what? I love all the different names that people call it.

Nadia: We call it family devotions when we actually get together. Now for me at my house, that’s why I say I wasn't ok with the normal. We started off, like you say, you have to have some structure where you begin and then you build up. We do have a family time when we all come corporately, and I think that's important. But Scripture, it's about each individual then corporately, and I don't want my children to grow up and say “Oh.”. So not only do I train them for the corporate family, but they wake up early and have each one their own time for the Lord.

Nancy: I say to people in our home when they come out . . .

Nadia: No, but down to my five-year-old, six-year-old, go. It's amazing how God wants to meet with them, if you save time. When my husband is done at the end of the day with work and we’re at the table at dinner eating we all ask, He will ask because he wasn’t here, “Hey, what did God say to you? What did you get from your morning devotion?”

Alone, their alone time they read and heard from God. I said “Document it, write it, the ones who can read it. I say try to draw it.” It’s amazing the things that are showing up at the table and I'm thinking “Oh I never looked at that Scripture that way.”

Nancy: Yes, oh yes that is so wonderful.

Nadia: They might be seven but if God is willing to open that Scripture to them and oh, I am saying there's more to this. We want more.

Nancy: I think that is so great and I think that's perhaps one of the greatest things that you can ask your children when you’re at the table, “What has God been saying to you today?”

 Often when people come out for breakfast here, often I'll say, “Okay what did you get from the Word today? In fact, I had one of my grandchildren pop in this morning quite early. I thought, “Oh wow, I wonder if she's had time in the Word this morning. I said, “Oh have you been in the Word this morning?

“Oh I haven't had time yet.”

Nancy: So often I will say to them. “Okay, this old Chinese saint said ‘No Bible, no breakfast.’” So he would never ever eat his breakfast until he had eaten his Bible, until he’d eaten his Word to get his soul and spirit fed. I mean, that is so true.

Once again, the balance, I always believe yes, we train. I was trained right there from a child. Back in those days, it was preached from the pulpit. You had your quiet time (well, it doesn't mean it has to be quiet), but you had your time where you got away with God. It's been a habit of my life so I am usually up early to be in the Word every morning before we have our own family devotions after breakfast.

But I do feel the family thing is so important too because the husband has that responsibility as the father to not only wash his wife with the Word but to wash his family and to give them the Word and to break down that Word.

Yes, I think that's where so many miss out is that individual time.

Nadia: Because if you never train them, you just think, okay, they’re just going to become grownup and one day they will learn to have their own individual time. No, it's training.

Nancy: Yes it’s training, absolutely, yes. Oh yes, I think of 2 Chronicles Chapter two. It's Solomon speaking about his passion to build a house for God. In fact before he had this passion his father had it, David had it, David had this passion. It was his life. Everything in him was to build a house for the living God.

But God said, “No David you’re not going to be the one. You’ve been a man of war. You’ve shed much blood. I want my house built in the anointing of peace. This son of yours, he will do it.  He's going to have peace upon his life.”

And so then Solomon gets that same vision”

2 Chronicles 2:1: “And Solomon determined to build a house for the name of the Lord and a house for his Kingdom.”

believe that speaks to us as building our home for the Lord. It's a home for His kingdom isn't it.

Then he goes on in v. 4 to: “Behold I build an house to the name of the Lord My God, to dedicate it to him.” Then he goes on to say these things. Many people would wonder what on earth he's talking about . . . “and to burn before him sweet incense, and for the continual shewbread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening.” And so he's talking about these things.

Then v. 5: “And the house which I build is great for great is our God above all gods. But who is able to build him this house seeing the heaven of heavens cannot contain him? Who am I then, that I should build him a house, (except for this reason) except to burn sacrifices before him?

Now what did that entail? He was talking about the morning and evening sacrifices which all pointed to Christ. He talked about the sweet incense which God told the priests they had to burn every morning and every evening. And the sweet incense, as you know, speaks of prayer intercession, praise, worship.

We go over to Revelation and we see the passages in Revelation 5:8 where John saw the sweet incense coming up before the throne, and it goes on to say and “these are the prayers of the saints.”

Then he goes on to talk about the continual shew bread and feeding from Christ continually and so on and so this is why he wanted a house.

Now, why do we want a house? Why do we want a house, and what’s our purpose for our home? To just have the best house in the neighborhood? To perhaps, you know, add on and make our house a bit bigger, get some better furniture, just fix this decor. Hey, What is our passion for our house?

Is it like Solomon’s passion, which was David’s passion? Ii want to build a house and the only reason I want to build it is so that I can meet with God. Every one of these things that he’s talking about, they were literal, but they all spoke of meeting with God, listening to Him speak to us through His Word, calling out to him, getting to know him, and every one was something that they did morning and evening.

That's why Solomon wanted to build this house and although it became the most glorious house, the most glorious house that you can ever imagine, it was just filled and made with pure gold. Do you know that even the . . .  (Colin was speaking about this on Sunday). He was giving the description of how they built this temple and all the gold. In fact in the holy of holies, the Living Bible brings out, because we don't quite understand all the measurements in the King James Version. The Living Bible says that in the Holy of Holies which was covered with gold—the walls, the floor, the ceiling, the Cherubims, the ark of the covenant, there were 23 tons of gold. Even the nails were made of pure gold.

It’s amazing, in v. 9 Solomon says, “I am going to prepare this house which will be wonderful and great.” Yes, and that is why it has to be wonderful. And that's what we should be thinking about when we’re building our house for God.

I’ve got another incredible word. I think it's in 1 Chronicles 22:5.

What did Solomon say? He said this house is going to be WONDERFUL and it's going to be GREAT.

Okay, so the adjectives that David gave were amazing too. Can I just tell you them?

1 Chronicles 22:5: “The house that we are going to build for God is going to be EXCEEDING MAGNIFICENT”. Isn’t that amazing? “For FAME AND FOR GLORY.”

That speaks to me about what you were sharing with me. I don’t want to be ordinary. I don’t want to build an ordinary house. I want to build a house for God that's exceeding magnificent. Now we’re not talking about decor and just glorious, the flashiest house in town. What do we want to be glorious? What do we want to be magnificent?

What do you want to be magnificent and glorious in your home?

Nadia: Beautiful, having it all made of gold would sound good. It sure sounds good to everybody. That’s great. But again, that is awesome, I’ll take that any time. But that is the . . .

Nancy: I’m speaking spiritually.

Nadia: But those things are only temporal, that's the end result, and one day you and I will leave. We won't be on this earth but what are we going to leave.

Nancy: This is what we are talking about. What do you really want to make magnificent in your house? What do you really want to make glorious?

Nadia: That’s exactly what I’m talking about. The presence of God has become so real to me. You see, I made a deal with God a few years ago. I don’t think I’ve told you that. I had just had my sixth baby. He's about three and a half (now). Literally like six weeks ago I had given birth, ten lbs. The Lord, You know we are missionaries. I felt the Lord lay on my heart, “Nadia, would you give everything you have away to go continue on the mission field/” I had just given birth. We had been in the missions for then still seven years. Maybe whenever we had a place I would set everything up and it looked like home because I could keep everything that I cherish. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

But to me the Lord began to deal with me. He said, “Would you still go? Would you give it all away and still go?” And I’m thinking, “No Lord, this is the table where my firstborn baby, cut his teeth at. You have memories, you have things that are important to you. But God began to deal with me and it was hard.

I remember I was at church service and I was worshipping and I had been wrestling with God about this. I'm not saying that everybody has to go there but that is where I was. The Lord said to me, “Nadia, would you let my presence be your home? Oh, would you let my presence be your home?” Because I would tell God, “This is what makes my home.” You know what I mean, that's what we called home I would put it up after being in so many places. “Would you let my presence be your home? Would you let my presence be the inheritance of your children?”

I said, “God, before you speak twice, I take that deal.” I turned to my husband and I said, “Give it all away!

He thought I was crazy. He thought it was after giving birth, and you know, after all the hormones. He thought I was crazy, and he went on a three day fast to find out if God was saying that to me. But anyway past that, since then, it's become my passion.

There’s nothing wrong with having this stuff. But what I really want to pass on is His presence because we were created to be in His presence. We were created for that intimacy with Him. I could give them all the earthly things, and it's important that we do. Give them the best we can. But if I miss out on giving them the presence of Jesus I’ve failed as a mother. If I'm going to forget, let me forget to give them lunch, but let me not forget to give them the Word of God. You and I, we don't forget to feed them naturally So let me not forget the spiritual man ‘cause this is the one that I have been entrusted with that will last forever.

Nancy: I think perhaps that is the most glorious thing to give our children is knowing the presence of God in our home and them seeing it in our lives.

Nadia: And you should see my little Grace. Without even knowing it, when you become (God is so good), I get in the Spirit, God is so good. My little Grace, she’s two, and she has health issues that God is working on and she can’t even completely speak perfectly. But you will see her. I got out of my room in the morning. My children I have always had this habit since my first one after their breakfast the little ones I put them before a screen (with worship music) I tell them it's your worship time and that will give me time in the Word. It's a habit I’ve had for 15 years. I just turned around. I came out of my room and she was already sitting her hands were up and she was singing “He is the Life, He is the way.” Her hands were lifted, nobody was in the room, nothing. It was her alone (with God). She's two years old.

Nancy: That's’ amazing.

Nadia: I said to God this is what I gave up for the presence of God, for her to know You and he can if we create that atmosphere.

Nancy: Wow, that is so incredible. Do you want to update the ladies about Gracie?

Most people probably, most people don’t even know, but little Gracie was born a little special baby, wasn’t she? Do you want to tell them?

Nadia: Well, she was born with quite a list of health issues. It wasn’t definitely an easy journey The doctors called it incurable and she didn’t have a good report, let's just put it that way. But you know what, praise God. God never makes a mistake with each one He gives us. So we took our baby Grace home when she was discharged, and we've been believing God and some of the ladies have prayed.

Every day we stand on his Word. Because I have come to believe that it does not matter what circumstances I’m going through, the Word of God is forever settled in heaven, it's true. Therefore If I'm experiencing something different from what I’m reading in the Bible; it's not the Bible that needs to change, it's my circumstances that need to change. So we continue to stand on the Word of God that says that she is healed. To this day Grace who couldn't see, she sees. God miraculously healed her and gave her vision.

Nancy: Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, that’s amazing

Nadia: And her eyesight has continued to be perfect. Better.

Nancy: That’s amazing.

Nadia: Oh yeah, when we brought her home, she could not move her neck, it was stuck in one area. She looks everywhere, you know. Those hands, I was telling you she was lifting up praising, she could not lift up. She could not even pick up, by almost a year, she couldn’t even pick up her little cheerios to eat. Now she plays with toys. She lifts up her hands to worship God.

Nancy: Praise the Lord.

Nadia: I mean there are many lists. She would go twelve days as a newborn without having a bowel movement. Now she has one every day. She's so funny cause she knows. When I take off her diaper and she’s had a bowel movement she goes “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” ‘Cause we praise God for every bowel movement! We shout! And she just loves that.

Nancy: So wonderful, yes.

Nadia: Is the process done? No. But I believe that He who has begun a good work will bring it to completion.

Nancy: Yes, amen, praise the Lord.

Nadia: So we continue to stand on the Word of God for that.

Nancy: Oh, well time has run out on us again. Let’s pray shall we:

“)h Father, We just thank you, Lord. As my sister was talking to me yesterday, she was saying, ‘Nancy, I've just got a new name for God, He is our Beckoning God and how true, Lord God, You beckon us. You beckon us closer. You beckon us into Your presence and we thank You and Lord we confess before You today the thing that we long for most is to know You and to know Your presence in our lives and in our homes and in each one of our children's lives.

We pray Lord God, I pray for each precious mother listening, that Lord You will give her this passion in her heart. I pray that You will show her, Lord what things that are just going on in their lives that really don’t matter. That they could put aside for better things, Lord, so many things we do, well everything we do is good because we only want to do good things but, Lord, there's so much that's even better than the good. We pray that You will help us to enter into what is the best. And Lord God, that we will rather just do everything in our power to bring Your presence into our homes than to be involved in all the things that we think are so important.

Lord God, we just pray, we pray for a great moving of your Spirit in our own lives and in the lives of every family listening, that, Lord You will, Oh God, that we will no longer be normal, ordinary, boring, families that are hardly any different from the world except that we go to church on Sunday but our lives, oh God, will be different every moment of the day, filled with Your presence. We ask it in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Nadia: Amen. Thank you, Lord

Transcribed by Daisy Erwin.

 

FROM OUR HOME TO YOURS w/ Nancy Campbell

PODCAST 92: THE CHALLENGE OF HAVING A BABY OUT OF WEDLOCK

Rocky Barrett: Welcome to the podcast, From Our Home to Yours, with Nancy Campbell, founder and publisher of Above Rubies.

Nancy Campbell: Hello ladies! Well, we have another exciting episode for you today. I’m going to introduce to you a lovely friend of mine. Her name is Jennie Ruppel.

Jennie has recently come to live nearby here. In fact, you’re really part of the community now, aren’t you? We live here on the hilltop. You’re kind of just on the side of the hilltop, aren’t you?

Jennie Ruppel: Yes, yes!

NC: It’s so exciting! They’re living here now, and they’ve actually started building on another side of the hilltop. That’s so wonderful!

Jennie and her husband, Will, have eleven children, five who are biological and six who are adopted from Ethiopia. Will, her husband, was in the navy for so many years, ten years doing hospital administration and then ten years working on nuclear reactors on the submarines.

Now they’ve come to Tennessee and Will is the senior manager at Trim Healthy Mama. They’re really part of us all here in Trim Healthy Mama and in the church family.

And in just “family” because now their eldest son, Trae is courting Sam and Serene’s daughter, Chalice. So we’re really getting to be family, aren’t we?

JR: Yes, it’s so exciting!

NC: It is amazing. I was just counting up the other day and counted six courting couples in our family. Can you believe that?

JR: Amazing!

NC: It is so exciting! Anyway, you have lived quite a bit around the whole of the nation, haven’t you?

JR: Yes, yes, we have. It happens with the navy.

NC: Yes, but now I think you’ll be settled, won’t you?

JR: That is what we are hoping and praying. We’ll see what God does.

NC: Well recently, Will and Jennie and their little children went up to Washington D.C. to be part of the March for Life. When they came back and shared about it, it was just so thrilling to hear about it  that I said to Jennie, “You have got to come and share this with all the ladies.”

So tell us about it! Tell us about how you even got to go.

JR: It actually was in a church service here on the hilltop. One of the young men was speaking about us being proactive in the community and reaching people with the Gospel and he said something about the March for Life in January.

Will looked at me and I looked at him and we both just immediately knew that God was asking us to go and be a part of this.

It took a couple of weeks of figuring the logistics with children and what not, but we were able to go with three of our youngest children and spend four or five days.

NC: You actually had a vision to take a busload full, didn’t you?

JR: We did, yes, yes.

NC: But unfortunately it was the time where Serene and Sam and others were in Israel and other family members were everywhere.

But we really would have loved to do that.

JR: Yes, I think it would be very exciting. That was one thing that we saw was that there were thousands and thousands of teenagers and young adults. High schools and colleges were represented.

We would love to come with a group from the hilltop and Above Rubies and just be there and experience that with them.

NC: Wouldn’t it be wonderful if just families everywhere could gather a few families and all the children could get a bus and go for next year? The more people who can be there the more powerful it is.

Tell us just what it was like!

JR: It absolutely surpassed all of our expectations. We really did not know what to expect. We did not know what God had in store for us. As usual, God, of course was far above our thinking and what we were hoping for.

It was just so powerful and life changing to be gathered with thousands and thousands to stand for life.

Of course two days before, the President announces unexpectedly that he’s going to come and speak. That, of course, was another added blessing to be there and hear him speak in person.

It was also a blessing to see so many young people in this generation that are Pro-life, are Pro-family, and watch them speak out in love with courage and boldness.

It was very encouraging to us, as parents, and also very challenging that this needs to be a fight that we’re a part of every day in one form or fashion.

NC: How did you get along with your little children, taking them? Did that work out well?

JR: It did, it did. We actually decided to fly so we flew with our 14 -year-old daughter, Grace, and with our two-year-old son, Cade, and our one-year-old daughter, Hadley.

It was their first time to fly. They absolutely enjoyed the experience and did very, very well.

It was very interesting being in Washington D.C. because, of course, we’re used to being surrounded by children and young people and there seemed to be a void of little people in the city. We oftentimes got smiles and long looks as we walked through D.C. with babies in toe. But it went very, very well to have our children.

I would encourage parents to bring even your smaller children and allow them to experience that in that atmosphere.

NC: Yes, so it was not too difficult to take little ones?

JR: No, no it was fun! It was fun!

NC: I think that’s so great because that’s what it’s all about.

JR: Yes, that’s what we’re there for.

NC: The more children that can be there, that’s more the family thing.

JR: Absolutely. So many of the young people were drawn to our family to talk with the babies and interact with them and experience what it was like to be there with them and that’s so important for that to be there.

NC: What was it like when President Trump spoke? I mean, I heard it; it was unbelievable! What was it like when you were there?

JR: It was so profoundly powerful. We did not know, again, what to expect. We had no idea what he would say but he just unabashedly stood for life, stood for the fact that ALL life is created in the image of God. He spoke about the sanctity of life and the sanctity of family. He spoke about family.

The excitement and the joy that was there was almost palpable. To see the most powerful person in the world, really, stand up for life was such a huge encouragement and blessing.

NC: Isn’t it amazing? This was, I believe, the 47th March for Life and this was the first President that has ever spoken at one. It’s amazing, isn’t it, how this president is standing for life, for righteousness, for the evangelical church, for Israel, for everything that is righteous. I mean we never expected that when he first appeared on the scene as, you know, a real worldly and fleshly man.

But God is doing something. It is God. I think, we as God’s people, have to acknowledge this and keep praying. I know it is the prayers of God’s people and we must keep praying.

Because we couldn’t get to the March for Life, we were all gathered as a family one evening and so we put it up on our big screen. Downstairs we have a big screen and so we put him up there. We could see him, and we listened. It was so powerful. We were all standing up and clapping even if we were only in our own home!

But I thought I would print off some snippets of his speech because maybe you didn’t hear it, or you missed out. I believe we need to hear what he said. I mean, I couldn’t have said it better myself.

NC: To come from the man who is leading our nation, this is unprecedented, and it is so powerful.

Let me read a few little bits from it. He begins:

“It is my profound honor to be the first president in history to attend the March for Life. We are here for a very simple reason: to defend the right of every child, born and unborn, to fulfill their God-given potential.

“. . . All of us here understand an eternal truth: Every child is a precious and sacred gift from God. Together, we must protect, cherish, and defend the dignity and the sanctity of every human life.

“When we see the image of a baby in the womb, we glimpse the majesty of God's creation. When we hold a newborn in our arms, we know the endless love that each child brings to a family. When we watch a child grow, we see the splendor that radiates from each human soul. One life changes the world . . . As the Bible tells us, each person is wonderfully made.

“. . . Sadly, the far left is working to erase our God-given rights, shut down faith-based charities, ban religious leaders from the public square, and silence Americans who believe in the sanctity of life. They are coming after me because I am fighting for you and we are fighting for those who have no voice. . . . Together, we are the voice for the voiceless.

“Nearly every top Democrat in congress now supports taxpayer-funded abortion all the way up until the moment of birth. Last year, lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother's womb right up until delivery. . . .  The governor stated that he would execute a baby after birth. Senate Democrats even blocked legislation that would give medical care to babies who survive attempted abortions.

“. . . To all the moms here today, we celebrate you and we declare that mothers are heroes. Your strength, devotion, and drive are what powers our nation. Because of you, our country has been blessed with amazing souls who have changed the course of human history.

“We cannot know what our citizens yet unborn will achieve. The dreams they will imagine. The masterpieces they will create. The discoveries they will make. But we know this: every life brings love into this world. Every child brings joy to a family. Every person is worth protecting.

“And above all, we know that every human soul is divine and every human life, born and unborn, is made in the holy image of Almighty God. Together, we will defend this truth all across our magnificent land. We will set free the dreams of our people. And with determined hope, we look forward to all of the blessings that will come from the beauty, talent, purpose, nobility, and grace of every American child.”

Well, that was just a few snippets from his speech.

All I can say is Amen. I hope you are saying Amen also! It is certainly powerful.

JR: Yes, yes, it was beautiful. It was powerful. It was hard to express the emotion and people’s response back to him as we all just confirmed in unity, all of God’s people, all different denominations represented there.

He was speaking to us all as Americans but there at the rally, everyone just, in such unity, responded with an absolute AMEN.

NC: Praise the Lord!

I think it was especially meaningful to you, too, Jennie, because you have experienced personally what many, many young people experience when they face the fact that they have life in their womb but it’s out of wedlock, it’s not convenient and they don’t know what they can do.

Tell us your story.

JR: Yes, the Pro-life movement is very personal to me. I was 18 years old, just shortly out of high school and I became pregnant unexpectedly and unplanned, even though no baby is unplanned. God has planned every baby and every baby is wanted and of course God desperately wants every baby.

But I became pregnant at 18. My introduction to motherhood was sitting in a family practice office. The doctor walked in and said, “Well, I guess I must say congratulations to you because you’re pregnant.”

Without missing a beat, the next words out of his mouth were, “But if this is not what you had planned, we can take care of that for you.”

Just as quickly as he introduced me to motherhood, he also then introduced me to the idea of taking my child’s life.

NC: Absolute opposites!

JR: Yes, yes, and it was overwhelming and terrifying, and it was only by the grace of God and His mercy to my, at that point, unborn daughter (we now have a beautiful 22-year-old daughter) and myself. It was only by the grace of God that God took me out of that doctor’s office. I never really considered abortion but that was his response to that child in my womb.

NC: That seems to be the response that most young people get today

JR: Yes, absolutely. Going into a Pro-life rally there were many women there who held signs and wore T-shirts that said, “I regret my abortion.”

They were speaking up and saying that all the lies, all the deception that is spoken to young moms and fathers, is absolutely from the enemy. There is so much sadness, loss, and depression that follow abortions.

Many say that they are Pro-choice but in reality, what they say to you is that you have no choice. You can’t carry this baby. You will not be a good mother. You are not ready or equipped. You have no choice but to end or terminate this pregnancy.

We were saying, Pro-life is Pro-women and IS Pro-choice. You have choices: you can care for this child. God will give you the strength.

There is adoption. There are many loving parents who would love to adopt.

NC: Oh there are so many that are desperate!

JR: Yes, they are desperate for a child or a baby.

NC: I am thinking of our dear friend, Erin, who wants to adopt a child. She waited and waited, and she just said, “It’s impossible! I’m on this huge list and when will I ever get a baby?”

Now she is looking after a very special needs child who needs 24-hour care. Her first longing was to have a little baby, but she can’t get one. So many are being terminated.

JR: Which of course is rarely spoken to a young scared mom or dad. There are literally thousands and thousands of parents who would love to bring your child into their home and care for them.

So that was my introduction to motherhood: an offered abortion.

So when I stand beside other women who have made that choice and terminated pregnancies and then to see God healing and redeeming them and standing and saying, “This is not the option. They will tell you that is.”

It was just amazing. It was healing for me to go.

I feel like God is taking me back to that place and healing old wounds, because of course that doctor placed so many doubts and fears in my mind and heart as to whether or not I could mother her and be a good mother.

NC: You chose to keep her and what helped you to make that decision?

JR: Yes, we did. Absolutely God. I was Pro-life. Even sitting in that doctor’s office, I was Pro-life. My family stood with me and stood with my daughter.

I cannot say that the church I was attending stood with me, which was something that God has been speaking to me and impressing upon my heart.

It is actually something I want to talk about this morning to mothers and grandmothers and aunts, to say that the way that we respond to a mistake or a failure in our daughter’s or son’s life has a very profound impact on the decisions that they make.

There were several different speakers at the rally, in particularly at the youth rally, who discussed how many Christian young women are aborting their babies. Not because they want to or not because they believe abortion is the right answer but because they are terrified to go to Christian parents, to Christian pastors, or leadership and face what they are most likely going to receive which could be condemnation, judgment, and shame.

I just really wanted to discuss the idea of love and mercy that God has extended to us and do we extend it to our daughters and our sons when they have fallen?

When they are young people who you often hear, “They should have known better”? And yes, they should have known better, but we live in a fallen world and we sin and make mistakes.

Do we then extend mercy and grace to them in the same way that we would extend to an unbeliever coming to us? Or do we face the situation with judgment, frustration, and condemnation?

At this youth rally, the speaker was just discussing that there are many, many, many babies aborted by Christian young women. They even know pastors who have taken their daughters for abortions because they are scared to face their congregations.

NC: So their fear of man is bigger than their fear of God, and I think, too, their understanding of life.

In Deuteronomy 30 it talks about, “I set before you life and death.”

Every time this happens you have the choice: life or death. But it goes on to say, “But choose life.” We have to always choose life.

Now I have noticed this happens not only with a young person facing a pregnancy unplanned but I have so many mothers coming to me and they tell me they’re expecting their third, fourth, or maybe it’s even getting up to fifth or sixth baby.

They say, “I cannot tell my parents because they’re either going to tell us we’re crazy or get mad, or just want to have nothing to do with us.”

Can you believe this? And this, once again, is amongst Christian families— so called Christian families who, when someone shares that they are going to have another baby, THAT’S LIFE! That’s life, and they have a negative reaction. That is absolutely opposite to the Bible. It’s absolutely opposite to God’s heart because God is a God of life. When there is conception it is life from God no matter what.

I think of even examples in the Bible. I think of that man, he was a judge of Israel, Jephthah. He was ousted from his family. He was born to his father but maybe by a prostitute or someone else. All the other sons growing up in the family didn’t want him. He wasn’t worthy to be part of the family. They just told him to get out and live somewhere else.

He was cast out of the family because, well, the word in the Bible isn’t a very nice word, it is “bastard” and that’s how they looked upon it then.

Anyway, it’s interesting how the time came when Israel was in a dreadful place and enemies were after them and they needed someone. They needed a leader and someone who really could lead them in battle and bring victory to them and that anointing was upon Jephthah.

It wasn’t upon all the sons growing up in the family. It was on the outcast and so they brought him back. He had to say, “Okay, if you’re going to get me to do that will you really receive me?” and of course he led the Israelites in battle.

It’s interesting, isn’t it? God’s hand was on the outcast one. God’s hand is on every child, no matter what the situation is or the circumstances of how they were conceived.

As you were a young unwed mother and you were facing this pregnancy, what helped you to get through it?

JR: Really my family, and then just knowing, like you said, that God loves all life, that He will sustain us, that He will meet every need and just walking through that with Him.

NC: Yes, I think as you said, family. Even though we know that what wasn’t the right thing to happen, but there is life here!

JR: Yes, and it’s joy.

NC: We always choose life. We don’t have to wonder what to do. God told us what to do. WE CHOOSE LIFE!

JR: Right.

NC: So that’s the answer in any of these situations that we didn’t plan on, or our children didn’t plan them, but we always choose life.

JR: There is always such tremendous blessing to that choice. Whenever we choose life, whenever we stand with life there are things that come to us from God above that we never could have dreamed of, and of course our daughter is a perfect example of that.

NC: Yes, how could you even think of life without her?

JR: Absolutely, absolutely. Whenever we stand with life and choose life there’s so much blessing.

NC: Oh absolutely. Maybe we should read that Scripture in Deuteronomy. Of course there are so many Scriptures in the Word, but I do love this Scripture in Deuteronomy chapter 30.

It says here in verse 15: “See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.”

We see that if we are walking in God’s commandments, we WILL choose life. God will bless us. It’s interesting how He says that you will live and multiply. Life is always to do with multiplication. God is not in the diminishing of life but in the adding and multiplying of life.

It goes down to verse 19: “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: THEREFORE CHOOSE LIFE, that both thou and thy seed may live.”

Yes. It is so amazing. God’s way is life. When we choose life, we choose blessing, don’t we?

We go back to the very beginning when Adam named his wife Eve. He called her Eve, but in the Hebrew that word is chavvah and I’m sure you know what that means. It means: “Life giver.” That was the name of the very first woman. She was the prototype of all women to come.

This is who we are, dear mothers. We are life givers. To us it has been given the privilege to conceive life in our womb. Life that is life in the moment of conception, which grows in our womb by the hand of God Who is creating wondrously, miraculously, and marvelously this life in our womb.

This is who we are, and I think in these situations we’re talking about, because this whole situation of abortion, it’s facing life. Why do we have abortion? It’s because someone has conceived life. People who don’t understand the truth are going to end that life in death when they’re meant to choose life.

As you were saying, you saw so many there with T-shirts saying how they regretted the abortion. Why? It is because they chose the cursing. When we choose life, because that’s who we are as a woman, we choose blessing.

Even if it seems formidable and, “How could this happen,” and “My circumstances are impossible” – no, nothing is impossible!

God always works it out every time because it’s life and therefore because it’s life, it’s blessing, and it’s not only blessing for that baby to live, but it’s blessing for our body.

It’s who we are as a woman. We are a life-giver. It’s all about life. In fact, that word chavvah means: “life giver, life producer, life preserver, life spring.”

That word chavvah comes from some other root words. It’s kind of layered. I found four different root words from which chavvah actually comes. They all relate to chavvah.

The next word is chavvah again (same spelling, different word) and it means: “to live, to declare, to show.” We show. There is something about showing. We show to the world this life. We reveal our maternalness and our mothering anointing as we embrace this life and we are showing it to the world. That’s one of the meanings also.

Chavah is another one,  meaning: “the sustenance, the propagation of life.”

There is another word chava. They are all similar, but they are spelled differently, and this one is actually used in Daniel when he had to show the interpretations, but it is still a root word of chavvah, Eve, life giving. It’s showing but you can’t show anything if you choose death, can you?

But when we choose life, we will eventually show to the world a creation that God has created. Isn’t that amazing?

JR: Yes, yes, it’s beautiful.

NC: Then there is another one:

Chayah. It means: “to live, to enjoy life, to live life anew, to be animated, to preserve.”

It has got a lot of “re” words: “Revive, refresh, rebuild, recover, repair, restore.” This is all in the meaning of “life giving.” In fact, it’s really a picture of what we do as mothers, isn’t it? We always have to revive, refresh, rebuild, recover, repair, and restore. That’s part of mothering.

Mothering isn’t perfect. Things go wrong. Relationships go haywire. We’re always repairing, rebuilding, recovering, and refreshing. It’s all part of our life giving.

In fact, that’s the word that’s used here in Deuteronomy 30: “ . . .Therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.” That’s that word chayah: That you may live and reveal and show this wonderful life giving to the world.

Isn’t that amazing?

JR: Yes, yes, it’s wonderful.

NC: In fact, that is the same word that is used over in Deuteronomy 8:3 when it is talking about God’s Word.

This is a Scripture we all know. God is speaking to the Israelites and He says to them: ” . . . that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.”

That’s the word chayah again. Of course if you are speaking it in Hebrew you will have that guttural sound, which I cannot pronounce really.

Anyway, that is the word, that life giving word. God is saying that if we live by His Word and His truth this will be life giving to us.

JR: Which I very much believe our nation is suffering terribly from the fact that we have taken this life-giving sustenance away from so many of our women and from so many of our fathers. There is a huge portion of this generation that is missing. You talk about that life giving where abortion has stolen that life from this generation and society.

I feel like there are just wounds all over that oftentimes we don’t even understand  but there is a void because we have not held this life giving in the sanctity that it is. We are suffering as a nation and as a society because of what abortion is doing to our mothers and our fathers.

NC: Yes and the whole underlying thing is the enemy, Satan, who hates life. Because God is a life giver, Satan hates God because he cannot give life. He’s not capable of giving life and so he does everything to stop the life that God gives because he is always seeking to counteract God Himself.

It is a fight. It’s a fight between the two kingdoms: the kingdom of darkness, which is a kingdom of destruction and killing of life, and the kingdom of God, which is a kingdom of life.

Now the challenge is: if we belong to the kingdom of God, we will be life choosers. We will be life choosers.

It doesn’t matter whether we have this name “Christian.” That’s not the point.

Are we a life chooser? Unless we’re a life chooser we do not belong to God’s kingdom because it’s a kingdom of life.

JR: Yes, yes, life going forth, life multiplying, life spreading love and hope. Every baby that is born is new hope, not just to that family but to the community as a whole.

I think that’s why the March for Life is so beautiful because it gathers people who are all saying the same thing: that life is from God and that’s why we stand together and fight for life.

NC: Absolutely. When you think that we have had 63 million babies aborted since Roe versus Wade, that’s unbelievable. Many of them were so called Christians. You think of the seed that has been eliminated.

You know, we should not be having this fight that we are having in our nation at the moment, this fight between life and death, and this incredible hatred and wanting destruction of life. We have this fight even amongst so many politicians today who are prepared to accept babies being aborted right up until birth and even after birth.

I mean, what has happened?

This is unbelievable ,and yet imagine if all the Christian people had not only not consented to abortion but who had also not consented to the stopping of the godly seed. Just think how many Christians are saying No to life even in their marriages. They do contraception and everything they can to stop life.

That’s not God. That doesn’t come from the heart of God. That comes from the enemy. The enemy wants to stop life.

God wants to give life and He wants to bring the godly seed into the world and if we had not stopped it, we would have a landslide for righteousness.

We wouldn’t even need a March for Life!

JR: Yes that’s so true.

NC: But Jennie, thank you for sharing your heart. As we close this session is there anything else that you would like to say?

JR: Thank you for having me. Just praying through this morning how we as parents face when our children or grandchildren come to us. I felt like God took me to John chapter four and the story of the Samaritan woman at the well where Jesus comes in contact with an adulteress and He interacts with her with such love and grace.

He reveals Himself as the Messiah to her. That is the first place recorded in Scripture that He reveals Himself as the Messiah. And it is to a woman that He has confronted her sin in love and then He reveals Himself as the Messiah to a woman who is an adulterer and who is a Samaritan.

I felt like it was just God saying, “This is how I respond to sin. I respond in love and then I respond in revelation and restoration.” He met her where she was, and He worked to restore her to Him.

As parents or grandparents, as we’re working with young people and they come to us, I believe God’s heart is to meet them in that same manner with love and working towards restoration. I just felt like God wanted us to hear His heart as the perfect Father and that when we parent that those children know that mercy triumphs over judgment.

That is Who He is. The perfect Father who always loves and forgives and moves toward redemption and restoration.

I feel like we just need to pray into that as our children are facing horrible temptations in society and knowing that we’ve all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and He has redeemed us and restored us. We partner with our children and walk them toward that redemption and restoration just like He did as well.

He revealed Himself as Messiah for the first time that we know of to a woman that was completely disregarded by society as a throw away sinner. It is just a beautiful representation of Who He is and Who He wants us to be as we love and nurture these young people.

NC: Yes, thank you, thank you, Jennie.

Let’s pray, shall we?

“Father, we thank You that You are the God of life. You are the God, as Jennie was saying, the God of mercy and restoration. Oh Father, You come to us in our need, in our state but You don’t leave us there. You take us on into life and into all that You have for us.

“Father I pray that You would give to each one of us a new understanding of life. Help us to know and to understand life as You see it. Lord God, life is precious to You. Help us to see that preciousness of life from the moment of conception. Lord God, that we would always be those that want to protect life and encourage life and say Yes to life because You have created us to be life givers.

“We thank You once again that we as women have the privilege of being life givers. You have given us this privilege and this anointing to show to the world. Oh God, we pray that You would anoint us in a greater and greater way to manifest this in our lives, to our families, and to the world around us, and to the hurting and the needy, in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.”

Transcribed by Morgan Roth. Thank you,, Morgan.