Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

“I identified with the article that you wrote in this latest one about setting the table. From when we were first married, and through the years of bringing up our family, we always sat down to a nicely and properly set table. To me, to meet around a table set nicely makes it a lovely meeting place to come together.

“Not long ago I invited my lovely 30-year-old granddaughter and her fiance in for an evening meal. When they came in the door and saw the table all set, I heard her say quietly, “Wow,” and she looked at me with a big smile. It set the evening off to be a lovely time.

“I had friends in not long ago for lunch and I had the table nicely set for them and the time together went really well. A nicely-set table shows we care about those who will be at the table with us.

“When the children were home, we never sat at the TV at mealtimes. He liked the table being set well for the meal. He insisted the butter knife was with the butter dish and a spoon was in the jam dish as he was bought up having meals around a set table too.

“I am a widow now but still set my meal place at the table. For us older women, it is a place and time we can use our nice things and also welcome people to our tables.

NathalieNorris * This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

How can you bless someone back when you feel hurt and mad at them? Only by God’s grace. Only by the power of Christ’s love and forgiveness that is in you because Christ lives in you. God’s ways are opposite to the way we feel, but they always work.

Can I encourage you to try it? Is your husband cold and indifferent to you? Does he say things that hurt you? Think of ways to bless him. Take time to think of blessing words to say to him. Speak kind, sweet, and loving words to him, even in the face of his indifference. You won’t feel like doing this, but let me tell you, you will be amazed at the miracles that will take place when you do it God’s way.

Proverbs 12: 25 (TLB): “A word of encouragement does wonders.” Try it. It works.

Proverbs 15:1: “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.”

Proverbs 15;15: “A soft tongue breaketh the bone.” Soft and submissive words can break the hardest heart.

Love from Nancy Campbell

Picture: Sunny-side-up eggs. Art by Soosh.

I recently wrote you a post called YOU CAN CHANGE PEOPLE’S LIVES. Scroll down to read it. It’s all about how we should greet people and how our words can change lives. I loved reading some of the testimonies on the thread and, in case you missed seeing them, I would like to share them with you so you can be blessed too.

THE BEST FAMILY IN THE WORLD
“Our children are grown, and we are all going different directions everyday, but my husband started a family text to greet each other every morning or say goodnight. He always says something like "Good Morning, you wonderful people. I have the best family in the world!" We feel "washed" every time! So now we all express those kind of things to one another in the morning or randomly through the day.”

THE POWER OF NAME MEANINGS
Another lovely testimony: “I love this! I have wonderful story I'd like to share. One time I led worship at a women's retreat and one of the things we brought into the teaching time was the meaning of each other's names. Mine, Katherine, means “pure one.“ Before my flight from TN back to AZ, I called my husband to let him know I was on the plane, but when he answered the phone, he, NOT KNOWING how we were greeting each other at the retreat with our name meanings, said to me, "Well good morning, Pure One!"

“It was such a God designed moment and so on point that I thought my retreat coordinator friend had called him and told him to greet me that way, but she had not. He had been teaching our children that morning about names and what they meant, and I happened to call during the teaching time; hence, his greeting me as he did.”

FROM BICKERING TO LOVING
Another reader wrote: “When I was in third grade my wise teacher had all the children in her classroom write down something we liked about each other, and then made a list of the compliments for each student. It still makes me smile to remember those compliments. Today, after seeing this, I asked my small children what they loved and appreciated about each other, and this conversation turned their attitudes from squabbling and bickering to gratefulness and care for each other. Amazing! Thank you for this timely reminder, Nancy!
“
“I love this! I greet my twins many mornings by saying, “Good morning, mommy’s love and joy”!”

“I always call my children "my lovelies "

I love this last one, because I often call my husband Lovely. It may seem strange to you, but I never call him by his name of Colin unless I am speaking about him. When talking to him directly I call him Darling or My Lovely etc. Because he is closer to me than anyone else and is my dearest husband, it seems too common to call him the name everyone else calls him. In over 57 years I have always used an endearing name for him.

My husband is also so wonderful at blessing everyone each morning. At the end of our Family Devotions, he will always say, “May you have the greatest day of your life.” Or “May this be the best day you have ever lived so far!”

One time he went through the alphabet and used a different adjective of the alphabet each day. For example, “May you all be ANOINTED of the Holy Spirit today.” Or at the end of the alphabet, “May you all be ZEALOUS for God today.”

Remember, every time you open your mouth, speak life. Speak hope. Speak encouragement. Speak positive affirmation. Speak wisdom. Speak health. Oh yes you can keep sickness out of your home by speaking health and wholeness.

Fill your home with encouraging and healing words.

Love from Nancy Campbell

I certainly agree so here is Elissa’s picture. I’d love you to send me your pictures too, either of your family already for church, or even a picture of folk worshipping in your church. I am sure we will all be encouraged as we, the people of God, seek to live in truth and not be silenced and dumbed down by liberal socialists who hate God and want to silence the people of God.

When Obama was president, he said: “Whatever we once were, we are no longer a Christian nation.” I don’t believe this at all. I believe there is a great silent church, but it’s time the church stopped being silent and stopped becoming victims to the rise of communism in our nation. It’s time to rise up.

It all starts with families. Families are the ones who decide they’ll go to church and take their families with them and who will not compromise and surrender to communist ideals. When the disciples were COMMANDED that they were not to teach in the name of Jesus, Peter answered: “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5;29).

Now I know there will be some who will say that are seeking to protect others from getting sick. Once again, are we trusting in the flesh or in God? Romans 8:11 says: “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. “

Dear lovely ladies, when God’s people come together, the power of God is released. God in our midst (Matthew 18:20). When each believer has dwelling within them the Spirit of God that raised Jesus from the dead and that makes alive our mortal bodies, how can we be passing on sickness to one another?

If we don’t stand up now, the communists liberals will feel empowered to put more and more pressure upon us and we will soon face more persecution for our faith.

Email your pictures to me by attachment at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Thanks so much. I can’t wait to see your pictures.

Love from Nancy

Praise the Lord, there is now a petition you can sign to stand up for your freedom to worship God. I think we should all sign it, don’t you? Of course, we know that our greatest weapon is to pray. “If my people . . . “ Yes, God has promised that “IF MY PEOPLE, which are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will HEAL their land.”

Let’s humble ourselves and pray. Let’s seek God with all our heats. Let’s turn from every wicked and worldly way. And let’s stand up for truth—sign petitions, speak out the truth, and stand for our God-given freedoms.

We have God’s Word on our side, and we have the Constitution of this great nation on our side:
“The Frist Amendment (Amendment) to the United States Constitution PREVENTS (my capitals) the government for making laws which  regulate an establishment of religion, prohibit the free exercise of religion, or abridge the freedom of speech, the freedom of the press, the RIGHT TO PEACEABLY ASSEMBLE, or the right to petition the government for redress of grievances.”

We also need to be reminded of the ruling of the US Supreme Court shortly after the Civil War which still stands today: “Neither the legislature nor any executive or judicial officer may disregard the provisions of the constitution in case of emergency . . .

“Section 98 therefore, ANYONE who declares the suspension of CONSTITUTIONALLY GUARANTEED RIGHTS (to freely travel, PEACEFULLY ASSEMBLY,
earn a living, freely worship, etc.) and or attempts to enforce such suspension within 50 independent sovereign continental United States of America is making war against our constitution(s) and therefore, we the people. They violate their constitutional oath and, thus, immediately forfeit their office and authority and their proclamations may be disregarded with impunity and that means ANYONE, even the governor and President.

It’s time for the church to rise up with one voice and tell our government leaders and the rulers of big tech that we refuse to be silenced!

Do you want your freedom to sing in church? Click to sign:
https://www.letusworship.us/join/…

This is something we started when my mom's health began to go downhill. I would call her during our daily prayer/praise time in the morning. A few times a week we would sing one song, the children would say they loved her, and then we'd sign off.

After she died, we started calling their other three grandmothers this way. My dad's current wife asked if we would call a good friend of hers who has been self-quarantined for more than three months due to her health.

I wish I would have started this much sooner. It just takes a little more time, but the feedback that we have gotten has been very positive and we feel much more connected to our family far away. They don't expect us to be polished since we are not performing for them, but rather inviting them to sing with us, even if only in their hearts.

I think that sometimes we homeschooling mamas feel a strong desire to minister beyond our homes and I see this as a way to do this without neglecting our primary calling.

I just thought I'd share since there might be other families who want to try it. I know that there are so many lonely older people out there who would be greatly blessed.

Love from Paula Smith * This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

13 college presidents
65 professors
100 lawyers and a dean of an outstanding law school
30 judges
60 doctors and a dean of a medical school
80 holders of public office including:
3 United States Senators
3 Mayors of large cities
3 State governors
Third Vice President of the United States, Aaron Burr
Controller of the United States Treasury.

Members of the family wrote 135 books and edited 18 journals and periodicals. They entered the ministry in platoons and sent 100 missionaries overseas as well as stocking many mission boards with lay trustees. They directed banks, insurance companies, owned coalmines, iron plants and vast oil interests.

Winship states: “There is scarcely any great American industry that has not had one of this family among its chief promoters.”

Because of the responsibilities of Jonathan Edwards' ministry, Winship goes on to say: “Much of the capacity and talent, intensity and character of the Edwards family is due to Mrs. Sarah Edwards.” The influence of one godly mother has continued down through the generations to affect the destiny of the world.

In contrast to the Edwards family, 1200 of the Jukes' family were tracked down. They originated with one immigrant who settled in upstate New York in 1720 and produced a tribe of “idleness, ignorance, and vulgarity.” Only 20 of the 1200 Jukes' ever had any gainful employment and all the others were criminals or lived on state aid.

How are you influencing future generations?

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

P.S. Wouldn't it have been nice if they had smiled for pictures back in those days?

And what about your children? When you go out to the breakfast table, do you greet them with positive and loving words?
“Good morning, my most amazing and incredible children.”
“Good morning children. I love being your mother!”
“Good morning to my mighty world changers.”

And what about the people you meet? Paul wrote to the Colossian believers: “To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ. . . Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Colossians 1:2). Do you notice that he called them “saints” and “faithful”? The word “saints” is “hagios” and means “holy, set apart, sanctified, consecrated, and pure.” He greeted them with the positive words: “holy and faithful.”

Why don’t we try to encourage people when we meet them? How lovely to greet friends in a way that will uplift their souls:
“So great to see you today, dear faithful friend. How are you?”
“What a joy to see your smiling face. You light up my day.”
“What a joy to see you. May you be blessed today.”
“I’m blessed every time I meet you.”

Change someone’s life every time you open your mouth.

Be encouraged and blessed,

Nancy Campbell

Therefore, as you nurse your sweet baby, love on your little one, and mother and train the other children God has given you, you are in the perfect will of God! You are doing what God intended you to do. And remember the wonderful promise in 1 John 2:17: “He that doeth the will of God abideth forever.”

What attitude should you have to fulfil the perfect will of God? We read the attitude of Jesus in Psalm 40:8: “I DELIGHT to do thy will, O my God.”

Are you delighting in your motherhood? We decide what attitude we will have each day. We can choose to delight in our mothering. To embrace it with all out hearts. To praise God even on the challenging and difficult days. Or we can give in to self-pity and complaining. What does that do? It changes everything into drudgery!

Does someone who serves God in a foreign country and suffers hardship for the name of Christ become disillusioned and grumble about their difficulties? No. They embrace it all with joy because they are serving God. They know they are walking in God’s will.

The perfect will of God is not always the easiest path, but it is the eternal one. The greatest one. The only one. And it brings into joy (Psalm 113:9 and Hebrews 12:2).

Which will you choose today?

Love from Nancy Campbell

Artist: John Fernandes, India, 1951 - 2007.

But that's not the end of the Scripture. It goes on to say: "Therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee."

God longs to be in our midst, but He dwells in holiness. Therefore, He wants us to make a holy home. He doesn't want to see anything unclean or shameful. The word "unclean" actually means "nudity, nakedness, the genitals, shame, disgrace, uncleanness." This Scripture reveals that even in the home we should be careful as parents, and also teach our children, not to expose private parts. Some families can be too free in this area. In establishing a godly home we must keep to God's ways if we don't want Him to turn away from us (Leviticus 18).

We establish holiness first in our own lives and then it works out in our homes. 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17 says: "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." These are strong words, aren't they? And they are New Testament!

The word temple is "naos" and literally means the "Holy of Holies." It was in the Holy of Holies where God dwelt in all His shekinah glory. There is no longer a temple in Jerusalem but now God wants to dwell our mortal bodies. He wants us to become His Holy of Holies. This is truth. Can you take it in? It's revolutionary. These same words are spoken again 1 in 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20 and 2 Corinthians 6:16.

In fact 2 Corinthians 6:16 repeats the truth of our Scripture in Deuteronomy 23:14. It says: "Ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, AND WALK IN THEM; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people."

Dear friend, you are God's Holy of Holies where He wants to dwell. Let's seek to make this truth reality in our lives. And as we do, we will make our homes into a Holy of Holies.

The greatest blessing of this nation is godly and holy homes whose foundation is in God's living Word. Is your home filled with a holy atmosphere or a worldly atmosphere?

Be blessed today,

Nancy Campbell

Painting: Joseph Clark *(1834 - 1926) English

Isn't that so wonderful? You need Him so much. But you need not despair, because He is right near you, waiting for you to call out to Him. He has promised to be near to those who call out to Him (Psalm 145:18). He is waiting and watching to deliver you. He will help you defeat your enemies. He is a "very present" help in your trouble (Psalm 46:1).

Thank Him for His presence with you. Thank Him that He is with you as you nurse your baby, as you change diapers, as you clean and care for your children. It will make all the difference as you acknowledge His presence.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

Picture attributes: Unknown

When the children of Israel passed through the land of Seir, God told them to make sure they paid for anything they ate or drank.

Deuteronomy 2:6: “Ye shall buy meat of them for money, that ye may eat; and ye shall also buy water of them for money, that ye may drink.”

The same happened when they passed through the land of the Moabites. When they came to the land of Sihon, Moses told King Heshbon: “Thou shalt sell me meat for money, that I may eat, and give me water for money that I may drink” (Deuteronomy 2:28). They were ready to take responsibility for what they used.

God gives us a biblical principle for everything in life. We should always seek to pay for what we need, for what we eat and drank, and for what we use. If we break something that belongs to someone else, we should replace it. If we lose something that belongs to someone else, we should replace it. If we are invited to eat with a family for dinner, we should bring something toward the meal.

I am always challenged by the example of David when he wanted to purchase the threshing floor of Aruunah in order to build an altar to the Lord. Araunah offered it freely to David: “Take the threshing floor. And look, here are oxen for you to use. And here are the threshing instruments. Use them all freely.”

What did David answer? “I will surely buy it of thee AT A PRICE: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that WHICH DOES COST ME NOTHING. So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver” (2 Samuel 24:21-24).

Let’s not be those who take everything for granted. Away with entitlement mentality.

Blessings to you today from Nancy Campbell

The company was shocked. They doubled their money. He could live a life of luxury.

The missionary turned them down again!

The company was puzzled. “We can’t offer you any more money,” they said. “But what else can we do to entice you?”

What was his reply? "The money's not too small; the job is!"

This missionary was working for an eternal reward.

Dear mother, you are doing the same. Motherhood is an eternal career. As you embrace your motherhood and train and nurture your children in a godly manner you are preparing them for eternity. Motherhood surpasses any other career, no matter how much you are paid. That money will never be worth the time you give up on spending time with your children.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

Art by Annet Loginova

The way to abundant life is losing your own life by pouring it out for others. Jesus takes the challenge even further when He said in John 12:24, 25: “Truly, truly, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.”

I love the lines from Elisabeth Elliot in her book “Love Has a Price Tag” where she writes: “The routines of housework and mothering may be seen as a kind of death, and it is appropriate that they should be, for they offer the chance, day after day, to lay down one’s life for others. Then they are no longer routines. By being done with love and offered up to God with praise, they are thereby hallowed as the vessels of the tabernacle were hallowed. A mother’s part in sustaining the life of her children and making it pleasant and comfortable is no triviality. It calls for self-sacrifice and humility, but it is the route, as was the humiliation of Jesus, to glory.”

In other words, it is the path to GLORY. Check out these Scriptures too: 2 Corinthians 4:16-18; Philippians 2:5-11; and 1 Peter 1:7, 11.

Have a beautiful day,

Nancy Campbell