LIFE TO THE FULL w/ Nancy Campbell

EPISODE 217: The Four L’s of Raising Children, Part 1

Michele Schrum talks with me today about how they raise their children according to the four L's. The first is to LOVE THE LORD. We can't make our children love the Lord, so how can it happen? In what ways can we help them and exemplify this?

Announcer: Welcome to the podcast, Life to The Full, with Nancy Campbell, founder and publisher of Above Rubies.

Nancy Campbell: Hello, ladies! It’s always so great to be with you. I feel so blessed that I can talk to you, you precious ladies, all over the USA, and all around the world.

It was so wonderful, as my husband and I have been doing an Above Rubies itinerary in England, to meet ladies who say, “I listen to your podcast.” It’s so great to hear of people listening in other countries. I know you are listening in many different countries of the world.

Today I have with me Michele Schrum. Michele and I are going to be sharing together today. But before we do, I want to catch you up with a few things. But I’ll get Michele to say “Hi!”

Michele: Hello, it’s so great to be here and be part of this.

Nancy: So I thought I’d catch you up with what’s been happening in the last few weeks. Colin and I have just got back, after three weeks of being away. We were nearly three weeks in England, speaking at an Above Rubies Family Camp.

Then at different meetings, traveling up throughout the UK. We started down in the south of England in Hampshire. Then we gradually went up, until we got right to the north of England, up in Cumbria. Of course, it was beautiful to travel through that lovely country. And best of all, meeting the wonderful families as we had meetings, and the precious families that we stayed with along the way. It was so wonderful!

I must say “Hi,” to Claire in the bath. Claire told me that she loves to listen to the podcast in the bath because that’s her quiet place where she can be on her own, although she loves being with her four darling little children. They were so beautiful!

I was amazed, as we traveled and had different meetings, to meet lots of new people, but to meet dear old friends. One lady arrived and I said, “Wow! Hello, Margaret! How are you?” And later I asked her, “Margaret, for how many years have you been coming to Above Rubies retreats or meetings?” She said, “Nancy, I first came 24 years ago.” Isn’t that amazing? I can’t believe we’ve been going to England for meetings for that many years.

We stayed with another lovely family, Vicky and Phil Goldby, in their lovely, wonderful home that God has so amazingly provided for them. I actually printed a testimony about how God provided this home for them in Above Rubies.

I met Vicky about 14 years ago. She has been coming to Above Rubies retreats and meetings all through those years. I’ve watched her little children grow. Now they’ve grown into fine young men and women. Now she is having her tenth baby. That was so exciting.

Of course, Chris and Anna Peach, I wonder if you are listening. And their amazing family. We’ve been friends for years. Every time we go to England, we never fail to see them. Of course, I have here, right now I have Emily, who is one of my Above Rubies helpers here. While Emily was here holding the fort, I got to be with her mum and dad and other daughter back in England. Her daughter, Samantha, was an Above Rubies helper too, two times! So, it was lovely to catch up with their parents also.

We got to the end of our meetings, and we had one day, one free day. Our dear friend, Martha, came down from Scotland to pick us up to take us back to Scotland. I thought, “Well, we’ve only got one day together. We’ll have a nice time of catching up on what’s been happening in the last couple of years.”

But no! That was not Martha’s plan at all! She said, “We’ve got a day planned!” The next morning, we set off. She said, “We’re going out to the west coast of Scotland. I’m going to take you to a little island.” Because she knew how much I have longed to go out to the Hebrides, to the islands out in the Hebrides west of Scotland, where there was once a mighty revival through Duncan Campbell. Actually, it started with two women who prayed and prayed. God came mightily and moved.

I’ve always wanted to go out and wondered if I would still feel the lingerings of that revival. We had planned to do that with Martha and Adam, her husband, two years ago. It was all planned, and we also had other meetings, and a big women’s conference in London. But it was all cancelled because of the plandemic. This was the first time we’d been back.

We only had one day, so she said, “We’ll go to one little island.” So, we couldn’t believe it. We thought we’d just drive out to the west of Scotland, not believing how beautiful the scenery was going to be. We drove through the most beautiful hills, and sheep on them, and glorious trees, and forests, and the river flowing by. It was so restful and wonderful!

Then we came to Oban, and then onto a bridge that we had to cross over. It was called “The Bridge across the Atlantic”! Really, ladies, it was only a little bridge, but it did cross the Atlantic. It was just a little part of where the Atlantic came in. We were truly crossing the Atlantic! But that was quite fun to do.

Then we moved on. In a little boat, we went over to this island. It was called Easdale Island. It was a slate island where they used to mine the slate that was used for roofing all over the world. Back in 1881, there was a terrific storm that came. With the high tide and this storm, it completely flooded the island, flooded all the slate mines, so they were never able to mine slate there again.

We were able to walk around the island and see where these slate mines were. Now they were filled with water, and they were beautiful little lakes. It was so lovely. Colin wasn’t able to walk around the island because he’s been on crutches for quite a few months with a very bad knee, although when we left for England, he decided to throw away his crutches.

He went on two walking sticks which wasn’t so cumbersome. He managed to get around everywhere on those. He had to stay behind in the museum, which turned out so great for him, because he found out that way back, going way back to our ancestors, that Duncan Campbell, yes, he had married into another family who owned these mines. Then it became part of the Campbells. He found out that our ancestors actually owned Easdale Island, and some of the other islands around. He thought that was quite great.

That one day was like a month’s holiday. Then we flew home the next day, from Edinburgh, down to Heathrow, caught a plane back to the US. We were home for a day, to find lots of things had happened. We found that somehow, someone had taken the plug out somewhere, and two deep freezers had gone rotten. We lost two deep freezers of food. I had to take hold of that Scripture where it says where they “joyfully took the spoiling of their goods” (Hebrews 10:34).

Then the sceptic tank had overflowed into the house! It’s amazing how all these things happen when we’re away. Oh, and another adventure that happened, they even had a skunk in the office! I’d never even seen a skunk on our property for the 22 years we’ve lived here. Here they had this skunk that they had to try to get out. And you can still smell it! Even since I’ve been home.

As soon as we got home, we had a day at home. Then we flew to San Diego, to our Above Rubies Family Retreat over there where we have been going for many years. Gary and Trish Evans have been organizing these retreats for guess how long? For 24 years! This was our 24^th retreat that they had organized. Such wonderful faithfulness. They have kept going through thick and thin. Many times, quite challenging circumstances happening that would maybe stop them from doing it. But they’ve kept on and we’ve had these wonderful retreats out there for all these years.

Here we are today, back again. As I said, Michele is with me. Michele is now my closest neighbor! They live in an RV right next to our house because they are working on building up on the Hilltop. They’ve got ten acres there and I’ll let Michele tell you all about it.

Michele: Oh, we are so excited! We have ten acres, heavily wooded. My husband and my boys, all of us, have been working on it. We’re so super-excited to be down here. We moved here after seeking the Lord, and praying, and looking for land all over. This is where we ended up. This is where we landed. Nana doesn’t know all the stories while she was gone. There was a mouse. There’s even a mouse story!

Nancy: Oh, no!

Michele: We got it fixed before you came back. A mouse chewed through the air conditioning wire, and the whole air conditioning was out. Randy, my husband, came over, and fixed the wires, once he figured out what it was.

It still wouldn’t work, so we had to call this air conditioning guy out here. It had fried the motherboard, so he had to replace it, and fix it so it wouldn’t happen again. We got all that fixed, and we’ve been catching the mice. It just goes to show, we don’t want you to leave for three weeks again! [laughter]

Nancy: Oh, no! I can’t believe it! The whole place falls apart! But praise the Lord, we had you here to rescue it!

Michele: We put it back together as best we could. Yes, so we’re living in the RV. We have four children still at home. We have seven total. We have a 28-year-old daughter, Taylor, and then a 23-year-old daughter, Callie, who was a Ruby girl here three-and-a-half years ago. A son, Carter, who is 20. Then we have twins that will be 15 in just a couple of weeks. We have Elijah, who will be 11 soon. Then Ruthie, our youngest, is six.

Nancy: We’re so blessed having them here. When you do get built up there on the Hilltop, we’ll so miss you here. The other day, Michele and I were talking about raising family. She said, “Well, we have raised our family on four L’s.” I said, “Oh, that sounds interesting. Tell me what they are.” So, she told me, and I thought, “Oh, wow, I agree with every one of them! Michele, you’ve got to come and tell the ladies on the podcast all about them.”

So, we’re going to start today. We’ll start with the first one. I won’t tell you the others because we’ll keep them a secret until we get onto them. Tell us the first one, Michele.

LOVE THE LORD

Michele: The first one is “love the Lord.” Our job as parents is to teach our children, and equip them, and influence them. Then they get to decide. We can’t make our children love the Lord. But there are things we can do, practical things that we can do for our family, and for our children, to teach them.

Nancy: Yes, I love that you have started with that because that is the very first thing, isn’t it? To love the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our might, and with all our strength. That’s our whole being, isn’t it?

To me, and I know Michele feels that same, how can our children love God like this? They’re only going to do it as they see us loving Him. I think our children learn more by seeing than what we teach them, don’t you think? It’s more caught than taught. Our children need to see that we love God. Do they see it in our lives? Do they see that He is the passion of our lives? That He is the pre-eminent One in our homes. He is the pre-eminent One in our lives.

Michele: Yes. That is definitely the number one thing when it comes to teaching your children to love the Lord. It’s to live by example, to give them an example. Children are imitators and we need to give them something great to imitate. They observe everything we do, our actions, and our speech.

Are we loving the Lord with all of our hearts, and our minds, and our strength? If they see that, and they see the joy that comes out of that, and they see God’s blessing that comes out of that, hard times and good times, they’re going to desire that more. I heard a pastor a while back say, “Our children will tend to do what we do in excess, whether it’s good or bad.” Even in mannerisms and the way we say things.

I have a silly little story about my daughter Ruthie, when she was younger. She wasn’t even two years old. I think she talked from the day she was born. She’s always been a talker. We were in the car, driving somewhere, and someone said something silly. We hear from her little car seat, “Oh, my word!”

And I turned around and said, “What?” My husband looked at me and said, “That sounded just like you!” I realized that little phrase I picked up, I would say it if something was silly, or if it was ridiculous, “Oh, my word!” Here is my little one-and-a-half-year-old, saying “Oh, my word” Just the same way I would say it. They are definite imitators.

Nancy: Oh, yes, Scripture says: “As is the mother, so is the daughter” (Ezekiel 16:34). It is so true, isn’t it? I think I shared with you on a recent podcast that passage from Nehemiah 13, where Nehemiah found that there were Jews who had married foreign wives.

He discovered that these children couldn’t even speak the Hebrew tongue. They lived in Jerusalem and couldn’t even speak the language that was their language! They were speaking foreign languages. Why? Because that’s what their mother spoke. They imitated their mothers.

So, our children are going to imitate us and take on the kind of vocab we have. It’s so true. But I was thinking, Michele, that in loving the Lord, it also includes loving His Word, doesn’t it? It’s part of loving the Lord. If we really love Him, we’ll love His Word! We’ll love it like David loved it.

In Psalm 119, that Psalm with 176 verses, ten of those verses, David bursts out and says: “I love thy law. I love thy commandments.”

Verse 167 says: “I love them exceedingly.” Not just love them, but love them “exceedingly,”

He says in verse 127: “I love thy commandments above gold, yea, above fine gold.”

I wonder if we truly love the Lord and love the Word above fine gold? Does it mean more to us than all the money we can make, and all the material possessions that we want to acquire, and even fill our homes with? I think if we really show to our children where our priorities are, even by the way we plan our days . . .

I’ve often talked with you about this on our podcasts, so forgive me sharing it again. But I do believe it is so important. I have always felt that it is so important for us to gather our families every morning and every evening, to come into the presence of the Lord to listen to His Word, because we love it, and to pray to Him and worship Him because we love Him. We don’t do it, “Oh, this is a duty you’re supposed to do.” But we do it out of passion, because we love Him, and we can’t wait to do it.

In fact, the little time we spend in the morning, and in the evening, out of 24 hours in the day, is the least we can do. I think it’s the least we can do to show, even to our children, that God is number one in our lives. Because this habit of, well, some people call it “Family Devotions,” some “Bible Time,” some “Worship Time,” or whatever you call it in your home. It doesn’t matter, as long as you do it.

But I guess you have found, like everyone finds, it’s easy for it to be crowded out. There are so many things that happen in our lives. We’re so busy, and this happens, and that happens. Oh, wow! We can’t fit it in.

But I have found that the only way I can make sure that I fit it in, is that this is going to happen. It is our habit, and everything else in our plan of the day, everything else in life fits around it. So, THIS IS WHAT WE DO AND EVERYTHING ELSE FITS AROUND IT! Because Who is the most important? Is God the priority in our lives?

And what do our children see? When they see other things, “Oh, well, we don’t have time for family devotions today. Look, we’ve got to go here. We’ve got to do this. Here, this is really, we’ve got to get this done.” They see these things, things that really, we’re not going to take to eternity with us. Things that may seem important.

But where’s the priority? Who is the most important? Is that thing the most important? Is it more important than meeting with the One we love? So, I think this is one of the ways, of many ways, we show our love to the Lord. Because we want to do it.

Michele: Absolutely. And that’s one of the other keys to teaching your children to love the Lord is to remove distractions. Remove the busy-ness. Remove, it could be anything. Anything in this world can be a distraction for it sometimes. Entertainment, relationships that maybe aren’t the greatest. But yes, remove those distractions. You have to put the Lord first.

We expect our children to love Him with all their heart, mind, and soul. We need to, which means He’s first, He’s Number One. Remove the distractions. Our schedule, in our home, revolves around what my husband has sought the Lord after, such as Monday-night prayer meetings, Wednesday-night prayer meetings.

Other things might come up, but my children know that’s what we’re doing, and that’s where they’re expected to be. They can be out fishing with their friends, or working, or doing good things. But when it comes to prayer time, they know they need to be home, and be over here.

Also, we tried to make our time in the Word, we call it “family devos” in our house, family devotions. We try to make it fun. We sing songs, especially when they were younger. Singing silly songs that were just Scripture, even in the car, anything. Make it fun.

We also did family fun nights on most Friday nights. So, our devotion would be more geared towards an activity. But it always had a lesson in God’s Word in it. For example, one of my children’s favorite memories, I’m talking about my older ones when they were little. We were talking about Proverbs, where it talks about controlling your tongue, and words that you speak. There were several different verses around that.

My husband had gone to the Dollar Store and bought every child a tube of toothpaste. We gave them a paper plate and some tools, like Q-tips, some different tools they might need for this activity. He told them all to squirt out the entire tube of toothpaste on their paper plate. So we did, and then he laid, I think it was a $50 bill in the middle of the table.

He said, “Whoever can get all the toothpaste back in the tube, and it’s full, can have this $50.” They were trying everything! Needless to say, nobody got the toothpaste back in the tube. It was all about, once your words are out, you can’t take them back, and how powerful words are. It was an example of one of the fun family nights.

Nancy: Oh, that is a powerful one! I think that would be a good one to try in your family, wouldn’t it? I think you’ll most probably keep the $50! That is amazing. I love that. I think there’s nothing like practical things. That’s how Jesus taught. He taught so practically, didn’t He, about the everyday things of life.

You were talking about prayer, and the priority of prayer, too. I think we’re living in a day where prayer is not really a priority in most homes. Our children grew up with prayer meetings. It was part of their lives. People often think that “Oh, it’s just adults who go to prayer meetings.” But no! The prayer meeting is the most wonderful place for children and for babies. In fact, God wants the whole family to come together.

At so many of our prayer meetings, there are nursing mothers, and little toddlers and children. We have seasons of whoever is there, and they’re different ages. But often Colin will say to the children, “Ok, children, you all pray first, because you’ll most probably be going to sleep.” So, the children will pray, and then it won’t be long before they’ll be going to sleep. It’s so wonderful that they’re sleeping in the presence of the Lord. It’s such a beautiful thing.

But it also shows to our children that God is our priority. We love Him. We long to be in His presence. We love to pray. It’s the same with church on Sunday. Many people go to church because, “OK, that’s what you do.” But no, we go because we love to go. Because what does it say in 1 John 3:14? “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.” If we love them, well, we’ll want to be with them, won’t we?

Many times, today it seems that people can make excuses. “Oh, something happens,” or “We’ve got to get this done, so we can’t get to church today.” Or “These people turned up, oh, so we couldn’t come to church.” But I don’t believe that we ever should have one excuse!

Rain, hail, or snow, whatever happens, that is our commitment. There’s something about commitment in life, isn’t there? Commitment to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, but we show it in our actions, and what we do, don’t we? I think one of them, there are so many ways, but I do think that one of them, too, is our commitment to the people of God, our commitment to that weekly gathering.

Did you notice I said “gathering,” because during this last plandemic, there were so many churches that just caved in and stopped church. Of course, they had their Zoom meetings. Now, zoom meetings, they can give a powerful message but they’re not church! They’re a Zoom meeting! They’re not church. Church is the ASSEMBLING OF YOURSELVES TOGETHER! (Hebrews 10:25).  That’s what it’s about. No matter what, that’s what God has told us to do.

Now we see many saints in countries where they’re being persecuted. They are not allowed to meet together, but do they stop? No! They don’t stop, even in the face of persecution! A lot of how we live, what we do, our children see it, and they know whether we truly love God with all our hearts, or whether we really find that all these little interruptions in life are more important.

Michele: Oh, absolutely. And another thing we have to teach our children is obedience. Obedience, people argue, “Well, obedience is not love.” But it’s closely related. In the Old Testament, God gave His people the Ten Commandments, the Law, so He could keep them safe. But also, so they could follow them, to show their love to the Lord. Yes, teaching our children obedience, and how to listen, and how to hear our voice, teaches them how to hear God’s voice. If you don’t have those things, how do we expect them to love the Lord?

Nancy: Yes, I love to look up the different Hebrew words. One of the most common words is for “hear.” Michele was just saying how important it is to learn to hear. I believe, before our children can even obey, they need to learn to hear. Hearing is very important. I think it’s one of the first things that we teach our little children. is how to listen. How to listen.

Jesus said over and over: “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” We can hear sounds, and even people talking with our ears, but are we actually hearing what they are saying? Before our children can learn to obey, they’ve got to learn to hear.

I love to encourage mums, when they’re first teaching their children how to obey, and they tell their little child, perhaps they’re talking to their little girl. They say, “Now, Susie, I want you to pick up your toys.” We have to make sure that she has heard, so we say, “And what did Mommy say?” “Pick up toys.” “OK, now when Mommy says something, you always have to do it straightaway, so OK, can you pick up your toys right now?”

And so, they will respond, and pick them up. We keep doing that as we’re teaching them to obey, so that they’re hearing our voice. We’ll ask them to repeat it, so we know they have heard. If they’ve heard, they must obey immediately. We’re teaching them how to obey right away.

Even as our children get older, it is important to make sure that they hear. It’s no use saying, “Hey, Bobby, can you bring that thing in for me from outside? I need the rubbish bin (“rubbish bin,” you call it the “trash” here0. [laughter] I still say all our New Zealand words. “Bring in that trash can,” and you could be shouting it out. He may not have really heard you. You think he’s in hearing distance, but he could have his mind on something else.

You have to make sure they hear before you can maybe discipline for disobedience. No, because they must hear. But once they hear, we have to teach them that habit of obeying right away.

Michele: We have a saying in our home that goes:

“Slow obedience is no obedience.”

My children have to finish it. If I say, “Slow obedience,” they have to say, “Is no obedience.” And they know what that means!

Back to hearing, something our children will be in the other room. I have a child in the other room, and I might say something. They might not hear my instructions, but they’ve heard my voice. They’re expected, instead of saying, “What?” They’re expected to come and say, “Mom, did you need something? Did you say something?” That is another form of obedience.

Nancy: That is very important, too, teaching them that. Even if they didn’t hear you properly, they come back and find out what it was that you wanted. Yes, that is so good.

I love your phrase, “Slow obedience is no obedience.” That’s so good, because many children will lag to do what you tell them. Hopefully we’ve got them into that habit. When they were little, I always used to say:

“Delayed obedience is disobedience.”

Take either of those slogans, or both of them, into your home. Your children should grow up with those.

Also, I have written here,

“When you children learn to listen, they learn to obey. And when they learn to obey you, they learn to obey God, because we are parenting on behalf of God.”

We have to remember that mothers. Sometimes we sort of forget, really, who we are, and the authority that God has given to us as mothers.

God has given authority to the status of motherhood and fatherhood. It is a powerful status in God’s eyes, because God is ultimately the Father, and even in the fatherhood of God, we see the mother-nurturing heart of God. It all comes from God. Fatherhood comes from God. Motherhood comes from the very heart of God. And so, we are revealing what God is like, and He has given us an authority from Him to parent on His behalf.

Ultimately, our children are His children, so we are parenting them on His behalf. That’s why God says: “Children, obey your parents,” because when they obey us, they are obeying God.

When He says: “Children, honor your parents,” they are honoring God. When they dishonor or disobey, they are dishonoring God Himself.

But I am always, perhaps, challenged or encouraged, in that Scripture in Leviticus 19:2, where it says: “Fear thou thy mother and thy father.” Did you notice something different? In every other place, it says: “Obey thy father and thy mother . . .  Honor thy father and thy mother.” But here, in Leviticus 19:2, it says: “Fear thy mother and thy father.”

God never puts anything haphazardly. Here the mother is mentioned first, which I believe is significant, because we’re with the children all day. By the end of the day, they’re hardly hearing what we’re saying. Sometimes it can all be in a big shambles. Whoo! Father comes in the door, and woof! Everything comes into shape. One word from Dad and look out!

There is something, there is an authority on the father. But God wants a mother to have that authority too. Yes, she has that beautiful, loving, gentle, nurturing bond with her children. But God has also given her an anointing of authority that her children should even have an awe of her, because they must know that even Mother is parenting on behalf of God. That’s quite amazing, isn’t it? It really is.

Michele: Absolutely. There’s another aspect I don’t want to leave out. Teaching your children to love the Lord is testifying, to remember. The word “testify” means “to remember what the Lord has done.” So, remember the family.

But then your children, your children can hear from God, just like they learn at a small age to hear your voice. They will learn to hear God’s voice if we cultivate that in our lives. As they learn to hear God’s voice, and they see God doing things in their lives, or your family’s life, give them opportunities to testify and remember.

One of the things we had in our home before we sold it, now it’s in a storage box, so it’ll go back up some day. We had a remembrance wall. It was a wall full of all these different little trinkets, and some pictures, just odds and ends. People would walk in and see it, and they would be like, “What is that?”

It gave us and our children the opportunity to testify. Everything represented something God did for us, in our family, something significant that we wanted to remember and thank God for. There was everything from seashells to pinecones, you name it, a nail. But they all had a story of how either God provided, or God came through, or this amazing opportunity we had from the Lord.

We encouraged our children to participate in that. There were some things significant to them. They found the trinket and put it up there. They were able to testify. But you don’t have to have a remembrance wall to do that. Just get your children talking. If they can go back and teach what they’ve learned, or what God has showed them, then they’re going to remember so much more.

Corrie Ten Boom once said, “The best learning I had came from teaching.” That is, I’ve noticed, significant in my boys. I loved during the prayer meeting, when some of the gentlemen here will call out my young men and say, “What’s on your heart? What does God have on your heart today?” It was amazing, because God can speak to them, and it challenges them.

It reminds me of some of my early morning walks with Nancy’s daughter, Vange. She comes over, many mornings of the week, at 6 am. She tried 5:30, and I pushed it back to 6. We go on these early morning hikes. One of the first things she asks me almost every day is “What has the Lord revealed to you this morning?” I’m like, “This is weird! I just rolled out of bed! I may or may not have brushed my teeth.”

But it challenges me. I have to stop for a second, like, “Yes! Yes!” Because God is always speaking, and He’s always revealing Himself. We have to open our ears and listen, be willing to hear, hear from the Lord.

Nancy: Oh, yes. I just want to reiterate there, as we’re closing this session, how I love seeing your boys in the prayer meeting. Here they are, just 14-year-old boys, but they are into prayer! It is so wonderful! And they are into the Word of God! Most prayer meetings they will have a little Scripture that they will voluntarily read out.

Why are they like this? Because they see this passion to pray and love the Word in their parents. They have got it too. It’s so beautiful. I believe we pass it on, don’t we? I’ve always had such a love for the Word of God, just to receive from His Word, always getting revelations. Now, it just passes on down the family. Anyway, time has gone, so let’s pray.

“Dear Father, we thank You that we love You, because You first loved us. Oh, Father, we ask that You will do something in our hearts. Help us to love You more, to love You, Lord, with all our mind, and all our soul, and all our heart, and all our strength. Yes, that means with all our actions.

“Oh, Father, I pray that You will bless every precious mother and wife, and daughter, and whoever else is listening, Lord, that we will all love You passionately, seek after You, love Your Word, love to pray, love being in Your presence. Oh, God, just help us, that we will not be distracted so much by all the material things of this world, but we will seek after You with all our hearts. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.”

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

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www.aboverubies.org

Transcribed by Darlene Norris * This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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LIFE TO THE FULL w/ Nancy Campbell

EPISODE 216: THE LAND OF MOTHERHOOD, Part 27

Have you heard of the Georgia Guidestones? And did you hear that they are now wiped out? Listen to the story.

In this podcast I also share with you the last four descriptions of the land of motherhood. The last one is the greatest of all. It is the GLORY OF ALL LANDS! After hearing these 20 descriptions, you are certainly going to know that God has brought you into a BLESSED land. God calls motherhood an "exalted" career.

Announcer: Welcome to the podcast, Life to The Full, with Nancy Campbell, founder and publisher of Above Rubies.

Nancy Campbell: Hello, ladies! It’s “Good Morning” as I am sharing with you. Not sure what it will be where you are, wherever you are in the world. It’s so great to know that mothers and wives are listening all over the world. I’m so blessed to be able to chat with you.

Oh, I must tell you about a great victory we had recently. I wonder if you have ever heard of the Georgia Guidestones. I heard about them, but I didn’t know a great deal. These are huge, massive granite stones about 19 feet high that were built out in the middle of nowhere. Elbert Country, about 90 miles from Atlanta.

They have been sitting out there for about 40 years. Nobody knows who organized their construction. It was all secret. Although many have their ideas, no one knows, but it has to be someone or some people who belong to the New World Order, because on these huge granite stones were written, not God’s Ten Commandments, but the ten commandments of the New World Order. Because each one was revealing the agenda of the New World Order.

They were written in eight different languages. On the tablet in front of the stones was written, “Let these be guidestones for an age of reason.” The first inscription, just the first one, oh, goodness me! That was enough to scare you off. It says, or did say, “Maintain humanity under 500 million.”

Let’s put that in perspective. The current population of the world is 7.795 billion. That’s nearly eight billion. To bring it down to their 500 million, they would have to wipe out nearly 90% of the world’s population. It would have to be an orchestrated and planned genocide like nothing we could ever, ever dream about. Those words have stood there for the last 40 years! Absolutely against civilization, and against God. They have stood there, written in defiance of God’s plan.

Well, a few weeks ago, we had a friend staying with us, Gary Evans. Gary and Trish Evans have put on Above Rubies retreats in California, mainly in San Diego, for the last nearly 25 years. They have been so faithful in this ministry. Actually, we are having another retreat this year in San Diego. We weren’t able to the last two years because of the plandemic. But we’re back again this year. The first week of August. Check the website. If you’d like to get in on that, it would be so great to see you.

Anyway, Gary was doing a round trip. all the way from California, meeting up with different people as he went. While he was here, he said, “I thought on my heart to go and see the Georgia Guidestones.” We were talking about it, and how they were revealing this whole new world agenda. But he said . . . (Oh, we were having a prayer meeting. We have two prayer meetings a week here in our home).

At our first prayer meeting, he said, “Will you pray with me? I have such a burden upon my heart to pray that these guidestones, these great big, huge, mammoth granite rocks, with all this junk written on them, will come crashing down. Let’s pray that an earthquake, or an explosion, or something will happen.”

Of course, we all felt, yes, that they should not be standing there. How dare they stand there, in defiance of God? We all began to pray. We began to really home in, and pray against these guidestones, and against the spirit behind them. We prayed that God would do something supernatural and mighty, an earthquake would come, or an explosion. Somehow God would do something to wipe them out, and bring them down, flat on their faces.

Well, you know you pray, and you pray up a storm. And then, just three weeks later, we woke up one morning to see a video, this explosion of the Georgia Guidestones! It was amazing! You pray these things, and then you actually see them happening? It is so incredible!

I do believe that God burdened our hearts to pray about this that night. We didn’t only pray that night. Now that the burden was upon us, we kept praying. Not only at our prayer meetings, but at our family devotions where we pray each morning and each evening. It was so amazing to see the answer to our prayers. I’m sure that many others have prayed against these guidestones, so-called guidestones of a humanistic order.

But they have come down! You can go online, and you can see the explosion! There were actually two explosions. At the moment, to this day, no one knows who did it or how it happened.

We believe God answered prayer. Dear ladies, our God is a prayer-answering God. He is a mighty God. Prayer is powerful. This was so encouraging to us, especially coming on the wave of the overturn of Roe v Wade. You pray for years for things, and it's so wonderful when we see these victories. I would encourage you too.

PRAYING FAMILIES

I’ve often asked the question, “Are you praying in your home? Are you praying as a family, morning and evening as you gather your family together? Do you even have a prayer meeting in your home to pray for the nation and the nations of the world?” You know, we as families, as we are praying families, we can be impacting this nation and the world. The most powerful thing you can do as a family is to be a praying family.

WARFARE PRAYING

We love to pray the Scriptures. We have so many different Scriptures in our prayer boxes for different subjects. One of them, our favorite, is Proverbs 75:10: “All the horns of the wicked will I cut off. But the horns of the righteous shall be exalted” Here God is saying that He will cut off the horns of the wicked.

The horns on an animal are where an animal gores other animals, where he will go after them. He goes after them with his horns. They are where they push back the enemy. The horns speak of power and authority and pushing back the enemy.

Of course, the wicked have horns too, and they are pushing their evil upon civilization. But God has given us power also. He has given us the power of prayer and the power of warfare prayer, where we can push back evil, push back our enemies that are against God and His truth, and His righteousness. We can have lovely prayers, but there are also warfare prayers, where we must get into warfare, and we must use our horns.

On the altar of incense in the tabernacle, which speaks of prayer and worship, are four horns, one on each corner, speaking of the power and authority in prayer, and how it can go out to the four corners of the world. We have power to pray right to the four corners of the world! J

Jeremiah 48:25: “The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, saith the Lord.” We can pray these prayers. They’re Scriptures! They’re the word of God. They have power. We can pray that the enemy will be cut off, that his horns will be broken.

I love praying these prayers, too.

Psalm 64:8: “So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves.”

Psalm 140:11: “Let not an evil speaker be established in the land.” These Scriptures are the word of God! We can pray them! Because they are anointed, and they can become anointed prayers against the enemy.

Oh, and so many other Scriptures, great to pray the Scriptures! Oh, yes, I love those Scriptures that David prayed many times, that his enemies would fall into the pit that they are digging for the righteous. And the enemy today, there is a very vile enemy from the pit of hell, where Satan is stirring up evil people too, and they’re making pits. They’re digging pits for the righteous, for those who love God.

But we can pray this biblical prayer. And this prayer, we read it seven different times in the word of God. And then also, another prayer he prayed is that his enemies would fall into the same net they are preparing to catch us. This prayer was prayed five times in the Bible.

We can take up these prayers that David prayed. We’re not praying against flesh and blood. We’re praying against principalities and powers. But we can use the Word of God. I want to encourage you about that today and share that amazing victory with you.

We are now praying that if they would seek to set those guidestones up again, we’re praying against it, that everything will go wrong, that they will not ever be able to put them up again. And that the agenda of reducing drastically the population of the world will not be put out there for the whole world to see. Amen?

Well, ladies, let’s continue. We’re getting down to the end of our journey through the land of motherhood. I’m wondering if I can finish the last points today. We’ll see how we go.

Last week we were talking about, IT IS A LAND OF REST. Just one or two more Scriptures there.

Isaiah 30:15: “For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; in returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.” It’s amazing how God gives promises. Then we read at the end, “But they would not.” You know, God gives the way to live in rest. But we have to choose to obey Him. I think about here, where it says: “in returning and rest you will be saved.”

In Malachi 3:7, it talks about returning to the Lord. Now returning back to the Lord is not just some emotional thing. Oh, you’re in a meeting and you feel stirred up. “Yes, I will, once again, I’ll give my whole life to God.” It’s all very emotional.

No, returning is OK. It’s an actual practical thing where you return to obeying God’s laws and commandments and ordinances. In Malachi 3:7, God says: “Even from the days of your fathers, ye have gone away from My ordinances and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts.” Returning is always returning back to God’s ordinances, God’s laws, God’s commandments.

In Malachi 4:4-6, in that wonderful promise where God says that He will turn the hearts of the fathers (that includes the mothers), the turning back to our children, the turning back to the home, the turning back to fatherhood, the turning back to motherhood. That turning there, it means to go back to the starting point. If we’ve got away from it, we come back to the starting point, to the mandate God gave in the very beginning.

Jeremiah 6:16: “Thus saith the LORD, stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls." But once again, “they said, We will not.” Can you believe it? Oh, so many don’t want the old paths. They don’t want the biblical paths. Oh, they’re in the new paths! They’re in the humanistic paths. We are surrounded in our society with humanistic laws and ordinances.

Did you know, precious ladies, yes, God has commandments, laws, ordinances, but the enemy does too. The kingdom of darkness does too. I haven’t got the Scriptures with me today. I was just reading them the other day about how the evil world, they also have their ordinances and their laws. Whatever kingdom you are in, you’re going to keep those laws and ordinances.

Where is the good way? It’s the old way. It’s God’s truth, which was true from the beginning, and will be true for eternity. You can’t get away from it. In that you will find “rest for your souls.” But we have to go that way. We don’t want to be like those in Jeremiah’s time that said, “No, no thanks, we don’t want to do that.”

Oh, I love Hosea 11:11. In the Knox Translation, it says: “In their own home, saith the Lord, I will give them rest.” A lot of mothers don’t have rest today. They feel overwhelmed. Sometimes their stomachs are tied up in a knot. They’re just, “Oooh.” And life is one big sort of whiz from one thing to the other. They’re not living in rest.

Often, it’s because they are doing too many things outside their home. God says: “In their own homes, I will give them rest.” This is where God gives rest. It’s not out of the home. It’s in the home. We can get involved in so many things, often good things. Oh yes, very, very good things.

In fact, sometimes we’re screaming around everywhere, running our children to this, running our children here, there, everywhere. This class, this sport, this lesson. Oh, my! And they’re all good. Oh, every one of them is good! Yes! That’s why you’re doing it! Because you only want to do good things. But even good things can get you out of rest. Even good things are not the best things. We’ve got to find the best way. And God’s way says: “In your own homes, says the Lord, I will give you rest.”

OK, next one!

No. 17. IT IS A LAND OF OBEDIENCE

Isaiah 1:19: “If you be willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.” It’s when we are in obedience. Let me give you just a few Scriptures. I won’t give you all of them, because, oh, we have so many Scriptures. But I’ll put all the “to do” Scriptures in the transcript.

Let’s just look at one or two here. Deuteronomy 4:5: “Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do so in the land whither you go to possess it.” So, in our land, in the land of the kingdom of God, in the land of motherhood, God wants us to do the commandments He has given to us.

He said this over and over and over again about the land. “When you go into the land, I want you to do My commandments. I want you to keep them.”

Deuteronomy 4:6: “Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for?”

Let’s go to the next chapter, 5:1: “And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them.”

Let’s go over to Deuteronomy 28 which is the blessing chapter. Deuteronomy 28:1: “And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth.”

And then it goes right on, right down to verse 14, giving you all the blessings that God said He would give to them when they went into the land, if they would be obedient to His commands. So, it goes on. I’ll put all the Scriptures in the transcript. There are so many of them.

No. 18: IT IS A LAND OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

 Psalm 37:29: “The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell therein forever.”

Proverbs 2:22: “For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it.”

In the land of the kingdom of God, remember what the New Testament says: “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Romans 14:17).

Also, in the land of motherhood, it’s a land of righteousness. As we walk in righteousness, we will receive the blessings of the land.

No. 19. THE LAND IS A GIFT

We’re getting close to the end! It is a land that is given to us. It is a gift. Oh, ladies, did you know that in Deuteronomy, nearly 70 times God reminds the children of Israel that He gave the land to them as a gift. Now, as we are relating our motherhood to the land, we are reminded too that God gives motherhood to us as a gift.

MOTHERHOOD IS GOD’S GIFT TO YOU

Dear ladies, motherhood is God’s gift to you. He has given it to you. It’s not something you planned out yourself. God planned this glorious career of motherhood. He even created us perfectly for the task. He created us physically, innately. In every way He prepared us for the beautiful career of motherhood.

He said, “Here, this is My gift. And the children I give to you, they are My gift to you.” They are all gifts from God. Yes, children are His gift. Motherhood is His gift. I want you to be reminded today to see motherhood as God’s gift to you.

Oh, it’s so sad, to hear so many mothers complaining, whining, groaning, about their motherhood. And yet, it’s God’s gift! Oh, when we understand that, we’re going to stop moaning and whining, I hope!

Anyway, here’s a few Scriptures about how God says the land was a gift. Firstly, to Abraham: “I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldee to give thee this land to inherit it.” (Genesis 15:7)

Leviticus 25:38: “I am the Lord your God which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God.”

Deuteronomy 1:25. The spies confessed after they had been through the land: “It is a good land that the Lord our God doth give us.”

Oh, that’s a Scripture that we should make our confession, dear ladies. Motherhood is a good land that God has given to us. You can make it personal.

“Motherhood is the good land God has given to me.”

We need to speak these words out loud. When we speak them out loud, they become part of us. This is the Scripture, and this is the truth. Motherhood is a good land and it’s God’s gift to you.

In Deuteronomy 19:7-9, God said that He would give them more land if they obeyed His commandments, to do them. Actually, even today, Israel doesn’t have all the land that God promised to them. One day they will have that, but they don’t have it all together at the moment.

MORE AND MORE

For us, too, in the land of motherhood, God says, “I will give you more land as you obey My commandments, and you embrace your motherhood.” God is a MORE AND MORE God. He is always wanting to give us more.

As I have mentioned before, one of my favorite Scriptures is Proverbs 4:18: “But the path of the just is as the shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” In every realm, in every way, God is always wanting to give us more. In the land of motherhood, there is more. Do you think you’ve got it all now? No, there is more!

Now, I am past my days of mothering our children. I have many, many grandchildren now. They have all grown. And now I have great-grandchildren. Even today, every once a week, my lovely granddaughters bring their little children along, their little toddlers and growing little ones. They play soccer together on the front lawn. It’s so gorgeous to see them. Half of them don’t know what they’re doing, but it’s such fun.

Here I am, seeing now great-grandchildren. But do I know all of motherhood yet? No. There’s still more. I’m still seeing more in the Word of God as I read His Word. God continues to give me more revelation, even at this time in my life.

I’m so sad when I would hear from some mums. They have received Above Rubies for many, many years. Now their children have grown, and they’ll send a little message to me and say, “Thank you, Nancy. I have so enjoyed Above Rubies over the years as I’ve been raising my children. My children are grown now. I don’t need it anymore.”

I think, “Help! You don’t need it anymore? I still need it!” I am a mother! My motherhood didn’t stop when my children grew up because this is who I am! God created me a mother. I had all that mothering instinct in me from a little child. I still have it today and I am a mother until I meet Jesus!

It’s who He created me to be, and my mothering is only to extend, and to be more and more. God promises us He will give us more. He will make it more and more, so don’t settle for what you’ve got! Believe for more and more, for greater, greater things! And an enlargement, and more understanding, and revelation, and joy, and blessing in your motherhood! Amen?

Let’s see what I’ve got here. Deuteronomy 11:21: “That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.” That’s what God wants for us in the land, in our land of motherhood, that our days will be as heaven upon the earth.

Deuteronomy 15:4: “For the Lord shall greatly bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it.” And once again, I’ll give you these nearly 70 Scriptures in the transcript, because that would take a little bit too long to give them to you here.

And now, lovely ladies, as we close today, number 20! The last point in this incredible journey of the land of motherhood. And the last point . . .

No. 20. IT IS THE GLORY OF ALL LANDS

Wow, that’s an amazing point to end on, isn’t it? Ezekiel 20:6 & 15. You can read it there. The land is called “the glory of all lands.”

We go to Hosea 9:11. In this Scripture, God talks about motherhood as the glory of the nation. It’s actually a Scripture of judgment. God is coming to Ephraim to judge them because they had turned away from the Lord. He has had patience, and patience, and patience. But they have kept turning away from Him. Now He says: “As for Ephraim, their glory will fly away like a bird.”

What is their glory? No birth, no pregnancy, and no conception. In other words, God says that birth, conception, and pregnancy are the glory of the nation. When God’s judgment was upon them, He said, “I’m going to take away your glory.” That was to take away the blessing of conception, pregnancy, and giving birth to children. This is the glory of the nation, the glory of motherhood.

I have done lots of podcasts on THE GLORY OF WOMANHOOD. You can go to my webpage, and you can check the podcasts. Or you can check the transcripts. Just go down until you see the word “glory.” I have done quite a few series on THE GLORY OF WOMANHOOD, and THE GLORY OF MOTHERHOOD. You can catch up on those if you didn’t get to hear them.

In Daniel 8:9 and Daniel 11:16 & 41, again the Bible calls the land that God gave His people, it was called “the glorious land.” God intends our motherhood, this land of motherhood, to also be a glorious land.

I know, darling ladies, that many times you don’t feel as though it’s glory. Oh goodness, you feel it’s the opposite. Oh, yes. True, it’s not always easy, and it can be a mess, and it can be challenging, and it can be overwhelming. But you know what? It is still the glory. It is the glory. It all depends on our understanding of truth, and our confession.

I have shared with you now 20 descriptions of the land. Every one of them has been amazing. Now, we’re culminating on, “it is the glory of all lands.” It is the glory of all careers. It is exalted above every other career.

Let me just finish with Ezekiel 19. In this passage, God is giving a picture, an allegory about Judah. But he likens Judah to a mother. In Ezekiel 19:10, it says: “Thy mother is like a vine in thy blood, planted by the waters: she was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters.” A similar picture to Psalm 128:3 of the mother being “a fruitful branch, a fruitful vine” in the heart of her home.

MOTHERHOOD IS EXALTED

Ezekiel 19:11: “And she had strong rods for the scepters of them that bare rule,” talking about her sons and daughters growing up to be strong in God. “And her stature was exalted among the thick branches, and she appeared in her height with the multitude of her branches.” Here God pictures her, He pictures her as a mother, exalted.

The word in the Hebrew means, “to soar to a great height.” That’s how God sees motherhood. That’s how He want you to see it. All the world tells you it’s nothing. It’s just down in the pits. Oh, you know, you’ve got better things to do.

No, that’s the world telling you that. Do you believe this humanistic jargon? Or do you believe God’s Word? God’s Word says that motherhood is exalted far above, higher than every other career in the nation, because it is the most impacting, the most influential. We as mothers determine the next generation. Therefore, we determine the future, the destiny of the nation! Be encouraged, dear mother. Embrace your land of motherhood with all your heart. Embrace it in all its glory.

We did it! Twenty descriptions. But guess what? I haven’t finished yet, because now we’ve got to move on. Next time, we’ll find out what we have to do in the land. There are ten different things that God has spoken about what we’re to do in this land of motherhood. So, we will be going on to them, and continuing. But we’re closing now. May the Lord bless you with all of His blessings.

“Dear Father, oh, I pray that every young daughter, older daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, will receive the blessing of Your truth and Your revelation today. I pray that You’ll bring them into the glory of motherhood. I pray that you’ll bring them into the revelation that You have exalted the career of motherhood. Because you have exalted it, we know the enemy wants to deflate it and minimize it. But, Lord, we do not listen to his lies. We receive Your truth, that it is an exalted career, and You want us to soar to great heights. You want us, Lord, to be those who will rise up, rise up to be who You created us to be. Rise up in the power and the anointing of motherhood! To impact our family and our society and ultimately, our nation. We ask this in the precious Name of Jesus. Amen.”

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

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Transcribed by Darlene Norris * This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

If you have a moment, it would be lovely if you could email a little thank you letter to Darlene. She sacrifices much of her time to transcribe these podcasts for you and I know it would encourage her to know that you are blessed by her hard work. Thanks so much.

 

SCRIPTURES TELLING US TO OBEY AND DO HIS COMMANDMENTS IN THE LAND:

Deuteronomy 4:14; 5:31-31-33; 6:1-3; 6-9; 7:11-16; 8:1, 6, 7, 11; 10:13; 11:1, 8, 13, 22, 26-28, 32; 12:1-3, 32; 13:18; 15:5, 7; 19:9; 26:16, 17, 18; 27:1, 1;0, 26; 28”1. 2. 9, 13-15, 58, 59; 29:9, 29; 30:8, 10-14, 16; and 32:46, 47.

SCRIPTURES TELLING US THE LAND IS A GIFT:

Deuteronomy 1:8, 20, 25, 35, 39; 2:29; 3:12, 13, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20; 4:1, 21, 38, 40; 5:16; 6:10-12, 23; 7:13; 9:6; 8:10, 23; 10:11; 11:9, 17, 21, 31; 12:1, 9, 10; 15:4, 7; 16:20; 18:9; 19:1-3, 8, 10, 14, 21:1, 23; 24:4; 25:15, 19; 26:1-3, 9, 15; 27:2, 3; 28:8, 11, 52; 30:20; 31:7; 32:49; 34:4,52; Joshua 24:15; and Jeremiah 16:15.

 

 

 

 

LIFE TO THE FULL w/ Nancy Campbell

EPISODE 215: THE LAND OF MOTHERHOOD, Part 26

Allison Hartman is with me again, and we continue speaking about living in rest as a mother. That doesn't mean we are living easy, peaceful lives.  Allison and her husband Daniel run a photography business, plus Allison has new ideas and projects coming out of her brain every day.

Our home is continually overflowing with people. What does it really mean to live in rest? Allison also shares about her vision and purpose to raise productive children who know how to work hard! Her family are certainly a testimony. It is amazing what they accomplish.

Announcer: Welcome to the podcast, Life to The Full, with Nancy Campbell, founder and publisher of Above Rubies.

Nancy Campbell: Hello, ladies! Today we’re going to carry on with another point about the land of motherhood.

No. 16. IT’S A LAND OF REST

This is going to be something beautiful to speak about. It’s another adventure in this land, as we walk through it to find all that there is in it.

And, I have Allison Hartman with me again today! Before we get on to it, there’s one or two things I’d like to ask you, Allison. Last week, remember? It was actually just a little while ago, but we send it out each week. I was asking you about, how do you take your children from your ceiling for it to be their floor?

I was thinking about MacKenna, your oldest daughter. In motherhood, and how when you started in motherhood, you were a lot like most of us. We didn’t know what we were doing. But because God began to show you, by the time MacKenna was ready to be married, she was going into motherhood with a far different understanding. Tell us about all that experience. How did you start? And then, how did MacKenna start?

Allison: I don’t think I even realized. I think if all mothers of larger families, if we listed our blessings and benefits of having a large family, I don’t even think that that would have been on my list. I don’t think I realized it until just recently. We talked last time about desiring our children’s floor to be our ceiling, meaning we want our children to start where we left off, instead of starting from scratch.

Talking about motherhood, when you have raised, MacKenna’s our oldest of eleven children. She just recently had her own baby. You’re right, it is so incredible to see how far advanced she was in the world of mothering. There weren’t many things that caught her off guard. Maybe a little bit with the nursing, breastfeeding. She had a little bit of trouble there because that is something that is truly, you have to experience yourself.

But other than that, she has gotten on so well with being a new mother, because she’s truly such a natural at it, because she’s done it. She has changed thousands of diapers. She has dealt with hundreds of discipline issues. We're a little bit different from some families, where our older children, we have given them a lot of authority. When we’re busy with our business, we’re self-employed. We give our children that permission to be our substitute when we’re not there. We give them a ton of responsibility.

RAISING ADULTS

So, when MacKenna got married, she completely could run a household, completely! Probably better than me! As a mother, she was so much more prepared. When I got married, I can truly say I had never made a pot of rice! I’d never done a load of laundry! I didn’t do a load of laundry until I was in college. I got married right after college.

The things that MacKenna and Eden and Hallie, our oldest three girls, they are all, even our 16, 14, 11, 8-year-old, are probably more ready for motherhood and fatherhood than Daniel and I were when we were 23 and 29. I mean, far better. Because we are not, I’ve always said I’m not raising children. I’m raising adults. I’m raising mothers and fathers. My job is, when they are 16, they’re ready to completely run a household and know how to do that, in and out. Trust that they can make a meal from beginning to end, they can . . .

Nancy: They’re the most wonderful cooks. So amazing. In fact, when did you last cook a meal?

Allison: Oh, oh, I don’t know! [laughter] I can’t even say, I don’t know. It’s probably been five years? I don’t cook! I don’t cook. My girls don’t want me in the kitchen because they’re such better cooks than I am. We have this fancy coffeemaker, and I don’t know how to use it. If they leave me, I just sit in my bed and cry.

Not completely, but the thing is, they have raised their younger siblings to take their place, because they are gone so much. Now Hallie’s getting married, and MacKenna’s married, so they have trained their replacements. Hallie has trained Anna Lee, who’s eight, so she can make me a complete, amazing cup of coffee that’s just like Hallie’s. The eight and eleven-year-old girls can make a complete meal, from beginning, all the way to cleaning up and having the house spotless, if they needed to. A lot of times they don’t have to do it by themselves completely because the older ones are still at home.

But that’s my goal, not that you want to be, because I’m not lazy. I work so much, but I do different things, and that is not my strength. I don’t enjoy cooking. I wasn’t taught. My mom was a great cook, but her thing was always, get out of the kitchen, get out of the kitchen. She never taught us how to cook.

Nancy: So, how did your girls become such creative wonderful cooks? Was it because of necessity? [laughter]

Allison: They were absolutely starving! No, they really did pick a lot of it up on their own. We started doing Trim Healthy Mama, probably, I don’t know, ten years ago. Every Sunday, we would get the recipe book out, and we would say, OK, let’s make something together. Of course, that meant they did it. I just watched. [laughter]

They would make it and it was incredible. Then they would make it again, and make something else, and make something else. Now they can literally cook just about anything. They can throw stuff together and not even follow a recipe.

Nancy: And they can cook for a great big party. Doesn’t matter how many people.

Allison: Oh, yes. We have people over. Sometimes we’ll have 200 people over, and Eden will cook for everybody. It doesn’t even stress her out! I get stressed out. They are so calm.

Nancy: Yes. But anyway, ladies, we’re talking today, and Allison will share with us too, about motherhood being a land of rest. Here we are, we were just laughing before we started this podcast, because when the Hartmans come, you never know what’s going to happen. Here we are, just all peaceful, and all of a sudden, OK! Daniel says, “We’re going to paint downstairs! Everything’s going to be moved.” Then the girls go to paint the kitchen cupboards, so the whole kitchen is turned around. We’re going to talk about, it is a land of rest. [laughter]

Allison: Well, you might need another guest. [laughter]

Nancy: No, the amazing thing is that rest is not inactivity.

Allison: Sleeping in your bed.

Nancy: No, rest is not inactivity. Jesus said, “My Father works, and I work.” God created us to work. He gave the principle of work before sin came into the world. It’s a funny thing. When I was a young girl, I used to think that work came after sin came into the world. We had to work because sin came in. But no, that is not true.

Allison: Oh, wow.

Nancy: God gave the principle of work before ever sin came in. When He put the man in the garden, He told him to work in it, and to guard it. Work was given as a principle at the very beginning, as soon as He created man. Work is necessary for our well-being. It’s necessary for a good night’s sleep. It’s necessary for creativity. Creativity comes out of work. You’re doing something. People are doing this, and “Oh, I can think of a better way of doing this.” They create something, or a better way. Everything comes out of work.

When the Bible also talks about living in rest, it’s not just, OK, I’m having a vacation for the rest of my life. No! It is a rest in our souls. We can be so busy. One man of God, he used to sign his letters . . .  we say, “Yours sincerely,” “Yours faithfully.” He would sign his letters “Restfully busy.”

Allison: Wow! I love that!

Nancy: Isn’t that lovely? “Restfully busy.” We can be busy. We can have everything happening around us. We can have chaos, and we can still have rest in our souls. That’s the rest that we are talking about.

Allison: I think that there is, as everything is, culture has tainted what God has planned. They have this thing where they’re putting into women, “You need time for self-care. You need time of rest.” When they say that, that means to do what? Veg. Do you know what that word, that phrase in America, we say, “You just veg on the couch.”

Nancy: I don’t even know that word.

Allison: You don’t even know that. You don’t even have that. So, to “veg on the couch” means you sit on the couch, you put your feet up, and you have a remote control in your hand. You sit, and you watch TV. You do nothing but sleep. That’s rest. That is what today’s culture, when they say, “You should rest, you should put your feet up, you should watch some TV, watch some movies. Do nothing. Sit and eat, and enjoy yourself.” That’s supposed to be it.

That is something that we don’t do well at our house. We are constantly busy. My goal is to be raising children that have such a wonderful work ethic. They’re never going to have to worry about how they’re going to afford to buy food for their family. You do see a lot of work ethic issues with children, especially some of them, because maybe they’ve been homeschooled, and they haven’t been diligent about deadlines, or doing what you’re supposed to.

Nancy: Can I say something there? I am such a great believer in homeschooling.

Allison: Oh, I am too.

Nancy: The thing is, I was a high school teacher, back in the days before I was married. But I cannot compare the school system then to what it is now. Parents have to be aware of what is happening in our schools now. The whole agenda is transgender. They want to bring it right from the very beginning. They’re seeking to bring this in and promote it.

They promote Islam. They promote alternative lifestyles. All this is promoted in our schools, our colleges, our places where they are determined to turn out socialist young people. It is ultra-socialism. We’ve got to bring our children out of this absolutely diabolical system that it’s become.

But there is a disadvantage, in that I notice there are many homeschoolers, who, as you mentioned, that word, they do not know how to keep to time and schedules and how to keep working. This is not everybody, but it can happen. They can do a little bit of schooling, and then they say, “Oh, well,” and lie down and read a book. Or “I’ll just do this,” or “I’ll do that.” They’re not really motivated in a strong work ethic. Now, of course, there’ll be many homes where they are, of course.

Allison: I’ve been amazed. I’ve had people come and stay with us for a weekend around family. I can’t even imagine. My children, they wouldn’t even try. But some of these families, their children, during the day, are on their phones, or watching TV. That, to me, is like another world.

My children know that they’re allowed to do school. They’re allowed to do Bible bee, or they’re allowed to do a project, or a house chore. Those are the only three things that are allowed. Or they can eat. They can get some food. But a lot of times I’ll say, “Eat while you’re working.” That’s something we need to do better. We need to take time to sit and rest and eat.

Nancy: That’s when you do. Now, it’s interesting, because God established the work ethic. He also does want us to live in a state of rest in our inner being, even in the midst of great busyness, and everything happening. But He also gives practical ways.

He gives the day of rest each week, which I cannot say I’ve been faithful in that all my life. I’ve been more of a workaholic. But I realized you can’t do better than God. God knows what is best. He knows what is right. We are meant to have one day of rest, although most people today have a whole weekend. God says, “Thou shalt work six days, and the seventh thou shalt rest.”

But also, He wants us to rest at mealtimes. Those are times when we’ve got to eat, but they’re meant to be times of rest, where we sit and we eat. But we take time to fellowship, and to discourse with one another.

I notice there’s a Scripture. I didn’t bring it with me, but I’m just remembering it now. Jesus had been praying for the people and healing the sick. They were all surrounded by people. Just imagine, if you were surrounded by people from morning to night, you’d be getting pretty, whoo! Would you be feeling very restful?

But Jesus said to His disciples, “Now come. We’ve got to eat. So let us go and find a place where we can sit and rest our souls.” Everything in the Word is there for our learning. It’s there as a principle. It’s there as a lifestyle. God puts His lifestyle there. (Scripture at end).

Allison: That’s something we talked about, learning from each other. Every time I’m here, I always enjoy watching you. You value mealtimes and that’s something I really have learned. My husband grew up with a single mom. So, mealtime was not fun. She would make maybe a pot of something, and it would stay out. You would serve yourself and then you went and sat in your room.

We have really valued, based on learning from your experience, and what you’ve taught us. We really do value and honor mealtimes, especially evening, because we are always busy during the day. But we really do. We’re not morning people. But we do, at dinnertime, we’re very faithful to that.

Nancy: That’s interesting, isn’t it? The day is for work. OK, but we take time to eat, especially the evening meal. It’s interesting. I’m thinking of it now. Revelation 3:20: “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”

When we look up that word “sup” in the Greek, it is the exact word for the chief evening meal of the day. That’s the chief meal of the day, when the family comes together, or whoever’s coming. The workday has ended, so we’re coming together to fellowship, and eat, and chat together.

That’s what God talks about when He comes into our lives. He says, “I want to come in and sup with you.” It’s the word “supper.” To sit at a meal and fellowship. He wants to fellowship with us. He even uses that description for when He comes into our lives to fellowship with us. That evening meal is a very important time of the day. “

Let’s look at a few Scriptures, and we’ll talk about them as we go. Matthew 11:28: “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” I often think of that as the first rest, because we go on to a second rest here.

The first rest is when we come to Jesus. We come with all our sins and mess of our lives. We ask His forgiveness, and we are forgiven and cleansed through the blood of Jesus. We’re born again. We find that rest of sins forgiven and guilt gone. How amazing!

But then it goes on to say that Jesus said: “Take My yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” I think there’s even a greater rest than forgiveness even, because there’s a rest we have in our souls. We have that as we learn of Him. We learn of His ways and we learn His truths. As we come into them, it brings more and more rest into our souls, doesn’t it?

I think there’s a rest. This rest in motherhood, we’re talking about this land of motherhood as the land of rest. Well, you may be thinking, lovely young mum, “Help! I don’t feel restful at all! I’ve got children screaming. Oh, goodness me, I’m just overwhelmed with it all!”

JESUS IS YOUR REST

But, dear mothers, OK. Even when it’s all going haywire, and everything’s happening, you can have rest in your soul because Christ is your rest. It’s not your circumstances that are your rest. It’s your rest in your soul. Christ, who comes to dwell within you, is your rest.

We learn. We don’t learn that all at once. We learn it more, that, “Yes, I can have rest, Christ is my rest. I’m not trusting on having all my circumstances perfect.” Because if you wait for perfect circumstances, you’ll never have rest! But in the midst of imperfect circumstances, we can have rest, because Christ, who is our rest, dwells within us.

Allison: Can I share a practical tip about rest? As you described, we’re definitely not a restful-type people from the outside. But one tip that I have found, being a mother of eleven children, and now having all the way from a nursing baby to a 23-year-old. Many of you know this. Training your children is so important.

But even our oldest, at three, I taught her how to do simple things, like make my bed. I love my bed being made. But that takes time. Me making my bed takes away from me doing something else that maybe she can’t do. So, at three, I taught her how to make my bed exactly the way I wanted it made. Then I would praise her. She would make it and I would praise her. Then the next day, she would get up and say, “No, no, no, no, don’t go in your room! I want to make your bed!”

Now I have her, at 23, and all these in between, my children pretty much take over and do everything that needs to be done and help. I don’t necessarily do a whole lot of the stuff in the house, like the daily chores, because I’ve trained them to do them. That in itself can give a mother rest.

You may not have a 20-year-old, and a 19-year-old, and a 17-year-old living at home that you can say, “Do this.” But that doesn’t mean you can’t start, even when they’re three. Let them put away. Let them fold the towels. There’s no reason that a three to five-year old should not be doing all the towel folding in the house.

Now, what you’re going to have to do is maybe not worry if they’re done perfectly. I don’t care. I’m not a micro-manager. I’m not a control freak. If they fold that towel and it’s semi-folded and in my drawer, I’m happy. But what that does, is while they’re folding those towels, they’re learning how to be a mother. They’re learning how to be an adult. But then I can get to do something else. To me, it’s a great practical tip of how to have actual, a little bit more free time when you’re not doing all that.

Nancy: There are these practical things too. And of course, you mention nursing. Oh, that’s the most beautiful thing that we receive in motherhood. When we’re nursing a baby, you know we have oxytocin, which is such a beautiful, calming hormone. It’s even called “the bliss hormone.”

While you’re nursing a baby, you have these, God gives you these glorious, calming hormones. It can be such a, wow, when you’ve got little ones around you, and everything’s happening. One’s crying, and one needs you for this, and another needs you for that. In the midst of it all, your baby cries. Oh, wow, you hardly know what you’re doing. But you put the baby to the breast, and all that wonderful, calming hormone just fills you. Isn’t God good?

Yes, it’s another wonderful part of the land of motherhood, where a young mother, or an older mother who’s still nursing her baby, still having children. That’s the wonderful blessing of having children! Many mothers stop at two, or maybe three. Then they stop this wonderful blessing that God gives to motherhood, this wonderful, calming hormone of oxytocin. You can keep having it if you keep having children! You’ve still got it now! It’s so great, isn’t it?

THE REST AND THE REFRESHING

Oh, and here’s another one that’s very interesting, too. Let me go to Isaiah 28:9-12: “Whom shall he teach knowledge? And whom shall he make to understand doctrine? Them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.”

I see that in the whole context of teaching our children. Here the Word of God says, how are you going to teach them? Well, it’s “precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little, and there a little.” It’s that beautiful life-teaching in the home. You’re teaching life, and you’re not sitting your children down for three hours and saying, “OK, this is what’s happening.” No, it’s little by little. And in doing that, it’s very restful. What does the Bible say? This is the way. This is the refreshing.

It’s the same thing as Deuteronomy 6, that we’re to teach our children when we’re sitting down, walking by the way, which means driving in the car, or wherever we are. We’re teaching, and this is the rest. This is the refreshing. It’s not this great big thing, “I’ve suddenly got to become like a public-school teacher.”

No. The interesting thing, too, it says here, “But they would not hear.” Many people think, “Well, I’m going to homeschool, but I’ve got to do this great big thing.” But no, it doesn’t have to be like that. We can do it in rest. It’s interesting that often when the Bible speaks about rest, there’s a resistance. In this passage, there is a resistance.

I had a mother come to me one time, and she said, “Nancy, I’m totally overwhelmed! I just can’t keep up with life.” I said, “OK, tell me what you’re doing.” She said, “Well, Monday I have to take my children to violin lessons, Tuesday we’ve got to go to this lesson, Wednesday I’m doing this,” and she was just carting her children everywhere, all around, to all these lessons!

I said, “You’re making me tired just listening to you! How do you do it?” She said, “Oh, but I’ve got to do that.” I said, “OK, your choice. You can carry on doing that. But if you want rest, you don’t have to do that. The Bible says your children will learn just “line upon line, here a little, there, a little, precept upon precept.” You don’t have to do what everybody else is doing!” Have you found that out too?

Allison: Oh, that’s so good. That’s so good. You know, we’re an athletic family. We love sports. But I tell you, that the times, and we did do sports, but we always did it as a family. In looking back, the amount of time that you spend running, and keeping your appointments, and, “Oh, I’ve got to be here!”

It’s too much. You’re right. That is exactly I think why families are so “stressed out” all the time. But that’s also why they lose their children’s hearts. They lose them in those older years because they’re running so much. They don’t really get to spend time sitting down, talking with you. They’re being influenced by all these outside things. It’s so dangerous.

Nancy: Yes. And sports, organized sports are usually at that later part of the day. Therefore, the mom is running them around, and doesn’t get home in time to prepare the meal. They don’t get time to sit down together as a family. Therefore, they’re not going to read the Word together. They’re not going to pray together. They’re just going to be out there with some sport. OK, families have got to work out what they are going to do. You’ve got into volleyball, didn’t you? But you did it as a family.

Allison: We did. We did.

Nancy: And you have to watch that, OK, the sport that one child is having is not overtaking the whole family. Most of our grandchildren have never been in any organized sports out here.

Allison: But they’re all so athletic!

Nancy: Oh, yes! And, of course, they play out here on the lawn. They play soccer, they play football. Of course, they play volleyball on the volleyball court. They’re constantly having that, playing sports, and with people. But it can take over your life.

Allison: Some people might be thinking that they don’t have cousins, and they don’t have what y’all have here. But that’s been the beauty of this Above Rubies retreat that we’ve done. We have met so many other amazing families through this. Just a weekend here, and a weekend there.

We’ve traveled. You can find your people. You can create, but I think we have to be very intentional when we do get together with other families. That we find those like-minded families, and we fill those . . . Because every child wants to do what everyone else is doing. But that doesn’t mean it has to look like everyone else.

It could maybe look like you’re taking your family and you’re going to Florida, and you’re spending time with our family. We’re playing volleyball as families, and we’re going to the beach. They want that activity, and they want that interaction. But don’t feel like it has to look like everyone else, where you have to put them in a youth group, or you have to put them in a school.

We go to a family-integrated church where there is no youth group, and oh, I love it! After church, all the boys play football for probably an hour. It is wonderful! You can find a family-integrated church where everyone is doing things together. You’re filling that need, and you’re not having to do these practices five nights a week. That will wear anyone out.

Nancy: It does! Oh, yes! You cannot be a family. We’ve got to find that rest in family life. There is rest in that. When you be. The greatest, I think one of the most enjoyable things is that when you can sit down with family and talk and fellowship together. That’s usually around the mealtime. That’s a wonderful restful thing.

Allison: But rest isn’t necessarily just laying down. I was just thinking about my children right now. They’re doing a project. You can have a great, fun, restful time by doing the project together. Let’s redeem something. Let’s buy a camper and remodel it, and then go camping! Thinking of ways to do things as a family. Or helping someone out. Going over and redecorating someone’s house together.

We just recently, last week, had a family from Orlando. We’re not the neatest, most organized family. She saw that. She brought her children to my house, and they stayed for a few days. They worked as a family, and got my house all organized. It was so neat!  They didn’t rest according to what the world would say. But we had a blast with them, working. But then we would, at mealtime, we took them out to dinner. We made dinner at home. It was a wonderful time, but we were able to get a lot done.

Nancy: Yes, absolutely! Now, I just think back. I would find, when my children were young, they would play. When they’re little, they love to have a time playing. It wasn’t just playing with a few little toys! No, toys were so boring! But they would have this project.

I would allow them to turn my whole house around. They would get all the chairs, and they would make it into a train. They were just little wee things. They could hardly push the chairs, but they did it! They could push sofas around! That’s what they wanted to do! They would arrange this whole thing. I don’t know what it was. It was going to be a train going somewhere. They’d spend hours doing it, and then they’d be so tired. What they were preparing it for, they never played. It was the actual project of getting it done.

That was preparing them for life. It was their play, but it was real life. It shows that the greatest fun you can have is actually making something happen.

Allison: Then they’re so proud of themselves. Like what they’ve done here at your house. They don’t brag on themselves, but you can tell they’re like, “We did that!”

Nancy: While we’re talking here, they are working!

Allison: I know! We’re just sitting here talking, doing nothing, and they’re down there working!

Nancy: I know! I said to you, “OK, the last time we had this painted, we got in some professional people. It took them a whole week to do the downstairs.” I said, “You simply cannot do this in two days!”

You said, “Yes, we can!” Well, now, you started this afternoon, and apparently, it’s just about, amazingly finished already! Help!

Allison: Yep, but many, many hands make light work. They’ll get a bunch in there and help them.

Nancy: Yes. Oh dear, well, time goes so quickly, doesn’t it? So, dear lovely ladies, young mums, you’re just in the midst of your little ones all around you. You haven’t yet got older ones to help. But be faithful to train them, because you will find that you’ll reap the blessings. Middling and older mums, do be encouraged. Be encouraged to give your children a vision, and work, yes, and projects! Oh yes, you will be so blessed. May God give you vision, give you wisdom, and show you His ways.

“Lord, we pray for each mother listening today, each young person listening today, that You’ll give them great wisdom and understanding. Lord, we know that every family is unique. Every one is different. Not one of us going to run our homes the same way, and we don’t have to. But Lord, we pray that You’ll show us how You want us to manage our homes, how You want us to train our children.

We thank You, Lord, that You are with us in this great, amazing, incredible career that You have given us as we train children to be the next generation, and to impact the whole nation. That’s what we’re doing as mothers. We thank You, Lord, for this great, powerful, influential role that You have given to us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.”

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

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www.aboverubies.org

Transcribed by Darlene Norris * This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

If you have a moment, it would be lovely if you could email a little thank you letter to Darlene. She sacrifices much of her time to transcribe these podcasts for you and I know it would encourage her to know that you are blessed by her hard work. Thanks so much.

QUOTE:

“If you wait for perfect circumstances, you’ll never have rest!

But you can have rest in the midst of imperfect circumstances for Christ who dwells within you is your rest.”

SCRIPTURE ABOUT EATING IN REST:

Mark 6:31: “And Jesus said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were m any coming and going, and they had no LEISURE so much as to eat.”

 

HERE ARE THE DATES!

THREE FAMILY RETRATS FOR LAGUNA BEACH, FLORIDA IN 2023!

Families come from all over the States to these retreats. Some are coming from overseas!

January 4 – 11 - The winter retreat!

If you live in the cold in a northern state, take this opportunity to come down to the warmth and sunshine of Florida and receive wonderful blessings as a family at the same time!

Above Rubies Gulf Coast January Family Retreat 2023

Registration fee: $200

Housing is VERY limited, assigned through Gulf Coast Above Rubies Organizers

This coming January, from the 4th-11^th

Speakers: Nancy and Colin Campbell

Teaching, worship, prayer, small groups, great fellowship, family activities, volley ball and basketball competitions, fun games on the beach. The schedule and meal info will be released soon. 

If you would like to join us for our first ever WINTER family retreat, make sure to register asap!! We only have about 25 housing units available for this retreat, and they will be first-come first-served to those that register and pay through the link below! 

*If you are not satisfied with the housing that is available by the time we get to your name on the list, we will refund your registration at your request at that time. Otherwise, the $200 registration fee is non-refundable. The great news is that we will get the winter rates for campus housing, and the prices are incredibly affordable!!!! 

Gather your friends, old and new, and join us for this exciting week of fellowship together! We can’t wait to be with you!

If you have any questions about this new retreat, please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Registration link:

https://forms.gle/dJcXHQCbwJw1UTmw9

April 19 – 26 – The popular annual retreat!

Above Rubies Gulf Coast Spring Family Retreat 2023

Registration fee: $200 (non-refundable)

Meals $60/person ages 3+

Housing is assigned through Gulf Coast Above Rubies Organizers, but payment for your housing will go directly to Laguna. 

This is our biggest retreat serving over 100 families during our week of fellowship, sessions with Nancy and Colin Campbell, breakout sessions with gifted speakers and teachers, family activities, and incredible worship! Come as a friend but leave as family! If you aren’t already registered, sign up now! We still have room!

If you have any questions about this family retreat, please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

Registration link:

https://forms.gle/iERkREjdmgkA6D1V7

August 9 – 16 – The Reunion

Above Rubies Gulf Coast Family Reunion 2023

Registration fee: $100 (non-refundable)

No meals are offered at the reunion, but potlucks tend to happen a few times! 

Housing is assigned through Gulf Coast Above Rubies Organizers, but payment will go directly to Laguna. 

Have you attended one of our family retreats before? If so, we’d like to invite you to a reunion on the beach! Join your favorite families for a week of fun and fellowship! Nancy and Colin will join us for a few sessions, and we will host a handful of family activities, but this week is much more laid back than the typical retreats. 

If you have any questions about this family retreat, please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Registration link:

https://forms.gle/oMhpTs7a6GyEz8bg7

 

 

 

LIFE TO THE FULL w/ Nancy Campbell

EPISODE 214: THE LAND OF MOTHERHOOD, Part 25

“OUR CEILING SHOULD BE OUR CHILDREN’S FLOOR”

Today I have Allison Hartman from Pensacola, Florida with me. The Hartman’s are staying with us for the week of 4^th July. They are the family who organize the Above Rubies Family retreat in Panama Beach, Florida each year. Allison talks about the next one coming up in April 2023. She also talks about starting a Farmer’s Market in their community which is turning out a great blessing for them and the whole community. And we begin a new adventure in the land of motherhood. It’s a land of living in rest. Well, what is that like with the Hartman’s and others packed into our home, taking on a project of painting our huge downstairs social room and our kitchen cupboards all in two days before they fly out to Arizona! Can we live in rest when everything is in a shambles?

Announcer: Welcome to the podcast, Life to The Full, with Nancy Campbell, founder and publisher of Above Rubies.

Nancy Campbell: Hello, ladies. Today I have with me Allison Hartman, all the way from Pensacola, Florida. Allison has been on the podcast with me many times. Whenever they come to stay, we usually try to do a podcast together.

They have been staying with us for the Fourth of July. As we are doing this podcast, we actually celebrated the Fourth yesterday, and had the most glorious, wonderful, amazing day. Whenever we celebrate anything, I often think, “Wow, does anybody else in the world celebrate like us?” We really go to town.

Yesterday, as usual, our tradition is, we have a double banger. We start with our luncheon. This time we had it over at the wedding barn. This is the new barn that Sam, Serene’s husband, has been building. It’s getting better by the day. Most wonderful building. We were able to have, for the first time, our Fourth of July luncheon in beautiful comforting air con.

As usual, we started with the Prayer of Allegiance and singing the national anthem. Allison and her husband Daniel both spoke a little about freedom, which is all about our liberty. We wanted to celebrate that. Then we ate!

Allison: That’s right.

Nancy: What do you want to say, Allison? Did you enjoy yesterday?

Allison: It’s such a fun, fun time. I love seeing how there are so many different people come. It’s amazing. You guys can really pull off a big party quickly. So many different people from different backgrounds. It was fun. It was a great time.

Nancy: Yes. Then we, in the evening, we came back to our place here and had our traditional Fourth of July barbeque. I was trying to think, how many people came? Was there a couple of hundred or more?

Allison: Probably so, yeah. The place was packed.

Nancy: It was packed. Then we had these massive fireworks. I think it was the best we’ve had in years.

Allison: Oh, I know, I know.

Nancy: Goodness me! We might as well have gone down to downtown Nashville! It was so unbelievable.

Allison: Fabulous. Yes, yes.

Nancy: So, we had a great night. Everybody fellowshipping, all the young people playing volleyball. They played volleyball from after the luncheon till about 11 o’clock last night!

Allison: It never stopped. Never.

Nancy: How they kept going, I don’t know.

Allison: There were probably 30 or 40 down there. The whole time they had, I think they had four to eight teams going. As two came off, two would jump on.

Nancy: Yes, they’ve got it worked out. Usually there are so many young people, I count about 30 down there in the evening. They don’t have people watching. No, they’ve got this worked out that they’re back and forward. They all get involved, the whole time.

Allison: And they’re good! They’re good! It’s not just playing hit the ball. It’s serious competition.

Nancy: It’s serious! In fact, I think back to when we first put the volleyball court in. It was the best thing we ever did. They were pretty hopeless! [laughter]

Allison: Oh, I would agree with you!

Nancy: Because you guys were better! But then they had to practice to be able to beat the Floridians.

Allison: Well, you guys have the height! Everybody here has the height, but they didn’t have the skill. We had the skill, but not the height. Now they have both and we still can hold our own. But yeah, Florida versus Tennessee is quite a . . .

Nancy: Something else, isn’t it? Anyway, Allison and Daniel and all the families who are here are also going to be going on in a couple of days to join Serene and Sam, who left this morning to, where are you going?

Allison: The Grand Canyon.

Nancy: Ooh, how great! Tell us about your plans.

Allison: Oh, goodness! Well, we decided that our tradition, every time one of our older children graduates from high school, we’ll do a senior trip. So, we’re doing this as our Hallie’s senior trip. Serene and Sam thought, “Well, we’ll let it be Cedar’s senior trip.” They went ahead and took an RV.

We’re going to fly because we had sky miles. We were able to fly for free, all of us. That was fun. We’ll meet down in Phoenix. We have two weeks to explore. Sam’s got a couple things laid out, but for the most part, we’re just going to go and find out what happens when we get there. Kind of like we did in Israel. We had no plans, but it was always quite an adventure. We may end up in a Walmart parking lot with our RVs. Whatever we do, it’ll be fun, because we love that family.

Nancy: Well, two years ago, you all took off together, over to Israel that time. Maybe Sam will also want to take you out to his property out in New Mexico.

Allison: Yeah, that’s in the plans. That’s on his list of things to do, is to go to New Mexico. I don’t even know. He has it all planned out, but nowhere to stay yet. [laughter]

Nancy: That sounds so great! You should tell the ladies about your latest adventure! Whenever Allison is around, something is going to be happening. She can’t stop thinking of new things. Her latest is a Farmer’s Market! Tell us about that!

Allison: We live in Pensacola. During our slower season with our photography business, the only slow season we really have is during the summer. So, if I’m going to get anything accomplished, other than our normal work, it’s going to have to be during the summer.

I started thinking about a month and a half ago that I would love to have a place where my children could sell their stuff. We’re obviously a very entrepreneurial family. We own a photography studio. But my children are always selling things. My son grows moringa trees. Our girls, our little girls, eight and eleven, have been making sourdough bread, sourdough starter, and kefir. Our eight-year-old double-ferments kefir and wanted to sell it.

I thought we needed a place where they could really sell it, and there’d be a good amount of people there. We have a storefront, but I couldn’t figure out how to get people there. Sometimes I would have them set up a little table, like a lemonade stand style, and advertise it on Facebook. But we might only have two or three or four or five families come by and buy a few things.

I thought we need to have a place. So, we put it out there to the public, and said, “Would anybody be interested in joining us and doing a Farmer’s Market?” Well, the news station found out about it. The newspaper found out about it. They gave us a ton of free advertising. We went ahead and launched it.

Four weeks ago. we started a Farmer’s Market in our town. There are, right now we have 220 approved vendors on the list, anywhere from produce, to plants, to jewelry, woodworking, animals, dog treats. You name it. Coffee shop, there’s a coffee shop. There are bakery items. Yeah, we started a little farmer’s market. Now we’ve got about 50 – 60 vendors coming each week.

We’ve done it four weekends in a row. Each weekend we’ve had about 2,000 people come to shop it. It’s really a neat way to meet other people in your community. Also, if we did have food shortages, this is a perfect connection with other farmers and people that are growing their own things.

Nancy: Yes, yes. And your rule is, that they can only do it if they grow it or make it.

Allison: Yeah, you have to have it, it has to be grown, created, built completely, or at least mostly, by you. It can’t be things you buy and resell. But I encourage anyone out there, if you’re in even a small town, that doesn’t have a really thriving, and I mean at least 40 to 50 vendor market, start one! Because this is going to be a way where we can really connect with other people in our community and be able to buy and sell goods without worrying about food shortages, or whatever else is to come.

The Bible says to divide your substance to seven parts, even to eight, because you don’t know what evil could come upon us first. We’re seeing just a little bit, when it happened with covid, food shortages, things that you couldn’t get. Toilet paper, who would have ever thought? I think it’s wise for us to have, not only storing things up for ourselves, but have connections with people. Hey, I know where I can get coffee. I know where I can get honey. I know where I can get milk, eggs, things that we’re all going to need.

Nancy: Yes, and I think your husband Daniel sees it as maybe in the future, an opportunity to even barter with one another.

Allison: Absolutely. Absolutely. That’s the way things were back then. There’s a reason they call them “the good old days.” There were things that people did back in the day that it was very wise. Us buying everything on credit cards, people going into debt for things, spending way too much on retail.

You know, you have a chicken, and you have honey, and you get together and you make a swap. That’s the way we need to get back to. One tangible way to do it is to get involved with a Farmer’s Market or start one yourself.

Nancy: Tell us some of the things that your children are doing there.

Allison: Our older children who are married, and then our two older girls (who stay here often with you) they’ve started a coffee shop out of an old vintage Airstream camper. It’s super-cute. It was our camper that we used but we decided it would be a lot more helpful to have it as a coffee shop. They gutted the inside and put in a nice big wooden countertop so customers can walk right up to the window and order their coffee.

Our one son does the moringa trees. He grows them from seed, and he sells them for $15 a tree. Our first market he made $800 selling trees. My little six-year-old makes homemade lemonade out of lemons from our trees and stevia. Our daughter sells kefir. She’s eight.

Nancy: Emily makes that kefir herself.

Allison: She makes it herself. The grains we got from you guys. We keep fermenting it and double fermenting it.

Nancy: Don’t they sell the grains too?

Allison: They sell the grains for $10 for just one tablespoon of grains. The thing is, with supply and demand, if you can’t get something, then your supply is low. Your demand is high, which means you can ask pretty much whatever you want. These things they’re selling online for $14, $15, $20. For $10, if you can’t get it, that’s a great deal.

So, we’ve got kefir, sourdough, plants, coffee, vanilla extract. We made our own homemade vanilla extract. But then, like I said, we have vendors who are selling all sorts of things.

Nancy: Apart from all the vendors you have, you, as a family, how much do you make on just a few hours on Saturdays?

Allison: The first day we did it, our family made $2500 in three hours. Right now, we’re charging vendors a $10 vendor’s fee for a 10-foot area. Right now, all that money is going towards buying things like garbage cans and advertising. We’d like to buy a sound system so that we can make announcements. But eventually, once we have all of our supplies, we’ll be able to use that money. Also, I can pay one of our children to run the Farmer’s Market. That would be a little side business.

Nancy: Wonderful! Then you shared it yesterday, and I think some of our folks are already getting. . .

Allison: Yeah, if you’re in the Primm Springs-Nashville area. . .

Nancy: Well, Centerville.

Allison: Centerville. They’re going to start one, it sounds like very, very possibly soon. They want to do the same ideas.

Nancy: That’s all exciting! And yes, you’ve got to tell us, update us on the Above Rubies retreat down in Panama, Florida!

Allison: Yes, yes, yes, yes! This annual retreat we’ve been doing in Panama City Beach, Florida, right on the Gulf, I don’t even know how many years we’ve been doing it. But this past retreat in April, I think we had 850 people come. It was wonderful! Just a great retreat. Wonderful.

Almost every family that came wants to come back. Of course, they all want to bring a friend, so we’ll eventually have to bust out of there, or build a new building. That was fun. We got to talk to the owner, you and me. That was fun. They’re definitely thinking of ways to make a bigger area for us.

Nancy: So, therefore, can people still register?

Allison: Yes. It’s actually, right now, if you came to the last one, we’re giving all those families a few more weeks to re-register for 2023. Then we will open it up for any new family. Probably in the next week or so we’ll have it open for any new family.

This is definitely one of the most popular retreats, because we’re right on the beach, there’s so much to do for children and young people. It’s just amazing. I think we had over 100 families come. Almost every one of those is going to go home, tell a friend, and invite someone else.

Nancy: It’s so wonderful. The families coming, with all their children, some with just a few little ones, but many with grown children, which makes so many young people. The young people, they’re beginning to make life-long friends.

Of course, what we love, is we hope that maybe some of them will find the one that God has for them. The best place in the world for young people to find their future husband or wife is amongst beautiful families and kindred spirits, young people who love the Lord with all their hearts.

Allison: There’s so many like-minded families all over. But within their own towns, a lot of these families are saying, “I have no one like this. I don’t know anyone like this.” We all come together twice a year, but what’s happening . . . Any other time we’ve done a camp, right after the retreat, you might keep in touch with one or two families. But that’s about it. Then you see each other the next year. But that’s not what’s happening.

During the conference, we always have a group chat. We’ll share announcements and messages, and “Hey, change of plans. We’re meeting here,” or “We’re starting dinner now,” whatever. But what’s happened with this particular retreat, the Gulf Coast Above Rubies Family Camp, is that all these families have become such good friends. Their children are now getting in relationships. They are all visiting each other all over the state. It seems like every week someone’s visiting another family at their house in different parts of the world. This group chat that was meant just for announcements is now a continuing daily conversation with all these like-minded families.

Nancy: Someone’s having something happen. “What should I do about this? Got any ideas?” And people are sharing. It’s so incredible! Helping one another.

Allison: It’s amazing. Most of these families don’t have similar-minded families at their own house. Or family members. So, it’s like you have these immediate group of people that have created themselves a new family that’s maybe not blood related. But it’s so much stronger.

So, yeah, I talked to a family today that asked, “Hey, could I come to y’all’s house, even though you’re going to be out of town? We want to look for a house, maybe, in your city.” It’s really neat.

The next official retreat is April 20-23. In about a week, it will be open to the public where people can book. Right now, it’s just for those that came last year, but if you are interested, and you heard about it, or you’re just now hearing about it, reach out to me. I’m Allison Hartman. I can put my phone number on the podcast, and you can call me, you can text me. We also have a Facebook page called Gulf Coast Above Rubies Family Camp. I can send you the link to register. But we also have a reunion. Do you want me to talk about that?

Nancy: Yes, yes. But I should say, if they really are interested, they need to contact you pretty well straightaway, because it’s going to fill up so quickly.

Allison: Yeah, the April retreat, this location that we go to is wonderful. But there’s only so much housing. Let’s just pretend all 100 families that came to the April retreat, they all go home. They tell someone, a family member, a friend. Then those people come and most of them have seven, eight, nine children. Some not. Some have less, some have more. But then they come. We were totally maxed out this past time. So, if all the families brought someone else, we would not be able to house them all. If you’re even interested a little bit, you need to not procrastinate, and book right away.

Nancy: And then, now you have a reunion too, don’t you? They’re coming up next month.

Allison: Yes, in a couple of weeks. It’s going to be in August, August 10-17. What happened is, the year that covid happened, we weren’t allowed to meet in April. They allowed us to meet that August. Well, because we had already booked that date, they said, “Do you want to lose April?”

We said, “No, we want to keep April.” They said, “OK, we’ll give you April, but do you want to keep August?” We thought, “Well, some people might want to get together twice a year. So, now we do our official big conference in April. But then in August, about a third of the families will all come back to the same location.

We have a reunion. We don’t have everything scheduled. We won’t have designated speaking times. But some families like it even better. We did lots of cookouts together. We did a date night. We did a talent show. We did a game night. We did a worship night. We had a ladies’ tea. It’s such a fun, laid-back way to get together with 30, 40 families that are, I would say, very like-minded, from all over.

Nancy: So, you can still book in for that at the last minute, if you want to. Just a beautiful vacation with wonderful people. So great!

You know, we were talking the other day, Allison, about our children, and what purpose do we have for them, as we’re training them and raising them. You said something, how your vision is that you want your children not to start where you started, but to start where you are now. Tell us about how that’s working out in your family life.

Allison: That’s exactly our, me and my husband’s vision. A couple of years ago, we heard a man, a guest preacher at our church, who came. He made a statement that you should want your children’s floor to be your ceiling. We both looked at each other and thought, “That’s what we want!” We want our children to start where we left off.

In order to do that, there’s a fine line between enabling, and encouraging and supporting, and being like a trampoline for your children. You see some parents that think that they need to do that, by buying them things, or giving them that boost to get where they need to be. I think really, that’s a disadvantage to your children. If you’re buying them everything, and then “setting them up for success,” you really didn’t set them up for success. You set them up for failure.

Nancy: Absolutely!

Allison: Because that’s not real life. People in life just aren’t going to give them things. What we’re trying to do, let’s say, for example, Ethan, our 16-year-old, is bound to be an entrepreneur. He wants to be a businessman. But what does a 16-year-old not have? Well, he doesn’t have a car. He doesn’t have a phone, because we don’t believe in iPhones. We don’t do social media at all for our teenagers, young adults.

Our older married daughter has a phone, and our 20-year-old has a phone. But he doesn’t have that. He doesn’t have contacts, meaning customers. He wants to sell moringa trees internationally, all over. At least nationally. So, what can I do to help him be successful with that?

Well, I help him brand it. I help him come up with logos. I created a big banner, and I ordered it for him. I advertised it for him. We created a Farmer’s Marker for him. We’re doing different things to help him be successful, but yet, he’s doing it all himself. We’re just helping him.

When Daniel and I are “done raising children,” they’re going to be so successful where they’re at, once they begin their marriage. Like our oldest daughter, who’s married, she’s teaching swim lessons. She does the Infant Swim Rescue. Instead of going off to college, which is what most people her age would have done, we encouraged her to look into this Infant Swim Rescue.

So, she, at 19, started teaching children to swim and rescue themselves. Now, she’s doing it in our backyard, which I guess you could say, that’s kind of enabling her. But not really. We already have the pool. We might as well let her use it. She’s able to come, which is wonderful, because we get to see our grandbaby every day. We’re helping her. She’s making great money. She teaches swim, makes a hundred dollars an hour.

Our son-in-law works for our photography business. He also is starting this coffeeshop. He also has a wood-working business. For that, we helped advertise it on Facebook. We just try to do different things to get their name out, encourage people to buy their stuff.

Again, we’re spring boarding them, using the talents that we already have. I’m a huge marketer. Anyone that has an idea, I’ll help them get the idea out. Of course, my children, I love them to death, so I want to help them. I want to encourage them.

Nancy: Yes, I think back to our children, when we were raising them. We didn’t give them anything, everything they needed. They had to work for it. I believe that children have to learn to work for what they get, because, as you say, when they go out in that world, they’re not going to get it given to them. They’ve got to work for it.

Of course, they all had their different abilities and personalities. But our oldest son was an entrepreneur, more than anyone else in our family. Right from a young age, if he wanted something, well, we didn’t say, “OK, here it is.” No, he had to work. He would go to the dump, and he would find stuff. He would go around the houses selling it. He would do anything. Anything he wanted, he got. But he didn’t get it through it being given to him. He found a way of getting it.

Today he’s such a very successful entrepreneur. He has so many businesses, and he sells them, and gets more businesses, and so on. But he learned that at a young age.

Allison: Here’s another advantage. How many people out there listening have young people, teenager-age, that are constantly getting in trouble? Doing things, wasting time, hanging out with friends that really aren’t that good.

When you are helping them create a business, they are so busy. They don’t have time to be on their phones, playing video games, doing things that are mindless. They’re constantly busy, and they’ll get excited. It’s so cute.

At the market that we started, our little ones will sell something. Then they’ll sit and count their money. And then they’ll look at all the other vendors to think what can they spend their money on? They’re so young.

Our little six-year-old, the first day of the market, he made $100 selling lemonade. I think he spent $100 because he would take his money and run across and buy a duck or buy whatever he could buy. Thankfully, the duck people were sold out so he couldn’t buy a duck!

It keeps them so busy. They’re so proud of themselves. But it really keeps them out of trouble.

Nancy: And it makes them so productive. I look at your children and I am totally and absolutely amazed. We haven’t really explained in this podcast, but our grandson Cedar, who is Sam and Serene’s son, is engaged to Halley, Allison’s beautiful daughter. Also, another one of Serene’s sons, Vision, is courting Eden, another one of her daughters. It’s rather beautiful.

Oh, goodness me, I have really never seen young people like these. In fact, the whole family, every time the Hartmans come to our place, they don’t just sit around on the sofa and visit. Wow! Everything starts happening! They simply cannot come without doing a project.

One time, when they came up, Daniel looked at our deck and thought, “Oh, goodness me, this is getting run-down. It needs redoing.” He redid our whole deck! It was amazing.

Another time they came, he looked at our shed. Is that what you call them here? Our shed, tool shed, junk shed, you know how you put everything in the shed. Oh, goodness me, you could hardly walk into it. Daniel gets in there, and he completely revolutionizes the whole thing!

Was it earlier this year, I think, when the girls came up? Cedar and Vision, our grandsons, and Halley and Eden, these beautiful young girls, got stuck in. They ripped out our carpet. They put down all the wood floors.

I have to admit, Allison’s girls are beautiful. You look at them and think that they’re just little princesses who would sit on sofas. Wow! Do they know how to work! They were down there, putting down this floor. They also painted all the walls of the living room.

Then they came back a couple of weeks ago, and they painted the bedroom walls! They cannot come to this house, or go anywhere, without doing something. Now, help! Now, they’re here for two days before they fly out. They decided, “OK, I think we’ll paint downstairs.” That’s where we have church, and our social room, and all our big family gatherings. Now we’re in the midst of complete renovation downstairs! And the girls are also deciding to paint the cupboards in the kitchen! It's just unbelievable.

But, you see, Allison and Daniel have trained them how to work and how to get stuck-in. They never just sit around. They’ve got to do a project.

Allison: Honestly, you’re such a blessing to us, so it’s how could we ever repay you? But this is something I think we, as the body, not everyone has talents. Nobody has the same talents, so where you have poured your time into so many mothers and families, but you don’t necessarily take the time to think about your own stuff.

It would be a blessing if someone did that to my house, so this is their way of pouring back into you guys. They do love seeing a project, from start to finish, and see stuff get done. I’m more of a delegator. I get things started and then they’ll do all the hard work.

Nancy: She trained them to do the work! But the amazing thing is, they do everything so perfectly and amazingly and they know how to do it. Everything they tackle. In fact, I remember, was it the last retreat, or one of them anyway, where the food that you had ordered didn’t come. The truck couldn’t make it. So, there you were, with over 800 people to feed and no food. But you just sent Eden to Sam’s Club to order all the food. What 19-year-old girl . . .

Allison: $6,000 worth of food.

Nancy: Yes! How many 19-year-old girls can take that responsibility and go and do it? It’s just amazing. You’ve been pretty great parents.

We’ve been chatting about everything that’s happening here. But I think we’ll do another podcast together. We may get onto my next point about the land of motherhood because we’re still doing that. You can find out next podcast what it will be. Love you!

Let me pray for you:

“Father, we thank You again for these times where we can chat together about family, and the things we do in each other’s families. Lord, I pray that You will inspire the precious mothers today. Lord, give them vision for their children. Save them from being parents who enable their children, giving them whatever they want. Lord, that’s not good parenting.

Lord, we have to be parents who prepare our children for life, prepare them to face the challenges, prepare them how to work, prepare them how to know how to cope, and live, and work in this life. We ask for Your wisdom, Lord God. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.”

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

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Transcribed by Darlene Norris * This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

If you have a moment, it would be lovely if you could email a little thank you letter to Darlene. She sacrifices much of her time to transcribe these podcasts for you and I know it would encourage her to know that you are blessed by her hard work. Thanks so much.

 

HERE ARE THE DATES!

THREE FAMILY RETRATS FOR LAGUNA BEACH, FLORIDA IN 2023!

Families come from all over the States to these retreats. Some are coming from overseas!

January 4 – 11 - The winter retreat!

If you live in the cold in a northern state, take this opportunity to come down to the warmth and sunshine of Florida and receive wonderful blessings as a family at the same time!

Above Rubies Gulf Coast January Family Retreat 2023

Registration fee: $200

Housing is VERY limited, assigned through Gulf Coast Above Rubies Organizers

This coming January, from the 4th-11^th

Speakers: Nancy and Colin Campbell

Teaching, worship, prayer, small groups, great fellowship, family activities, volley ball and basketball competitions, fun games on the beach. The schedule and meal info will be released soon. 

If you would like to join us for our first ever WINTER family retreat, make sure to register asap!! We only have about 25 housing units available for this retreat, and they will be first-come first-served to those that register and pay through the link below! 

*If you are not satisfied with the housing that is available by the time we get to your name on the list, we will refund your registration at your request at that time. Otherwise, the $200 registration fee is non-refundable. The great news is that we will get the winter rates for campus housing, and the prices are incredibly affordable!!!! 

Gather your friends, old and new, and join us for this exciting week of fellowship together! We can’t wait to be with you!

If you have any questions about this new retreat, please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Registration link:

https://forms.gle/dJcXHQCbwJw1UTmw9

April 19 – 26 – The popular annual retreat!

Above Rubies Gulf Coast Spring Family Retreat 2023

Registration fee: $200 (non-refundable)

Meals $60/person ages 3+

Housing is assigned through Gulf Coast Above Rubies Organizers, but payment for your housing will go directly to Laguna. 

This is our biggest retreat serving over 100 families during our week of fellowship, sessions with Nancy and Colin Campbell, breakout sessions with gifted speakers and teachers, family activities, and incredible worship! Come as a friend but leave as family! If you aren’t already registered, sign up now! We still have room!

If you have any questions about this family retreat, please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

Registration link:

https://forms.gle/iERkREjdmgkA6D1V7

August 9 – 16 – The Reunion

Above Rubies Gulf Coast Family Reunion 2023

Registration fee: $100 (non-refundable)

No meals are offered at the reunion, but potlucks tend to happen a few times! 

Housing is assigned through Gulf Coast Above Rubies Organizers, but payment will go directly to Laguna. 

Have you attended one of our family retreats before? If so, we’d like to invite you to a reunion on the beach! Join your favorite families for a week of fun and fellowship! Nancy and Colin will join us for a few sessions, and we will host a handful of family activities, but this week is much more laid back than the typical retreats. 

If you have any questions about this family retreat, please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Registration link:

https://forms.gle/oMhpTs7a6GyEz8bg7