Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

We used to have Poem Nights when our children were young and now we continue to do it with all the grandchildren. We are having another Poem Night in about three weeks. All the children are now learning their poems (or, I hope they are learning them) in readiness to recite at our evening. Every child will have an opportunity to share a poem, right down to the little ones, even if they can only memorize two lines! It won't be a short night with about 30 of them to have a turn!

Anyway, here is another poem our children learned when they were young. It's one by Edgar Guest, one of my favorite poets.

THE THINGS THAT HAVEN'T BEEN DONE BEFORE

The things that haven't been done before,
Those are the things to try;
Columbus dreamed of an unknown shore
At the rim of the far-flung sky,
And his heart was bold and his faith was strong
As he ventured in dangers new,
And he paid no heed to the jeering throng
Or the fears of the doubting crew.

The many will follow the beaten track
With guideposts on the way.
They live and have lived for ages back
With a chart for every day.
Someone has told them it's safe to go
On the road he has traveled o'er,
And all that they ever strive to know
Are the things that were known before.

A few strike out without map or chart,
Where never a man has been,
From the beaten path they draw apart
To see what no man has seen.
There are deeds they hunger alone to do;
Though battered and bruised and sore,
They blaze the path for the many, who
Do nothing not done before.

The things that haven't been done before
Are the tasks worthwhile today;
Are you one of the flock that follows, or
Are you one that shall lead the way?
Are you one of the timid souls that quail
At the jeers of a doubting crew,
Or dare you, whether you win or fail,
Strike out for a goal that's new?

Our children loved the lines of the last stanza, and especially the last two lines...
"Or dare you, whether you win or fail,
Strike out for the goal that's new!"

They have done and are still doing things that others have never done before. Did the words they learned as a child have something to do with it?

Love from Nancy

All this talk of poetry inspired me to quickly write one, but the baby is calling so I must run! Enjoy, love Michelle

Sure I'm 'pro-choice', what can I say?
I get to make my own choices every day.
I choose to live my life as a believer you see,
And that means the Bible reveals how I should be.
It means I respect life at every stage of the game.
From conception to the grave, it's all the same.

The Creator makes each one so individual,
And each life truly is such a miracle!
Why would I interfere with His creative power?
The very thought of trying to makes me want to cower!
HE knows best, I know this full well,
So resting in His will makes me feel just swell.

And being 'pro-choice', I get to choose each day
How to live my life in a way that'll really pay.
So each day I choose to submit to my role
As a wife and a mother, and I feel totally whole.
It is so fulfilling, and challenging too,
There is never a dull moment in our family "zoo".

Sometimes I even choose to bite my tongue
And that keeps my marriage much more fun.
I sometimes choose to serve selflessly
And those are the days that I really feel free.
I can also choose to praise instead of criticize
Following that advice is a good word to the wise.

I love all of the choices I get to make.
Nothing about them makes me feel fake.
I have chosen the good path, of this I am sure;
For there is no other workable cure.
To live this life full of sin and pain
I need God's grace to remove my stain.

I have always loved poems. And I love rhymes. I loved reading to my children when they were young and especially loved reading them books in rhyme. That's why Bill Peet was my favorite children's stories author. Have you ever read any of them? Wonderfully illustrated and fun to read.

I also encouraged the children to learn poems. I would pin Scripture verses and positive little poems up around the house, and even in the toilet--a great place for them to read and memorize! Here's one the children loved and learned when they were young and they can all still quote it today. You may like to share it with your children, too.

TWO LITTLE MEN
Two little men stood looking at a hill,
One was named, Can't and one was named, Will.
Can't said, "I never in the world can climb this hill."
So there he is at the bottom of it still!
Will said, "I'll get to the top because I will."
Two little men are living by the hill,
At the bottom is Can't, at the top is Will!

I'll share another one with you for your children, tomorrow.

Love from Nancy

It is so easy to become complacent, isn't it? We get into a groove and find it comfortable. We may love the Lord with all our heart, but if we in a rut, we are a sitting duck for the enemy. We cannot stand still. We must continually move forward. God is always leading us onwards to more and more of all that He has for us.

When we get into a rut, God sometimes needs to prick our nest. Or give us a push! One of the Hebrew words that is used for teaching our children God's ways is "lamad." It comes from a root word that means an ox goad which they used to prod the oxen to keep them working.

In Gary Inrig's book, "Hearts of Iron, Feet of Clay," he tells the story of an old man traveling on an ocean liner." A huge storm blew up without warning. One woman lost her balance and fell overboard. People stood frozen with horror. Suddenly, a man plunged into the wages, grabbed her, and held her until a rescue boat came. When they were pulled out, everyone was astonished and embarrassed to discover that the hero was the oldest man on the boat--a man in his eighties.

That evening they held a party to honor him. When they called on him to make a speech, the old man rose slowly. He looked around at the people, then said, "I would like to know just one thing." There was an embarrassed silence. "Who pushed me?"

To move forward in God's kingdom we often need a push. or perhaps lots of goading. Our children need goading. Making a set time to have Family Devotions with our children each day gives God an opportunity to gently push our children in His ways and lead them on to all that God has planned for them. There is nothing more powerful than the daily input of God's Word. Weekly church attendance (not just when we feel like it) is also important in the lives of our children. It gives another opportunity for God to push them into His ways.

Let's not get comfortable in our nest, but always be open to God's pricks. We don't like it when our nest is upset, but often this is the only way God can lead us on to new things He has for our lives. If God had not pricked our nest in New Zealand, we would never have moved on to Australia. After nearly 10 years in Australia, God upset our nest again. It was a very difficult time to go through, but if it hadn't happened, we would not be in USA today where we know we are God's perfect will. We need God's pricks and pushes.

Love from Nancy Campbell

As for the one who shares my life,
It was my choice to be his wife!
And for our jobs, if I could choose,
I wouldn't want to wear his shoes.

No, I won't sign the lib's petition
To do away with wife's submission,
I'd be a fool. to boss my spouse,
I want a man and not a mouse!

I do not have to prove my might
For we are equal in God's sight,
But we're to function differently,
God made us that way purposely.

He's my provider, what a gem,
And I'm a helper fit for him.
To live the role God planned for me
With joy, makes me completely free!

Are we a "seeking first" family? I'm sure you can repeat Matthew 6:33 by heart, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."  We know the Scripture well, but do we act it out?

I think that if we are a "seeking first" family, we'll begin the day seeking God, don't you? Not only individually, but as a family. How paramount it is to start the day with FAMILY devotions, gathering the family together to hear the living Words of God and to pour out our hearts to Him. Of course, we'll want to end the day this way too. If we are too busy to come together as a family morning and evening, we cannot call ourselves a "seeking first" family. There must be other things we are seeking first.

The word "first" in the Greek means "firstly in time, place, order, and importance." Therefore He will have first place with our time, first place in our home, first place in the order of our day, and He will be our first thought in everything we do.

We'll seek His righteousness instead of the blaring secularism that pours through the TV and questionable movies. We'll seek His truth in order to discern the deceptions of this world. We'll seek His wisdom and knowledge instead of leaning on our own understanding and we'll seek to fill our home and our children's hearts with the "exceeding great and precious" truths of His Word (Colossians 3:16 and 2 Peter 1:4).

Love from Nancy Campbell

Further thoughts on my post below:

HOW TO BE PERFECTLY MISERABLE
(This recipe is guaranteed infallible).

Think about yourself,
Talk about yourself,
Use "I" as often as possible,
Mirror yourself continually in the opinion of others,
Listen greedily to what people say about you,
Expect to be appreciated,
Be suspicious,
Be jealous and envious,
Be sensitive to slights,
Never forgive a criticism,
Trust nobody but yourself,
Insist on consideration and respect,
Demand agreement with your own views on everything,
Sulk If people are not grateful to you for favors shown,
Never forget a service you may have rendered,
Be on the outlook for a good time for yourself,
Shirk your duties if you can,
Do as little as possible for others,
Love yourself supremely,
Be selfish!
~ Source unknown.

We are constantly bombarded in society today that we must take time for ourselves. Mothers are encouraged to take time for self-pampering. Does this make them happy? Unfortunately, no. I find that women who are so concerned about having time for themselves are usually more miserable than those who forget about themselves in the joy of serving their family.

It is a God-given principle that never fails to work. When we try to pamper self we lose our life. When we lay down our own life to serve others, we find our life. Jesus said in Mark 8:35, "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it."

In fact, when Peter tried to pamper Jesus and advise him not to go to Jerusalem and face suffering and death, Jesus rebuked him, "Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God's" (Matthew16:23 NLT).

Pouring out your life in self-serving love for your family will not impoverish you; it will empower you.

Love from Nancy Campbell

Do you have bills you cannot pay? Is your washing machine broken and you can't afford a new one? Is your husband working long hours and you are looking after the children all by yourself? Is your husband out of work and things are really tough? You feel overwhelmed with all your little ones around you. These situations happen to us all at different times. But, what do you do? Do you grumble and complain? Get into a self-pity trip?

The memory verse in our home this last week is Habakkuk 3:17-18, "Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation." Wow, that's a total wipe out! And yet the writer STILL REJOICES IN THE LORD!

What a challenge! It sure is to me! What is wrong with us? We gripe and groan over the slightest little problem. We have no fortitude or backbone. We don't know what is ahead of us in the future. It may not be as easy as it is currently. Let's get into the habit NOW of rejoicing in the Lord, no matter what is going wrong. Rejoice in the small "difficult" things that happen in your life now. You'll then be able to continue rejoicing even if everything falls down around you (Isaiah 32:18-19; 2 Corinthians 4:17-18).

Let's get practicing.

Love from Nancy Campbell

This is a poem I wrote for my grandchildren as it is the prayer and vision of my heart for them. I share it with you as I am sure you will love it for yourself and your children, too. Nancy

The morals of this world are going downhill,
Against God’s Holy Word and His divine will,
No longer black and white, it’s now mushy gray,
God’s eternal absolutes many shun today.

Will you stand against this tide when others are crumbling?
Will you stand on God’s Word when many are stumbling?
Will you stand against sin and the devil’s deceptions?
Making no excuses or subtle exceptions?

Never be intimated, never be fooled…
Neutralized,
Fraternized,
Mediocre-ized
Or your fire be cooled!

When there’s no justice and only confusion,
And God’s people are hiding their light in seclusion,
Will you rise up and be counted, open wide your mouth,
And proclaim God’s truth to the north and the south?

Will you be strong in the Lord and the power of His might?
Always standing up for that which is right?
Rich in discernment, wisdom never ignored,
And walking daily in the fear of the Lord?

When you are tyrannized, never cower…
Patronized,
Victimized,
Or terrorized,
Before the enemy never bow!

Will you stand the test when you are wronged and hurt?
When you are persecuted and treated like dirt?
Will you have backbone when the pressure comes on?
Or be a spineless jellyfish with purpose all gone?

Will you keep on standing if you’re the only one?
Lifting up the name of Jesus, God’s only Son?
Will you stand true now, holding on to the end?
No matter what it costs, God’s truth to defend!

Never be wimpy or crumble at the knees…
Normalized,
Traumatized,
Luke-warmized,
And the devil never appease!

Love from Nancy Campbell

Be the keeper of your own vineyard, not someone elses vineyard (Song of Solomon 1:8).

How do we take possession in the land? By increasing. When God told the Israelis to possess the land, He said, "I will not drive them out from before thee in one year... by little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be INCREASED, and inherit the land" (Exodus 23:30 and Deuteronomy 7:22-23).

If they drove out the enemy all at once, but did not have enough population to till the land and inhabit the cities, the wild beasts would take over and the land would become wild. It takes people to fill the land, and this is God's plan.

God told His people to INCREASE MIGHTILY (Deuteronomy 6:3). Even when the Jews were taken to Babylon as captives, God told them they must not diminish, but INCREASE (Jeremiah 29:6). Even in a land of captivity!

God's will is always for His people to increase and fill the land with the godly, revealing His love and truth.

God loves increase. Are we in line with God's plan?

Love from Nancy Campbell

Would you like to hear the story? Throughout the pregnancy, no one ever detected I was having twins. That was back in the days when we didn't have ultrasounds. I conceived the twins in the Philippines where we doing missionary work. We came back to New Zealand when I was eight months pregnant and at last I went to a doctor. He checked me, but didn't detect twins! He said he was off to England and so when I began labor to go to the hospital and the doctor on duty would attend to me (I knew nothing of homebirths back then). I went to the hospital on a false alarm a week before the twins were born, and still no one detected twins!

It wasn't until the day I came into labor again (on my due date) and went to the hospital again that a nurse, listening to the heartbeat said, "I hear another heart beat. But, it could be an echo. We'll wait and see!"

And so we waited to see! Evangeline was born--breech birth, which is quite normal for twins! I didn't notice any difference than a normal birth. They felt my tummy! Yes, there was another baby still there! That was the first inkling we had that we were going to have twins! Although I have to admit that I wondered what was growing inside me and secretly thought that if it wasn't twins I would have trouble birthing this "baby!" I hardly felt any movements as they were packed in so tightly!

Anyway, five minutes later, Stephen arrived. He was a gentlemen and allowed his sister to go first. Evangeline was 6 lbs. 13 oz. and Stephen was 7 lbs. 5 oz! I was carrying around nearly 14 lbs. of baby, plus everything else, and no one ever guessed I was having twins! The blessing of being tall!

Colin and I were ecstatic. We enjoyed these glorious moments of elation before we faced the hard work--going home to care for twins and a 17 month old, with no help. We had just arrived back from the Philippines and were living out of suitcases. I had three in "nappies" (what we call diapers in New Zealand). I used to lay them down in a row to change their nappies. However, I look back on those when I was so tired that it was painful. And yet they were such wonderful years, full of joy and fun as we watched them grow, along with their other siblings as they came along. When the twins were little I used to say, "There's only one thing better than having a baby, and that's have two babies!"

I read the following words at that time and can truly say they were wonderful years. "These are the never years. Never enough money, never enough time, never enough sleep--but always enough love. The sweetest kiss of a baby the tooth-paste-flavored kiss of a child and the sleepy kiss of a husband who is just as tired as you. These are the busy years, the wonderful, hectic, impossible years. Soon the children will be grown and I'll have plenty of time to organize my house, to sew and to cultivate outside interests. I wonder if it will be as wonderful as I sometimes dream it will? Or am I in the middle of the wonderful years... right now?"

Now they are 48 years old and have been influencing the world for God all these years. Truly, there is no greater thing we can do as a woman than to bring a little life into the world, destined to reveal the image of God, push back the enemy, light up the darkness, and expose the deceptions of Satan with God's eternal truths! There is absolutely nothing more powerful. And they have only started. I trust they have at least another 48 years to serve God!

Not only have they blessed the world, but have begun many other dynasties--Evangeline and Howard have begun 10 dynasties (at 48 she is still desperately praying for another baby, or hopefully twins). These dynasties will continue as their children have children and their children have children, continuing a godly generation in this world. Stephen and Simone have begun three dynasties with their wonderful children. And so their influence continues--all from one birth 48 years ago!

Dear young mothers, never under-estimate the power of the birth of a child! I love the quote by Frank Boreham, "We fancy that God can only manage His world by big battalions abroad, when all the while He is doing it by beautiful babies at home. When a wrong wants righting, or a truth wants preaching, or a continent wants opening, GOD SENDS A BABY INTO THE WORLD TO DO IT. That is why long, long ago, a Babe was born in Bethlehem."

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

P.S. Someone asked if Stephen is as much fun as Evangeline. Those of you who know Evangeline know that there is not another person in the world quite like her. Stephen is also a magnetic personality, the life of the party, and loved by all. But they don't look alike. Evangeline is golden-haired and brown-eyed, usually in jeans with knives hidden in amazing places, ready for an emergency (although when she dresses up for a special occasion, she comes out looking like a New York model). Stephen, blonde and blue-eyed is always dressed perfectly--Mr. Cool!

P.S. Another interesting thing. In the beginning of my pregnancy I was violently ill. My husband was concerned and found a Chinese doctor to diagnose me. He diagnosed that I was pregnant! But, he then injected with me with Vitamin B and I didn't have another day of feeling sick from that day onwards. With my future pregnancies I always took big doses of natural Vitamin B or Brewers' Yeast tablets which helped a lot with sickness.

On a cold day, isn't it nice to sit by a window where the sun is streaming through. You feel warmed and comforted inside and out. A cloudy day may cause you to feel dismal; a sunny day fills you with joy and positivity.

What kind of an attitude do you have as you mother your children in your home? Is it a cloudy attitude, filled with frowns, sighs and grumblings. Or do you have a sunny attitude, filled with joy and happiness? This is the kind of attitude that makes your home a place where everyone loves to be. Your children are content and happy. Your husband can't wait to get home to enjoy the loving atmosphere.

How do you keep sunny? Smile continually. Smile at your husband and children each time you look at them. Laugh lots. They say that children laugh 300-400 times a day whereas adults only laugh an average of 15 times a day. How boring. Change that statistic in your home. Praise the Lord in every situation and look up to the Lord instead of dwelling on your problems and challenges.

Enjoy a sunny day, today.

Love from Nancy Campbell

Our God, the God of the universe, is the eternal KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS.

The instructions He gave us are written in the eternal BOOK OF BOOKS.

Do we really believe this?

How does it affect our daily lives?

How does it play out in our family life?

Does it cause us plan our whole day around gathering our family together morning and evening to come into His presence to worship Him and listen to His words?

Or, do not really believe who He is?

Love from Nancy

"The only institution that man brought as he stumbled, sad and guilty, out of the Garden of Eden after sin came in was marriage and the home... Marriage is a divine institution. Marriage is older than the church, older than Mosaic law, older than any sacrifice, older than any religious rite or duty. The institution of marriage and home is more more important than the church, is more important than government or school, and older than either."

~ John R Rice.

It is difficult to survive without encouragement, isn't it? Our husband needs encouraging. Our children need encouraging. And MOTHERS NEED ENCOURAGING. I believe mothers need to encourage one another.

A weekly, or even monthly, Mother's Bible Study can be a great blessing in the lives of mothers. I found it a great blessing when raising our children. I ran a Mother's Bible Study in our home for years, with little ones around me, and often nursing a babe at my breast.

Charles G. Finney talks about the importance of mothers getting together, too. He says,

"Mothers must make the training of their children the subject of much consideration, study and prayer. If any mind should be well stored with knowledge, it is the mind of a mother. If anyone needs to understand philosophy – mental, natural, and moral – it is a mother. If anyone needs the wisdom of a serpent and the harmlessness of a dove, it is a mother. It is, therefore, all important that mothers should meet together, exchange views and books, and converse, pray, and devise every measure for training up their children in the way they should go."

In the next post, I'll give you some ideas you could use when getting together.

Love from Nancy Campbell

"The finest gift you can give anyone (and especially your husband and children) is encouragement. Yet, almost no one gets the encouragement they need to grow to their full potential. If everyone received the encouragement they need to grow, the genius in most everyone would blossom and the world would produce abundance beyond the wildest dreams. We would have more than one Einstein, Edison, Schweitzer, Mother Theresa, and other great minds in a century."

~ Unknown

Lift up your head today, dear mother. This day, with its challenges, and frustrations, goes beyond today. Your influence is powerful. Live this day with the hope of influencing future generations in the ways of God. Don't be part of pulling down or eliminating future generations.

Amazingly, God's Word says that two women built the house of Israel! Speaking to Naomi, the elders and people in the gate of the city said, "The Lord make the woman (Ruth) that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel." That's a powerful statement, isn't it?

And not only Rachel and Leah, but Ruth, although a Moabitess, became a mighty builder in Israel too. Her great-grandchild was King David, a man after God's heart. And the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, came from the lineage of Ruth and Boaz.

Do you have dreams for your future generations? Do you pray for your generations to come? Do you live each day in the light of building godly generations?

Love from Nancy Campbell