Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

Through the weekly and daily devotionals you can be constantly encouraged in your great role of parenting, the highest career in the nation. You can also stay updated on what's happening with the Above Rubies ministry.

Strengthening Families Across the World through the encouragement of women in their high calling from God as wives, mothers and homemakers.

WHAT DO THEY SEE?

LOIS AND EUNICEPaul wrote to Timothy recalling "Your sincere faith that first LIVED in your grandmother Lois, and then in your mother Eunice" (1 Timothy 1:5 HSCB) No wonder Timothy not only believed God's Word but walked in it. The heritage was passed on. His grandmother and mother not only believed, but their faith affected every part of their lives. It lived in them.
 
We can have all the talk, but unless our children see our faith living and working out in the circumstances of everyday life, it will not really affect their lives. Is your faith a living faith that affects your actions and attitudes in the home? Do your children see that your faith is real? Are you passing on the baton?
 
It's not just a head knowledge of truth, but the reality of Christ living in you (Colossians 1:27). Let His life LIVE in and through you today.
 
May you have a lovely day in your home,
 
Nancy Campbell
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WHAT'S THEIR ANSWER?

WhatsTheirAnswer?Are you teaching your children to respond correctly when asked a question? Here are a few examples:
 
"Did you have a great day?"
 
Incorrect: "Yes."
 
Correct: "Yes, thank you. It was a great day."
 
"Did you sleep well last night?
 
Incorrect: "Yes."
 
Correct: "Yes, thank you, Mommy." (It is important to teach your children to address the person's name.)
 
At the table. "Would you like some more dessert?"
 
Incorrect: "Yes."
 
Correct: "Yes, thank you, Mommy." Or, "Yes, thank you, Mrs. Smith."
 
Correct: "No thank you, Mrs. Smith. I am well satisfied." Or: "No thank you, Mommy. But it was very delicious."
 
When introducing yourself to someone.
 
Incorrect: "Hi."
 
Correct: "Hello. My name is Caleb Rogers. It's very nice to meet you." And shake hands firmly.
To answer with one syllable and not address the person who is asking the question is very rude. Nor does it show respect to the person asking the question. And yet I find that not only children, but many older young people answer this way. They have never been taught basic etiquette.
 
Do some practice runs with your children each day so that it becomes the habit of their lives.
 
Blessings to you today.
 
Nancy Campbell
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IS THE RIVER FLOWING?

RiverFlowingAn important question. Are our homes stagnant or flowing with joy and life? Psalm 46:4 (JUB) gives a description of the homes of Jerusalem: "There is a river, the streams of which make glad the city of God, the sanctuary of the tents of the most high." The city is filled with gladness because streams are flowing from the homes of the city.
 
What are these streams? They flow from the river of the Holy Spirit (John 7:37-39 and Romans 5:5). As mothers, we have a responsibility to "make glad" our home. The words in the Hebrew mean "to brighten up, to cheer up, to rejoice, to make merry and very glad." The only way we can do this is to be filled with the Holy Spirit and allow the streams that flow from Him into our lives to flow out from us to our husband and children.
 
What are these streams? They are streams of love, forgiveness, sweetness, healing of the soul and body, holiness, encouragement and building up, compassion and kindness, tenderheartedness, humility and meekness, longsuffering and patience, and streams of forbearance and peacemaking. These streams can only come from the river of the Holy Spirit.
 
Do you make your marriage glad? Do you make your motherhood glad? Do you make your home glad? Are these streams flowing from your life or are they stagnant? Don't allow the debris of self-pity, discouragement, despondency, unforgiveness, and discontentment to block up the river.
 
Let the river of life flow in your home today,
 
Nancy Campbell
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DESTROYING THE DEVIL'S PLANS

Destroy Devils PlanDid you ever hear about the Georgia Guidestones and what has happened to them?
Recently a friend came to stay with us and shared his concern regarding these Guidestones. They are huge granite rocks inscribed with ten commandments for a humanistic world, or obviously for the New World Order.
 
They have been sitting out in the middle of nowhere, in Elbert County, about 90 miles from Atlanta for about 40 years. No one knows for sure who organized their construction.
 
The first inscription says: Maintain humanity under 500 million.
 
The current population of the world is 7.795 billion, nearing 8 billion. To bring it down to this number would mean they would have to wipe out nearly 90 percent of the world's population. It would have to be an orchestrated genocide beyond anything we could dream of. This is also the plan of the World Economic Forum.
 
As we talked about it at our prayer meeting, our friend, Gary asked us if we would pray. "Let's pray," he said, "that God will wipe them out and they will fall flat on the ground. Could God send an earthquake or an explosion?"
 
And so we began to pray. We really prayed. We brought out our prayer guns and mightily prayed against those stones with their blatant message to mankind and more importantly the spirit behind it. And we continued to pray at our morning and evening devotions.
 
Amazingly, three weeks later, on Wednesday July 6 we woke up to hear the news that these massive stones were wiped out. There was explosion. In fact, two explosions. And then because of safety, they completely bulldozed them down. And as of this present moment, no one has found any source of how it happened! What an amazing victory! Our God is a prayer answering God. I am sure that God touched many others to pray against this evil agenda too.
 
This comes as another encouragement after the victory of Roe v. Wade. I share this with you to encourage you to pray. Do you pray together with your family each day? You can see mighty things happen as you pray. The most powerful families on earth are praying families. Praying families are nation changing families. Even world-changing families.
 
Do you have a prayer meeting in your home? It's such a great thing to do. Gather others with you each week to pray for this nation and for the world. We are going to be facing difficult times very soon. Food Shortages. And maybe power and water and many other shortages. This is not a time to live life as usual as though nothing is happening.
 
We must become preparing and praying people! Be part of seeing God do great things even in the midst or deception and darkness. Move from little prayers to battering ram prayer meetings. Demolishing the works of the devil prayer meetings. Taking up your authority in the name of Jesus.
 
God bless you today,
 
Nancy Campbell
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HOUSE RULES

HouseRulesDo you have laws in your house? I do. I have rules to keep my home in order and running efficiently. If I let everyone do whatever they want or however they want, the home soon turns to chaos. At the same time, I hate legality and love to have a spirit of freedom and openness to spontaneity, fun, and laughter. However, when we have an underlying foundation and plan for our home, it's easier for this to happen. Everything is in order, so we are free to do unexpected things.
 
Let's look at an example in the Bible. Ezekiel 43:12 says: "This is the law of the house; Upon the top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be MOST HOLY. Behold, this is the law of the house." This is talking about the temple, the place of God's dwelling.
 
God had laws for His house. He established many ordinances to make it run smoothly. In Ezekiel 44:5 it says: "Son of man, mark well, and behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears all that I say unto thee concerning ALL THE ORDINANCES OF THE HOUSE OF THE LORD, and ALL THE LAWS thereof: and mark well the entering in of the house with every going forth of the sanctuary."
Because I am also building a house to the Lord, a sanctuary for the living God and for my husband and family, I believe I can't do better than God's plan. If it was important for God to have ordinances to run His house smoothly, I think I also need laws and ordinances to make my home function effectively.
 
God's house had order and established daily times for certain functions. I need to make this happen in my home too. I believe in flexibility because every day of every year is different, and we never know what is going to happen. However, we need to institute a basic plan to keep order.
 
And do you notice the ultimate vision? That God's house will be MOST HOLY. Not only the house, but all around the house. This should be our ultimate passion and vision, to build a holy home for God's glory. We seek God's holiness on and in our home, but also on our land--the backyard, front yard, and all around our house. It is all to be holy to the Lord. We should pray this every day upon our home and allotment or acreage, whether it be large or small. We must guard what goes on in our home AND around our home!
 
"Holiness adorns your house, O LORD, forever" (Psalm 93:5). Does holiness adorn our homes?
 
Blessings to you today,
 
Nancy Campbell
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STRENGTH FOR EACH DAY

StrengthEachDayI’m sure you love God’s promise in Deuteronomy 33:24, 25: “As thy days, so shall thy strength be.” But have you read it in context? It’s in the passage of the prophetic blessing upon the tribe of Asher which says: “Let Asher be blessed with children” and then it concludes with “As thy days, so shall thy strength be.” Isn’t that amazing?
 
God doesn’t bless us with children without giving us the strength to nurture and train the children He gives us. This promise is tailor made for parenting.
 
You may think, “How on earth could I ever cope with another child? My hands are full already.” Dear mother, God is your Strength. He promises to give you strength for each new day. He doesn’t give you strength for tomorrow, but for TODAY. And He doesn’t give you strength and energy for a baby that has not arrived yet. If God sends you another blessing from Heaven, He will give you the strength when that baby comes. What a wonderful God we have.
 
Look to Him for His strength for today.
 
Love from Nancy Campbell
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MY BABY’S DEDICATION

BadysDedicationRachel Carlson wrote this poem for her baby’s dedication:
 
MY BABY’S DEDICATION
 
In a mother's heart are hidden
Prayers both large and small,
They consume her every fiber,
And the Lord, He sees them all.
 
There's no language to articulate
The depth of all these needs
As she steps forward on the path
Where she'll plant a million little seeds.
 
Drawing on the courage
That only has one Source,
She whispers out a plea
For this overwhelming course.
 
I pray I'll have the peace of mind
That comes with knowing you're not mine,
Since you're ultimately His,
And He'll hold you for all time.
 
Believe me when I tell you
I'll ask for safety and your health,
And if I'm being completely honest,
I'll even throw in wealth.
 
But the safety I crave most for you
Isn't from physical harm,
It's the security you'll come to know
By being held within His arms.
 
And while I want your body
To be absolutely sound,
A healthy heart will seek His face,
Where true wholeness can be found.
 
I pray your needs are always met,
Provided by His hand,
For the resources He possesses
Are as countless as the sand.
 
But most of all I pray you'll know
The riches of His glory,
That your eyes might be enlightened,
And you'll make His hope your story.
 
RACHEL CARLSON
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Picture: Rachel with little Edithanne (8 months) at her dedication. Jay and Rachel are also blessed with three sons, Tommy (7), Finn (4), and Jed (2).
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MY JOURNEY BACK TO JOY

JournayBackI began my journey as a wife about 21 years ago and my journey as a mom 19 years ago. Growing up I wanted to do nothing else but be a wife and a mom. Little House on the Prairie was (and still is) my favorite show to watch. Everything about homemaking intrigued me.
 
I did the whole college thing and received my degree and taught school up until our oldest child was born. Oh, how I hated teaching school and couldn’t wait to be at home. Once he was born, I got to pour everything into my dream. And it was perfect . . . for a while.
 
Our second child was born, and she cried all the time and never slept. It was during this time of extreme fatigue that I found Above Rubies, and we gave my womb to the Lord. Through the Lord’s help and so many encouraging testimonies, we persevered on the path to which God called us. I still had the radiant joy of homemaking and motherhood.
 
But life started to take some unexpected turns. I won’t write all the details for they would fill a book. We experienced children with health concerns, extreme financial trouble as my husband had gone back to seminary, many moves, and then to top it all off, my own health began to decline rapidly.
 
Over the course of time, I lost my joy in motherhood. Oh, yes, I still homeschooled my precious children, but I was merely surviving the rat race of activities, diapers, schooling, and breastfeeding. I rolled out of bed every morning in a frazzled mess just focusing on how I would survive until bedtime.
 
The joy was gone. The dream I once loved so dearly was now a weight around my neck choking me every single day. I wanted to write a book, be a doula - anything to escape. But all my efforts failed miserably. Not that these things were wrong but my motivation to escape my number one priority was sinful.
 
As the year 2020 began, I felt I should see a doctor. I was dizzy, extremely weak, packing on weight, and something was off. The doctor told me I was tired from having so many children. I pressed them for an EGK and was immediately sent to the emergency room. After many appointments and tests, we got answers.
 
Honestly, looking back I think I my heart’s physical condition was outward evidence of what was going on inside. My womb also began to have problems with uncontrollable bleeding. Doctors really didn’t know why. Their only solution was medications and surgery. The thought of losing my womb wasn’t something I was ready to come to terms with.
 
This was a wake-up call for me. I wanted nothing more than to find the love for homemaking that I had at the beginning.
 
How could I rediscover my joy?
 
#1. I started at the beginning, my Lord and Savior. I made it my FIRST priority to wake up EVERY morning (with sickness being the only exception) at 5:45 to spend time with the Lord. This is where the love and joy was reborn. Now I simply cannot wait to get up in the morning to be with my Lord! The still of the morning before everyone awakes – oh, it’s such a precious time! God has remade me during these mornings together!
 
#2. I devoured everything I could on homemaking – books, podcasts, Bible Studies, my stack of Above Rubies magazines, YouTube videos – whatever I could get my hands on! Oh, how I had missed all the joyous aspects of homemaking and motherhood! The spark was beginning to flame again!
 
#3. I sought answers for my physical health. I sought out a wonderful cardiologist and help from a naturalist doctor. Through a combined effort, my health is making a huge turn around. I feel better and stronger every da, and the bleeding issues are correcting! God is healing my body from the inside out! Maybe He will choose to bless us again?
 
I can honestly say that NOTHING the world has to offer is better than the joy of being home with my family. Getting to nurture them spiritually and physically is the greatest calling on a woman’s life. God made us for this! I might still write that book someday, but this time it will be my story of the goodness of God and His beautiful design for motherhood.
 
MELISSA SHULTZ
Kennesaw, Georgia, USA
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Picture: John and Melissa with their family: Christopher (19), Lily (15), Dalton (13), William (11), Johanna (😎, Luke (4) and 3 little ones awaiting us in heaven.
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FIVE GIFTS FROM GOD DURING A MISCARRIAGE

Screen Shot 2022 07 11 at 8.39.15 AMMy husband and I have six children, ranging in age from 13 to four years. I found out I was pregnant in May this year of with our 7th child.
 
I took our two oldest children, Grace (11) and Gehrig (13) on a mission trip to Kenya in June where we did evangelism and church planting. We were blessed to see 108 salvations for Christ and the locals started four new churches. It was life- changing! I wanted my children to experience God and see what life was like in a third world country. They absolutely loved it!
 
I was about eight weeks pregnant. I didn’t know I would be in early pregnancy when planning the trip and I really had to rely on the Lord for patience. I had all the symptoms of early pregnancy like nausea, sore breasts, constipation, mood swings, etc. I had to pray and call out to God quite a few times from being so uncomfortable. But the mission trip gave me a chance to serve others and not think about myself. I am so grateful to God and that was #1 gift He gave me.
 
One week later (July 5) after our return home on June 27, I miscarried our 7th child. The night before I was bleeding only slightly. The Lord gave me a gift of a good night’s sleep (gift #2) before the next morning when the actual miscarriage happened.
 
I was 10 weeks along. I tried to miscarry naturally at home, but my blood pressure kept dropping, and I was dizzy, lightheaded, and faint. I was rushed to the ER. Gift #3, God gave me a female ob/gyn. She was so gentle and kind and never said one word about how old I was (46 years). In fact, the whole staff was kind and caring.
 
Gift #4, my parents were able to take my children while I was resting and recovering. Instead of being judgmental, they’ve been nothing but supportive and caring. I can’t help but think that this is due our witness that we began many years ago of surrendering our family size to the Lord. Although it has not been easy since some of our children are getting a bit older my parents (and us too) are seeing the richness of our family life and how blessed my husband and I are.
 
I ended up having a D&C because some of the tissue from the baby and blood clots were not coming out. I agreed because I knew my uterus needed to clamp down properly, even though I’m not fond of surgery. The doctor was wise and knew what she was doing.
 
After the surgery, I was able to eat and drink, but my blood count was quite low at 8. I kept trying to stand up but couldn’t, due to nausea and dizziness.
 
Gift #5. After several hours of this, a nurse suggested a motion sickness patch to help me withstand the dizziness. It worked! And I was able to come home within an hour.
 
Going on the mission trip pregnant and coming home to a miscarriage was not in my plan. But God is His goodness was so good to me and knew exactly what I needed. He wanted this baby for himself, to live eternally with him or her. I can’t help but also think of the timing of this with the recent court decision of Roe v. Wade. Many are trying to prevent life from coming and we welcomed it with our whole hearts and gave it to eternity with God.
 
Gifts - so many! I feel great peace to the Lord who gave us a gift. The gift of miscarriage to be able to carry a baby for Him and no one else. I consider it an honor and privilege. At my age, I’m not sure if the Lord will bless us with any more babies. It was really a surprise that this one came along since I hadn’t been pregnant for over four years.
 
However, I’m not pining away or yearning for something that may or may not be mine to have. I am perfectly content to live in His will and do what He asks. I am merely a vessel in obedience to Him. It is possible to live in peace as you give control over to the Lord. I really did want another baby, but His will is more important than my desires. I can’t express how easy this has been. Maybe because I gave the Lord my fertility and have grown to realize His ways and plan are best for me, even if I don’t understand, or agree.
 
I am reminded of the story of Joseph and how he never strayed from God despite how hopeless things looked. God is pleased when we go through suffering joyfully. It is such a pleasing aroma to Him.
 
I am excited to have done the Lord’s will and to have been used by Him. Some would say, how can you be happy? You lost a baby. Yes, but what I gained in return is much greater. The privilege of sharing in Christ’s suffering and to have an opportunity to draw close to the Lord for strength and joy is life-altering. As I celebrate this life, I am hopeful for other women to have this experience, and for when my strength returns, how truly joyful I will be with my children and husband. How blessed I am.
 
GINGER SPECK
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Pictures: Ginger and Greg with their children: Gavin (10), Grace (11), Gehrig (13), Gabriel (😎, Gannon the youngest held by Gabriel (4) and Graham (6).
Gehrig and Grace hanging with some children.
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WITHOUT CHILDREN

WithoutChildrenThe left agenda of this world are intent on reducing the population of the world. The Georgia Guidestones which blew up last week stated plainly they want to bring the population of the world to 500 million. It is currently just on 8 billion. No wonder they love abortion and every other plan to eliminate life, all inspired by the devil who hates life and comes to rob, kill, and destroy. But God is the author and creator of life and loves life. He has room for every baby that is born. We are on God’s side when we embrace life. We are on the devil’s side when we reject life.

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TEACH THE DIFFERENCE

TeachDifferenceYou are a wife and mother, but did you know that you are also a priest? Yes, the Bible tells us that we are “kings and priests unto God” (Revelation 1:6 and 5:10).
 
In Ezekiel 44:23, 24 we read that the priests were to "teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. And in controversy they shall stand in judgment; and they shall judge it according to my judgments: and they shall keep my laws and my statues."
 
God gives parents the responsibility to teach their children the difference between what is right and what is wrong. And mothers are judges. Constantly throughout the day you face arguments and disagreements between your children that you must umpire. Peace does not come through tolerating the disarray or rebellion but dealing with it.
 
Instead, we teach our children to show love to their siblings rather than fighting them. We teach them to speak the truth rather than giving into lies. We teach the difference between the clean and the unclean, the holy and the profane. If we don't do this, we'll live in bedlam in our homes.
 
This principle continues in society. Sadly, many Christians today have joined the "Religion of Tolerance." If we were to tolerate every wrong thing in our homes, they would become chaotic. No wonder this is happening in our society.
 
Dear mothers, let's not be those who give in to the thinking of society all around us that tolerates any lifestyle that people want to embrace. It's not enough to say, "Well, I would never do that, but I can't criticize them for doing it." This is not what the Bible says. We are told to expose and reprove all evil (Proverbs 24:23-25 and Ephesians 5:11). We are to be "the light of the world" exposing and pushing back the darkness and evil.
 
Let’s all stand up for truth and righteousness,
 
Nancy Campbell
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MY PRAYER...

MyPrayer

Can you imagine the next generation if every mother would light her children’s hearts with zeal and holy fire for the Lord?

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THE TRIUMPH OF BIRTH

Screen Shot 2022 07 06 at 11.11.39 AMIn the relief of the dark, by myself, in the peace and quiet, I delivered my own baby, our fifth son. The only noise was snoring, the soporific sound of my husband asleep.
 
Everything was OK with the world. I was opening. I was safe. I was relaxed. No glaring lights. No beeping machinery, no loud strangers pushing and shoving, grabbing my baby away from me.
 
The powerful intimacy of birth. This is something I won’t willingly give away. It’s deeply private and vulnerable.
 
“Why are you blowing on my face?” Hubby got there just in time. Just as Baby was born into my hands. No crying (he didn’t cry for four days). We turned the light on to check his breathing. Baby turned his eyes to look at us. Small and perfect. So we turned the light off again.
 
The warm bath was inviting. We hopped straight in. Baby was on my chest. A wet towel kept him warm. Comfy and cosy. Just us. The morning arrived, and the midwife too. She was happy to see everything had gone so well.
 
Window onto a summer night, I knew I was in labour in the night. I grabbed a drink and my worship music on the way to the bathroom. I found a couple of towels. I locked myself in with the comforting dark.
 
The window opened onto a summer night. My pillow was on the windowsill to lean on. I looked out into the tree in the quiet. At first, I stood holding onto towel racks. I was breathing quietly during the waves. I take it all inside and find strength there. Then a pause. I got down onto my hands and knees, opening my hips. I stood and lifted one knee to my chest, then the other. Then held the towel rack for another wave. Relaxing into it.
 
Further on, I was crouching. Just leaning against my pillow on the windowsill. Looking out into the leaves of the tree. Kneeling on the padded towels. It got more intense. I could feel I needed to push. Then came a few heavy-duty pushes. And Baby was crowning.
 
With my two hands and a towel I spoke to my husband, Jo, “The baby’s coming.” He heard me through the open window. He let himself in the door with the latch. He locked it behind him again. Hubby sat with me as Baby slipped into my hands. Warm and wet. I brought him out in front of me while crouching. Then I turned and sat on the towels.
 
Jo helped me hold him. We both looked at him. And he quietly looked at us. In the water we made sure Baby was snug and cosy with me. I had it ready and steaming in case I needed it. But I had felt more flexibility outside of the bath. Then as soon as Baby was born, it was so good to slip in. Warm and relaxed. I could feel his strong heartbeat against my chest. He was snuggling in, content.
 
Then Jo held Baby. The midwife sat quite happily nearby on the loo. She saw the placenta had come in the bath and stopped texting the back-up. I hopped out. I wrapped up in my dressing gown. Baby was against my chest as I sat on a towel on the loo. Now it was time to chat. The need for quiet and privacy was gone.
 
Now there was just the celebration. I think it was about two hours. But I don’t know. I wasn’t timing it. The midwife was so pleased for us. She knew that I probably wasn’t going to call her. That I needed to be by myself. But having her care and support was important to me. And especially afterwards. We knew everything was OK. She congratulated us. Placenta in a blue salad bowl I walked to our bed and Baby’s four brothers met him.
 
The midwife got a parking ticket. We sent a note to the council begging forgiveness. With Baby’s handprint!
 
KRISTIE BAYNE
New Zealand
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Picture: Johann and Kristi with their five boys, Enoch, Zion, Stefan, Noah, and Daniel.
 
P.S. As I read this beautiful account of Kristie’s birth, I thought of the question that so many liberal women today will not answer: “What is a Woman?” Yes, we know what a woman is. She can give birth. In triumph. In power. There is something so powerful about giving birth naturally. It does something to a woman. She knows she can accomplish anything. She understands the power and strength God has given to her. She does not need to vie for the man’s world. God has given her the privilege and strength to do what a man could never do. Conception, pregnancy, and birth are the glory of womanhood and the nation (Hosea 9:11).
 
~ Nancy
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SWEET WIVES AND MOTHERS

SweetWivesSweetness is not something that is highlighted in women today. I wonder why, because it builds a beautiful marriage and makes a wonderful atmosphere in the home.
 
The husband in Song of Solomon 4:11 (NET) says to his wife: "Your lips drip sweetness like the honeycomb, my bride. Honey and milk are under your tongue." Most people have a sweet tooth and like sweet things. And did you know that husbands like sweet wives?
 
The testimony of this wife in the Song of Songs is that sweet words constantly drip from her mouth. And that shouldn't only be in the bedroom, but in every room, and every situation throughout the day. Rather a challenge, isn't it?
 
Noah Webster's 1828 dictionary adds to the meaning of sweetness: "gratefulness to the taste, or to the smell, fragrance, and agreeableness to the ear, melody, and sweetness of the voice, softness, mildness, and sweetness of temper."
 
In Psalm 128:3 God reveals the picture of the wife as a grapevine. And of course every vinedresser does everything in his power to cultivate sweet grapes. Who wants to eat sour grapes? What husband wants a sour grapes wife? And what children want a sour grapes mother?
 
God also commanded sweet incense to be lit every morning and every evening in His tabernacle. He designated specifically that they must make the incense with SWEET spices (Exodus 30:34). He wanted the holy place to be filled with a sweet aroma, just as He wants our homes to also be filled with the sweet aroma of His presence.
 
God commanded the anointing oil that speaks of the Holy Spirit to also be made with SWEET spices (Exodus 30:23). Some people confess that they are filled with the Holy Spirit, but if they do not reveal a sweet anointing, it may be another spirit. When we give into our fleshly nature, we give off some pretty bad smells for our family to endure; but when we yield to the Holy Spirit, we will release a sweet anointing.
 
May God help each one of us to fill our home with sweetness today--in our words, looks, smiles, and attitudes. This is my prayer.
 
Blessings from Nancy Campbell
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TAKE THINGS TO THE LORD...

MutterOh, what a difference it makes when we take things to the Lord instead of into our own hands.

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GOD DOES NOT FORGET...

WorkandLaborBe encouraged today, dear mother. You are doing a great work and you will receive your eternal reward. The impact of your mothering goes on into eternity.

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MAKING MOTHERHOOD SIMPLER, SWEETER, AND SERENE!

SimplySweeterI hear so much struggle, sadness, and unhappiness among us mammas, especially online. I’d like to share my intro to young motherhood that has set the tone for lifelong mothering for me.
 
When I was 22 years, I went to Italy with nothing but a backpack, a guitar, and my one-year-old baby girl. I was escaping an awful, mentally, and sometimes physically abusive relationship.
 
After a few months of wandering, resting, and enjoying my baby in safety, beauty, and bliss, I found myself in the farthest south tip of Sicily, in a little off-grid community of sweet people who wanted a slower, simpler life.
 
They were living in house caves in the hills—old houses built right into the mountains, the backs of each room being raw stone wall, some rooms open to the sky like the ancients left their rooms. Minimal furniture, most of it hand-made or very, very old. There was no electricity and water came from a spring gushing through some simple piping.
 
And they were HAPPY. Relaxed. Light-hearted. They kept very little schedule. There was little that HAD to be done. We cooked together, harvested together, and with no tv, radio, or screens of any kind, we were each other’s company and entertainment.
 
One resident mamma kept a trunk of fabric scraps for sewing with her young daughter. We all gathered herbs together and the children helped string them on thread to hang about the room for drying as food and medicine. The children put on plays with fig leaves as masks and literally played ring-around-the-rosie’s and the like for fun.
 
We sang together often, and visitors dropped by unannounced to sit, laugh, and socialize while the children played. When we got super bored, we’d go to town and play live music in the plaza for tips and get gelato or just walk around enjoying the town.
 
We also (drum roll please) had no clock. We went to bed when the sun went down and with candles for our only light that was easy to do! We rose early with the sunrise, feeling rested from early sleep.
What’s my point?
 
I didn’t know until that experience that there are many different ways to mother. Often the exhaustion I encounter in the mothers around me and sometimes myself when I fall into it, is from our lifestyle that we are doing to ourselves.
 
Over scheduling.
Too many lessons and engagements.
Postponing the joy of a friend’s company until Tuesday at 10:30 instead of welcoming each other into our now, our daily experience.
 
We plan to host a dinner perfectly in a perfectly clean house instead of cooking, gathering, and laughing together every step of the way as a normal part of our days, weeks, and months.
 
I have pictures of my Italian aunties ironing together on their front porches simultaneously working on their tan as well their housekeeping. They look genuinely happy, smiling and laughing from their bellies. I crave that togetherness of women that we have lost with all our modern conveniences that while making life “easier” has managed to isolate us into misery, often feeling like nothing more than managers for other people’s lives and expectations with literally no pay and very little to enjoy about it, with pretty much nothing left over for us.
 
Eventually I had to leave this dream-like paradise and face the music I had left behind, which resulted in 13 years of custody battle to save my daughter from that situation (story for another day).
 
But I never forgot the light-hearted freedom of these families, making something out of nothing and sharing all of it with their friends and family in the sweetest, simplest ways with literally ZERO slaving to societies’ expectations.
 
I get that a lot of us are locked into our lifestyle and communities and slipping away into a valley of dreams and personal freedom isn’t exactly an option. But what is an option is looking good and hard at what we put ourselves through in the name of expectations. Shoulds. Supposed to. Recommended to. . . Have to…
 
Do we?
 
Says who?
 
What if we are freer than we realize to make life sweet, simple, and enjoyable?
I would like to encourage you to make a list of what you really LOVE. What makes you feel like “aaaaaaaa” and what would it take to get that into your life?
 
What can you scale back in the name of simplicity, relief, and just time to BE? With your babies? With your love? With your soul sisters whoever they may be?
 
I saw, felt, and experienced that life and motherhood doesn’t have to look one way. We can craft it like a beautiful quilt to be what we need and want it to be. And our husbands, who were once just our sweethearts, I bet they miss that sweetness too.
 
God loves us SO much and believe it or not . . . it’s not Him demanding we run ourselves into the ground in a joyless grind of “should” and “have to’s.” It’s us. Doing it to ourselves. And maybe others around us expecting us to do it their way.
 
I now have six children and because of this amazing experience I’ve been blessed to experience, I am creating my own way and a unique Sicilian inspired home life with my children and husband, based on joy and the sweetness that Jesus is daily coaxing me to become and create for my family.
 
I hope that anyone struggling might take some time to think and maybe journal on what your life might look like in a perfect world. Just dream. And ask God how good it can get, how much of that and more can He bring into your days, moment by moment and deeper into the foundation of how you live your lives together?
 
How sweet can we make our lives with our babies, big children, husbands, and ourselves while we have the time?
 
GINA MARIE LO MONACO
Anchorage, Alaska, USA
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Picture: The Lo Monaco Keller Tribe in Sicily (Gina’s grandmother’s home town) a few months ago: Ian and Gina with their family—Denali (19), Lucia (10), Rosina (😎, Shelah (6), Niko (4), and Monet (1).
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MOTHER, YOU MAKE THE WORLD GO ROUND

MakeWorldGoRoundWhat makes does a door swing open? It's the insignificant hinges that we hardly ever notice. And yet without the hinges the door cannot open or close. And so it is with our daily life. It cannot function without the seemingly common and insignificant things of life.
 
Making beds, sweeping, vacuuming, and cleaning up the house seem so commonplace. But they bring order which is godlike. Plus, it makes the home function. Washing dishes and doing laundry can also seem humdrum. But they reveal cleanliness which is Godlike.
 
Smiles, hugs, and kisses and courteous attitudes may seem inconsequential but they change the whole atmosphere of the home and because they change the home to one of love, peace and joy, they are part of changing the world.
 
Preparing a meal seems a common-place thing, but is not unimportant. It reveals servanthood which is also Godlike. And it prepares the way for greater things—family togetherness, fun, and fellowship, feeding the soul and the spirit. It also establishes a pattern for the next generation. The gathering around the family table for meals is declining in USA. Some apartments today don't even have stoves. If children do not grow up with family meals, how much more will they digress in the next generation. Will tables be eliminated?
 
Some think it is a lowly thing to stay at home and nurse a baby, change diapers, care for little ones, and guide and teach their growing children. But this so-called lowly thing in the eyes of society is huge in the eyes of God. It is the highest career He has given to women. It is God's ultimate plan for you if you are blessed to be married and have children. And without mothers embracing their role the world would come to a halt!
 
Let’s embrace with joy "the dust of the small duties" as someone wrote. They change our environment and eventually the world.
 
Be blessed in your home today,
 
Nancy Campbell
 
Painting by Helge Artelius
 
P.S. Do you teach your children to make their beds before they come to breakfast each morning? This habit is the foundation of many good traits and success in later life.
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GOD SENDS BABIES

GodSendsBabies

When God has a purpose, He sends a baby to fulfil it!

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THE BEAUTIFUL BALANCE

BeautifulBalanceAs mothers, how can we can be sweet and at the same time discipline our children and keep order in the home? Sometimes, we we may start yelling at everyone, but that doesn’t do much good.
 
Throughout Scripture, we see the tension of truth--one understanding of truth on one hand and seemingly the opposite on the other hand. This comes from God Himself. God is a God of love and yet a God of judgment and justice. God is "angry with the wicked every day" and yet He is a God of abundant mercy. Because God is perfect, He wields these divine attributes in perfect harmony. We find it harder to do.
 
We see a beautiful picture of Christ in Revelation 5. John wept because “no man was found worthy to open the book.” Then John saw one of the elders say: “Weep not: behold the LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book.” But when John looked up, he didn’t see a roaring lion, but a "LAMB, AS IT HASD BEEN SLAIN." Jesus Christ is both the LION and the LAMB.
 
We also have these innate attributes in us as mothers. We have divinely within us the sweet, nurturing anointing that God has given to women--a beautiful picture of motherhood.
 
However, we also have within us a roaring lion-like spirit that rises up when the enemy comes to deceive our children and steal their souls. We will not stand for it. We begin to pray. We rise up in the authority God has given us to command our children in His ways. We boldly and firmly deal with sin in their lives--lying, cheating, stealing, disobedience, rebellion, and so on. We don't do it out of frustration and anger, but in righteousness because we know we cannot allow these bad habits to control our children.
 
And so we walk in the beautiful balance of sweet nurturing and bold authority when it is necessary. We don't learn to do this all at once. These anointings are within us, given by God, and we learn to walk in them more and more as we yield to the Holy Spirit who is conforming us into the image of Jesus.
 
Think of Moses. He was "Very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth" (Numbers 12:23) and yet he was one of the greatest leaders in history. He constantly had to execute judgment on these people he was leading through the wilderness. You too can lead your children on to the Promised Land with a sweet spirit, but also bold authority.
 
Be blessed today,
 
Nancy Campbell
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Above Rubies Address

AboveRubies
Email Nancy

PO Box 681687
Franklin, TN 37068-1687

Phone : 931-729-9861
Office Hrs 9am - 5pm, M - F, CTZ