Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

I recently talked to a friend from a different state who was staying in our home. As I spread the tablecloth in readiness for supper, she said “I don’t know one other mother amongst my homeschooling group who uses tablecloths.”

 

“Do you like naked tables?” I asked.

 

Just as I clothe myself, I love to clothe my table when we sit to eat. Dear young mothers with little darlings all around you, please don’t turn off as you read this. It is possible to use tablecloths even when your children are little. You can purchase a pretty tablecloth and a large piece of clear plastic. Place the plastic over the tablecloth and all you need to do is wipe it down at the end of the meal. You need to wipe down the table anyway, and it’s just as easy to wipe the plastic. Even better, you can purchase heavy plastic in beautiful designs and have it cut to the size of your table.

 

There are seasons in life. Now the children have grown, I no longer need to use plastic. I am amazed that I don’t have to wash my tablecloth every time we sit for a meal. I find I can use it several times before I notice marks on it. Plus, I like to use different tablecloths throughout the week.

 

I have a great supply of tablecloths and look for them at Goodwill. I have pretty pieces of material I use as tablecloths. I have some that have been given as gifts, but I’ve never spent a lot of money on them.

 

Do you know that it is possible to set a beautiful table even when you don’t have much? Get your children involved. They love to make things beautiful, and they are very creative. It may not look professional, but it will be special. Get them to go outside and find some flowers or greenery to put in a vase for the table. Teach them how to set the table correctly. Give each child a turn and encourage them to make the table as creative as they can. It will become a competition with the children to see who can make it the best.

 

Children should see that the table is the heart of the home. The more effort we put into making it beautiful, the more these memories will be implanted into their hearts.

 

I think we have placed a low status upon the table in our society today. Let’s lift the standard. I remember reading in John McCain’s book, “Faith of my Fathers” about how his parents came to each evening meal dressed for the occasion, his father in an evening suit and his mother in a long evening gown. I’m not saying we should do this, but it showed the importance they placed on the family meal table back in those days.

 

Of course, the children are far more important than the tablecloth and plates. But don’t negate these things, dear mothers. Even if you can’t do it in your most busy seasons (maybe a new baby in the home), do it as you can.

 

My goal for every meal is to “Make every meal a love affair.”

 

Love from Nancy Campbell

Are you mothering in your home?

If I had known in the morning

How wearily all the day

The word unkind

Would trouble my mind

I said when you went away,

I had been more careful, Darling,

Nor given you needless pain!

But we vex our own

With a look and tone

We might never take back again.

 

For though in the quiet evening,

You may give the kiss of peace

Yet it might be

That never for me

The pain of the heart should cease.

How many go forth in the morning

That never come back at night!

And hearts have been broken

For harsh words spoken

That sorrow can ne’er set right.

 

We have careful thoughts for the stranger,

And smiles for the sometimes guest,

But oft for our own

The bitter tone,

Though we love our own the best.

Ah, lips with the curve impatient!

Ah, brow with the look of scorn!

It were a cruel fate

Were the night too late

To undo the work of the morn.

 

~ Margaret Sangster

 

Reprinted from Above Rubies, #5 1978

A long time ago, I planned to be

an artist or celebrity . . .

 

A song I thought to write one day,

And all the world would homage pay,

I longed to write a famous book,

But what I did was learn to cook.

 

For life with simple tasks is filled,

And I have done, not what I willed,

Yet when I see boys' hungry eyes,

I'm glad I make good apple pies!

 

From Above Rubies magazine #9, 1979

A little message from Chrissy DeClue:

 

I was matching socks, and a friend came over to just say hi. She started talking about how she complains about mismatched socks. I told her about how I pray over my children and their socks as I match them and make sure they know I care for them when I ask for them to put them away.

 

CHRISSY DECLUE

If you scroll down you will see PRAYER REQUEST from Tara Fox for her friend’s husband who is in desperate need of a miracle. Here is an update from Natasha, his wife.

 

KEEP PRAYING FOR A MIRACLE

 

“Thank you for praying. We sure appreciate the prayers. Because of bad varicose veins, my husband developed a huge clot on January 29. There wasn’t enough circulation in his leg, and it kept infecting so he was on antibiotics for an extended period of time which allowed C diff to overrun his guts.

 

He was at work when he suddenly became short of breath and felt like passing out. We called an ambulance because we feared it was a pulmonary embolism, but it turns out to be worse. He had severe sceptic shock. He was taken to Kelvington Hospital where he was given anti-nausea, a bag of antibiotic, and a bag of saline, ransom lab work, and an x-ray and then was released in horrible condition.

 

I called the second ambulance that picked them up and en route his bp was 46/38. We nearly lost him!! The med staff in Tisdale saved his life. They put so much fluid in him that it flooded into his lungs. And now he is fighting pneumonia. His kidneys shut down. His liver shut down. He was swollen and turned yellow. He had a myocardial infection (heart attack). It took them hours to stabilize him enough to airlift to St. Paul’s. They called in a plane because it was faster than the helicopter. Then He had four ICU docs looking after him in trauma 1. It took them 13 1/2 hours to stabilize him. He certainly is not out of the woods yet.

 

Please keep praying.”

 

Let’s all keep praying for a miracle, Nancy

Molly Lilja tells the story of the funeral of an Above rubies mother.

 

Recently I attended my friend Nicole’s memorial service. Wow, I have never experienced anything like it. It was incredible to see the body of Christ come together to bless this family and help them pull off what was truly the most extraordinary memorial service most of us will ever witness. Our large family friends do everything big!

 

The service was held at the Yakima Valley Sundome, the only venue in the area large enough to accommodate the gathering. For two days, people voluntarily worked tirelessly to set up, serve, and clean up after an unforgettable event. It began with a two-hour service where her children rose up and called her blessed, followed by a beautiful lunch, rich fellowship, and thoughtful activities for the children—gaga ball, coloring pages, ride-on bikes, big wheels, pickleball, arts and crafts, and even a dedicated space for nursing moms.

 

Later, they served pizza and ice cream, and the evening closed with hymn singing and prayer. Nine hours of celebrating Nicole’s life!

 

Nicole was a dear friend, though I didn’t see her often. She and her family lived in the middle of nowhere. We connected at family camp and prayer nights, attended Above Rubies retreats together, and shared sweet fellowship whenever our families met up.

 

She poured her life into her family of 10 children, supporting her husband and his business, homeschooling her children, and caring for her aging parents. Her hospitality was unmatched. She didn’t have a lot of time to reach out to friends, yet do you know how many people attended her memorial service?

 

One thousand! Yes, one thousand people gathered, not to honor a celebrity, a millionaire, or a high-powered executive—but a homeschool mom. A woman who gave one hundred percent of her time to her family. The world might tell us that this kind of life is small, insular, and insignificant, but that is simply not true.

 

Many people close to Nicole gave her a hard time for trusting God with her family size and homeschooling, but the fruit of her faith is truly inspiring. God’s design is perfect, and in Nicole’s life, we see proof of that—a woman who quietly devoted herself to her family made a lasting impact on so many.

 

One thousand people spent nine hours celebrating her life—a powerful testimony to the influence of a mother who walked in obedience to God’s calling.

 

“Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: ‘Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all’” (Proverbs 31:25-29).

 

Ladies, keep on keeping on. We are changing the world, one home school lesson at a time.

 

MOLLY LILJA

 

Read also Hebrews 12:1-3.

A couple of week’s ago I posted the weekly devotional called, WHERE HAVE OUR BIBLES GONE? Loads of ladies loved it. One mother, Emma Kangas (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) wrote with a very good point which I must add and send to you:

 

“There is one point I’d like to add. When you’re a mama with children at home, and you read your Bible on your smart phone, the children don’t see you spending time in God’s Word. As far as they can tell all phone activity is the same. You may be on social media, watching videos, texting, endlessly scrolling—they do not know. And they won’t internalize the message that God’s word is so important that Mama spends lengthy times in the Word daily. They just see how attractive and addictive a phone is.”

 

I think that’s a good point too, don’t you?

 

In case you missed this devotion, you can go to:

 

Where Have Our Bibles Gone? | Above Rubies Women's Email Devotional

 

~ Nancy

This is the last hymn for the week. I said I would send you one each day for a week. This is a favorite hymn of mine. I can remember sitting at the piano and singing this as a late teen, the time when I began to seek God with all my heart. Of course, you wouldn’t have wanted to hear me singing—I can’t sing for sour apples. But I sure love the words. I pray that they will bless you too, and they will also be your prayer.

 

~ Nancy Campbell

 

It passeth knowledge, that dear love of Thine,

My Savior, Jesus; yet this soul of mine

Would of Thy love in all its breadth and length,

Its height and depth, its everlasting strength,

Know more and more.

 

It passeth telling, that dear love of Thine,

My Savior, Jesus; yet these lips of mine

Would fain proclaim to sinners, far and near,

A love which can remove all guilty fear,

And love beget.

 

It passeth praises, that dear love of Thine,

My Savior, Jesus; yet this heart of mine

Would sing that love, so full, so rich, so free,

Which brings a rebel sinner, such as me,

Nigh unto God.

 

But though I cannot sing, or tell, or know

The fulness of Thy love, while here below,

My empty vessel I may freely bring;

O Thou, who art of love the living spring,

My vessel fill.

 

I am an empty vessel—not one thought

Or look of love to Thee I've ever brought;

Yet I may come, and come again to Thee,

With this the empty sinner's only plea,

Thou lovest me.

 

Oh, fill me, Jesus, Savior, with Thy love!

Lead, lead me to the living fount above;

Thither may I, in simple faith draw nigh,

And never to another fountain fly,

But unto Thee.

 

Lord Jesus, when Thee face to face I see,

When on Thy lofty throne I sit with Thee,

Then of Thy love, in all its breadth and length,

Its height and depth, its everlasting strength,

My soul shall sing.

Especially for you, mother

 

This beautiful hymn was written by a wife and mother, Annie Hawks. She writes: "One day as a young wife and mother of 37 years of age, I was busy with my regular household tasks during a bright June morning [in 1872]. Suddenly, I became so filled with the sense of nearness to the Master that, wondering how one could live without Him, either in joy or pain, these words were ushered into my mind, the thought at once taking full possession of me – 'I Need Thee Every Hour. . . '"

 

Did you realize that if you sing all the verses and the refrain between each verse that you will sing “I NEED THEE” 20 times? There are times when you’ll desperately want to sing this hymn!

 

I need Thee every hour,

Most gracious Lord;

No tender voice like Thine

Can peace afford.

 

REFRAIN

I need Thee, oh, I need Thee;

Every hour I need Thee;

Oh, bless me now, my Savior!

I come to Thee.

 

2

I need Thee every hour,

Stay Thou near by;

Temptations lose their power

When Thou art nigh.

 

3

I need Thee every hour,

In joy or pain;

Come quickly and abide,

Or life is vain.

 

4

I need Thee every hour,

Teach me Thy will;

And Thy rich promises

In me fulfill.

 

5

I need Thee every hour,

Most Holy One;

Oh, make me Thine indeed,

Thou blessed Son.

Lead your children a little closer to God each new day.

Yesterday I showed you a picture of our hymn books which we keep beside our dining room table. We also have hymn sheets which I have printed out with mostly hymns that we can’t find in our hymn book. As you can see, they look welI-used. I also have a fourth one on my computer which is nearly ready to print out.

 

When the young grandchildren are with us for devotions, they love to choose which color they would like and then choose the hymn. They often choose the yellow sheets so they can ask for No. 9, JOY IS A FLAG, which they all love to sing with great gusto with us all waving our hymn sheets in the air for our flags.

 

This morning at family devotions we sang No. 8 on our yellow sheets, WHITER THAN THE SNOW. Such a wonderful hymn.

 

1.

Blessed be the fountain of blood,

To a world of sinners revealed;

Blessed be the dear Son of God—

Only by His stripes we are healed.

Though I’ve wandered far from His fold,

Bringing to my heart pain and woe,

Wash me in the blood of the Lamb,

And I shall be whiter than snow.

Refrain:

Whiter than the snow,

Whiter than the snow;

Wash me in the blood of the Lamb,

And I shall be whiter than snow.

2.

Thorny was the crown that He wore,

And the cross His body o’ercame;

Grievous were the sorrows He bore,

But He suffered thus not in vain.

May I to that fountain be led,

Made to cleanse my sins here below;

Wash me in the blood that He shed,

And I shall be whiter than snow.

3.

Father, I have wandered from Thee,

Often has my heart gone astray;

Crimson do my sins seem to me—

Water cannot wash them away.

Jesus, to that fountain of Thine,

Leaning on Thy promise, I go;

Cleanse me by Thy washing divine,

And I shall be whiter than snow.

 

Blessings from Nancy Campbell