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

Nancy Campbell
Women's Daily Encouragement Blog

COME, LORD JESUS

ComeLordJesusDo you want God to come to your home? I do. I am looking for the Lord’s coming, but I am looking for Him to come before He comes! In other words, I need Him now. I want my home to be filled with His presence.
 
I love the words of Psalm 24:7-10. Some commentators believe these words speak of bringing the ark of the covenant into the temple to dwell between the cherubims where God resided in His shekinah glory.
 
“Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty inbattle.
 
Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory.”
 
God no longer dwells in a temple in Jerusalem. Since Jesus died and rose again, He now dwells in His born again people. We have become His Holy of Holies on this earth.
 
We should also lift up our heads and our hands toward the Lord and ask Him to come in. We can be so focused on our problems and difficulties and that is all we look at. God waits to come but we would rather concentrate on our heartaches and tribulations.
 
Can I encourage you today to lift up your heart and your head to Him? Who is this One who wants to come into your home? It is the King of Glory! He wants to bring His glory to your home which speaks of His presence. Heaven is a place of glory and He wants to make your home on earth a place of glory (Matthew 6;10 and Luke 11:2).
 
“But I’ve got too many battles going on in my home,” you say. Read the Scrpture again. Who is this One who wants to come into your home? He is the LORD who is MIGHTY IN BATTLE. He is the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Heaven. He is a man of war (Exodus 15:3). He fights for you (Exodus 14:14). And He wants to come into your home.
 
Lift up your heart to Him. Lift up your head. Lift up your hands in your home and ask Him to come!
 
Be blessed today,
 
Nancy Campbell
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Nancy Campbell
Women's Daily Encouragement Blog

MOTHERS, MAY YOU BE BLESSED TODAY

MomsDayDear mother, may you be blessed today. Of course, you are already blessed. You have the privilege of revealing to your children, and to the world around, the nurturing character of God. You reveal the tender and compassionate heart of God. Your work is powerful. Your influence is enormous. As you raise your children you determine the future of the nation. You impact future generations. Your work is eternal. Every other career will one day be left behind, but you have the privilege of taking your children into eternity with you. Be encouraged today.
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Nancy Campbell
Women's Daily Encouragement Blog

ARM YOUR HUSBAND FOR THE DAY

ArmHusbandDear ladies, I discovered something new this morning! It’s radical, but I love it. But you are used to my sharing radical things with you, aren’t you?
 
At our Family Devotions this morning, my husband read Psalm 85:109: “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other." These are some of the twins mentioned in the Bible. I decided to look up the word “kissed” in the Hebrew and was surprised to see the full meaning.
 
It is the Hebrew word “nashaq” and means “to put two mouths together” and also “to array oneself for battle, equip with weapons, armed for war.” It is identical with “nasaq” which means “to kindle a fire or become passionate.”
 
It lines up with two other Hebrew words:
“chashaq” which means “to love, to delight in, to desire.” And . . .
“chazaq” which means “to be strong, courageous, help, repair, conquer, encourage, to strengthen.”
 
Do you remember to kiss your husband before he leaves or work? I am sure you do. Not just a peck, but a loving and lingering kiss. What will this do for him?
 
Scientists tell us that when we kiss, we release such chemicals as dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin. We know that oxytocin is the “love hormone,” the “bliss hormone,” the “calming hormone,” and the “stress-relieving hormone” among many other names. One study said that the kiss will "buffer the individual against the physiological effects of stress."
 
These hormones light up the pleasure centers in our brain and give feelings of euphoria. That’s good for you as you start the day with all your stresses, but also good for your husband as he goes out to face the foe as he faithfully provides for the family.
 
Kissing increases your heart rate, making you more alert and ready for action.
 
This also lines up with God’s meaning of the kiss. Didn’t we read that it also means to arm for war? Check it out. It is the same Hebrew word for “kiss” when you read these Scriptures about going to war: 1 Chronicles 12:2, 2 Chronicles 17;17; and Psalm 78:9.
 
When you lovingly kiss your husband goodbye, you are arming him for the day. You are arming him for war and all the stresses he will face. YOU ARE STRENGTHENING HIM TO BE STRONG, COURAGEOUS, AND TO CONQUER! Isn’t that cool?
 
And did you know that kissing lowers cholesterol and heals the mind and body?
 
What about at the end of the day? You are tired. Your husband comes home tired. It could lead to a grouchy and unpleasant atmosphere. But just wait. Kiss one another lingeringly and passionately and the stresses of the day will dissipate.
 
And the more you kiss, the more you will fall in love with one another.
 
I love God’s ways, don’t you?
 
Love from Nancy Campbell
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Nancy Campbell
Women's Daily Encouragement Blog

AS IN HEAVEN SO IN EARTH

MotherNameWe frequently pray the Lord’s prayer from Mathew 6:9-15, praying “Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” What an amazing statement! Do we fully understand what we are praying?
 
God wants the atmosphere of Heaven to be the atmosphere in our homes. In Luke’s Gospel it simply says: ‘As in Heaven, so in earth.” I love to bring these words down to the nitty gritty of life and pray: “As in God’s home, so in my home.” Don’t you think that’s a good prayer? A good prayer to pray each morning as you rise.
 
We understand more as we read Jesus’ prayer for His disciples and for all who would believe on Him. That means us today! Jesus prayed in John 17: “All mine are thine, and thine are mine, and I AM GLORIFIED IN THEM . . . As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world . . . And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them . . .” Isn’t this so amazing too?
 
The glory that God gave to Jesus He has given to us. We are created to reveal His glory. We are in this world to reveal His glory. Dear mother, you are in the heart of your home to reveal the glory of Jesus. God wants you to show what He is like to your children.
 
You wonder sometimes what you are accomplishing in your home. Let me remind you that to daily reveal the character of JESUS to your children is the most powerful thing you can ever do. If you are born again by the Spirit of God, Jesus Christ lives in you and He lives in you in all His glory.
 
Let me encourage you with one more Scripture in 1 John 4:17: “As He is, so are we in this world.” That’s it, dear mother. Jesus wants you to be like Him in your home.
 
I love the quote by William Thackeray: “Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children.” Let your children see Jesus in you. They learn from you what God is like.
 
Matthew 5:16: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
 
Many blessings to you and your household today,
 
Nancy Campbell
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Nancy Campbell
Women's Daily Encouragement Blog

BIBLE LANGUAGE

biblelanguageIt’s amazing, isn’t it, how we think so differently to the way God thinks. Especially about children coming into the world.
 
Let me give you a couple of examples from Scripture. The Bible tells us in Genesis 14 of how four kings and their armies came against Sodom and Gomorrah and
defeated them. Along with confiscating all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, they also took Abraham’s nephew, Lot and his family.
 
Abraham rose up and went out with his home-trained army of 318 men, defeated them, and rescued Lot and his family. On his way home he met Melchisedec, King of Salem and priest of the most high God, and Abraham gave him tithes of all he had gained.
 
Then we go over to the New Testament and Hebrews 7: 9, 10 tells us that not only Abraham paid tithes to Melchisedec, but his great grandson! How could that be? He wasn’t even born!
 
Let’s read it: “And as I may so say, Levi . . . paid tithes in Abraham, For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him.” He paid tithes years before he was born!
 
God saw Levi, his great grandson in his loins, even when he was not a twinkle in Abraham’s eye.
 
We also read in 2 Samuel 7: 12, 13 how God told David that a son who was not yet even thought of by David would come forth from his loins to be the next king.
“And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of this kingdom forever.”
 
The Bible says a seed would come forth from David. The word is “zera” in the Hebrew and is a word that is used for sperm as well as for people. God planned for Solomon to be born and build the temple before he was even thought of by David.
 
God sees future generations before they are born! He has children planned to come into the world. We had better not stop God’s plans. His plans are far greater than our plans.
 
Be encouraged today,
 
Nancy Campbell
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Nancy Campbell
Women's Daily Encouragement Blog

CONTINUAL SUNSHINE

ContinSunshineWhat is it like to walk in the presence of God? Psalm 89:15 says: “Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance.”
 
In the Scriptures, the countenance of the Lord speaks of His presence. This is the ultimate vision for every believer--to walk continually in the light of His presence. How can you walk this kind of life in your home? Notice the Scriptures says “walk.” It doesn’t say we are blissfully sitting in the presence of the Lord away from all interruptions! Instead, it talks about your daily walk--whatever you are currently doing in your kitchen and with your children.
 
Are you facing squabbles and constant immaturity of children? Are you overwhelmed with all you must do in your home today? I was just talking to a mother on the phone she said, “Got to go. I’ve got children fighting, and even punching!”
 
The wonderful thing is that God’s presence is not limited to church meetings. God’s presence is available to you constantly. And please remember, dear mother, it is not the hassles, the difficulties, or even sorrow that hides God’s face from you. The only thing that hides His face is our sin and rebellion against Him.
 
As we seek to walk in holiness because we fear the light of His countenance, we also walk in the unspeakable joy of His constant presence because of His nearness to us--to strengthen us, give us peace, wisdom, and even rest in the midst of chaos!
 
The Bible commentator, Alexander Maclaren calls it living in “continual sunshine.”
 
Live in the sunshine of His presence today.
 
Love from Nancy Campbell
 
I would encourage you, when you have a spare moment, to go to the following link. It is the commentary of this Scripture by Alexander Maclaren. You will be so blessed:
 
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Nancy Campbell
Women's Daily Encouragement Blog

TRUE TO THE END!

TrueToEndComfort or conviction
Are the options today.
Will we stand, or be silent
When the choice comes our way?
Though culture is changing,
God's ways stay the same.
Will we yield to the pressure
Or the truth still proclaim?

This life is a vapor,
This world will not last.
Will we seek the eternal
Or the things that will pass?
We may suffer scoffing,
Persecution, or loss,
But to follow the Savior
Is to yield to the cross.

Help me love you, my Savior.
Keep me faithful to you,
Let me stand against falsehoods,
Unashamed of the truth.
Walking the old paths,
Embracing your Word,
Filled with your wisdom,
Not the voices I've heard.

I trust you to keep me,
I can't keep myself.
When I'm tempted to falter,
Let your strength be my help.
No matter the battle,
Keep me true to the end,
I want only to please you,
My Redeemer and friend.

2021, Val Halloran
www.valhalloran.com

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Nancy Campbell
Women's Daily Encouragement Blog

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS USE FINGER PLAY TO TEACH THEM TO YOUR LITTLE CHILDREN

TEN COMMANDMENTSFrom Renee Ellison
 
Teach the Ten Commandments EASILY to your children and grandchildren with finger play.
 
Number 1:
Hold up one finger.
"Only one God. No other gods."
 
Number 2:
Hold up two fingers of left hand (pointer and tall man) and make them touch side by side (like they were glued together to function as one) and then bow them up and down tightly together.
"Don't bow down to idols."
 
Number 3:
Hold up three fingers of left hand (pointer, tall man, ring man) then place across lips as if to say "mums the word."
"Don't take God's name in vain."
 
Number 4:
Hold up four fingers of left hand and then fist them up over their folded-in thumb to make a pillow and then "sleep" on it to connote day of holy rest.
"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy."
 
Number 5:
Reach full right hand of five fingers forward in a hand-shake to parents.
"Honor your father and your mother."
 
Number 6:
Take pointer of right hand and stab palm of left hand (that is employing six fingers to "make the point!" of . . .
"Do not kill."
 
Number 7 :
Hold up left hand fingers splayed, then hold up only thumb and pointer of right hand, (splayed). Explain that each hand's fingers represent a separate family/household, then interlock only the thumbs telling the child that the thumbs are wrongly connecting with the other household's wife or husband as if he or she were their own. The interlocking thumbs is a powerful visual image of adultery.
"You shall not commit adultery."
 
Number 8:
Tuck thumbs in splaying eight fingers up while saying "who stole my thumbs?"
"You shall not steal."
 
Number 9:
Lay left-hand palm facing up to ceiling, bring four fingers from right hand over to lay in left palm, close left fingers over the four fingers like covering them with a blanket while they lie in bed (like four monkeys in a bed).
"Do not lie."
 
Number 10:
Spray all ten fingers, bring tips of thumbs together to touch, making a vacant box shape between the two hands in the middle. Bring the hands up to face, putting that box shape under the chin (the thumbs touching, fingers of both hands standing tall and glued together like walls of a house) and look through it like a window, coveting what is in your neighbor's yard.
"Do not covet."
 
Bingo! Got 'em memorized for life!
 
RENEE ELLISON
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JOE GOODALE
Women's Daily Encouragement Blog

SOME TIPS FROM BETH

Tips for HomeRASHES IMPROVED
I have always aspired to keep a clean house but for whatever reason, I discovered that my efforts were not always helping my family. I was a very devout vacuumer and I vacuumed the carpet at least once a week.
 
My young daughter had mysterious rashes not tied to any food. They would come and go. After having my home tested for mold, it was found that the worst source of mold/dust was my HEPA vacuum cleaner. By using the device, I was kicking up microscopic particles into the air. Since then, I have stopped using a traditional vacuum. In my home I can use a central vacuum or a shop vac on the porch and a long hose to reach inside. Since I made the switch, her rashes have improved a lot.
 
SHOULD I USE THE MICROWAVE?
Many people are suspicious of microwaved food and have decided not to use a microwave. One time I started to get lax about this and my children were microwaving milk to make into hot chocolate. I noticed that I would have a slight headache around that time.
 
When I bought a meter to measure radiofrequency and microwave frequencies (I studied mechanical engineering at college), I found that the microwaves were coming OUT of the microwave itself. The metal screen on the front wasn't fully keeping them inside. I guess this is why they tell pregnant women to stand back from the microwave. Babies, since their skulls are thinner, are more vulnerable to these things. Now that I know this, I use other methods for heating food.
 
REDUCE THE CONFLICT
Many families reading this magazine have multiple children and thus peace in the home is of high importance. My family has decided to HARDWIRE all our computers and devices. All our devices are in airplane mode and we use ethernet cords and adapters to connect to the internet (kind of like living in 2005). Our home phone is a corded landline and our cell phones forward to our landline. We only use cell phones when outside, if at all.
 
We lived in a high EMF environment in the past. Since moving and keeping WiFi off (but ethernet ON), the sibling conflict is now 1/10th what it used to be. I used a Safe and Sound Pro II meter to measure the wireless signals of all our electronics and make sure each device's WiFi was truly off. The children are less stressed somehow and sleep better. It can really help a family to reduce their EMF exposure. Not all families will be as extreme as mine (we have health reasons) but reducing exposure to cell phone signals and wireless signals can help.
 
I encourage all mothers to at least try a "Signal Tamer" bag or Router Guard to reduce the strength of the WiFi coming out of their router since many routers are oversized for standard homes.
 
For further reading, a brief introduction to the subject can be found at this website:
 
BETH C from Iowa
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Nancy Campbell
Women's Daily Encouragement Blog

GIVE THANKS FOR TODAY

OnlyAThankfulGIVE THANKS FOR TODAY
By Val Halloran
 
I'll savor the moment,
The joys of today,
Lest by worry and wishing,
The best slips away.
 
Each view of the sunrise,
Each close of the day
Means God is sustaining
And guarding my way.
 
Moments as memories,
Gather through time.
Pleasure and sorrow
Are both gifts of mine.
 
Each need of my children,
Each broken nights' sleep
Means I make a difference
With a calling to keep.
 
My Savior has been there,
Through triumphs and falls.
He ever will hold me,
I'll give thanks for it all.
 
This moment, this hour,
Offers a choice,
To grumble and worry,
Or praise and rejoice.
 
Even when challenges
Come to dismay,
I know God is good.
I'll give thanks for today
 
2017, Val Halloran
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Nancy Campbell
Women's Daily Encouragement Blog

LOOK UP!

LookUpFrom my daughter, Evangeline Johnson
 
There is so much ‘light’ to be lived and so much ‘life’ to be lived under the grayest of skies and bluest of skies! Yes!
 
The skies of our brain are made up of 60,000 to 70,000 thoughts a day! Can you imagine seeing 70,000 stars twinkling and pulsing with life through an inky black sky? It would pulse our breath into sheer wonder and glory! That’s how I feel!
 
My stars are my thoughts! I must choose them! I don’t let the inky black displace the light of 70,000 twinkling light choices even though the dark night says it’s always going to be there in the background!
 
No! It’s the very war cry against the inky black that has my soul breathing the words of Light Himself: “Shine! Shine! Shine like stars in the universe! See! I have set you as a light to shine!”
 
And how? Ho do I do that?
 
In the epic revelation that ‘shining’ begins in “my own sky,” my own mind! Will I light my own backdrop to see the light, goodness, glory, and beauty of the everyday?
 
Will I realize that the mystical music of living each day is doing the little things that need doing with a smile? The things that no one gives a nod to play the music of life more beautifully than Beethoven’s greatest symphony!
 
Why should we live for those fleeting high moments when we can have the thrill of enjoying a million mundane everyday moments of time that make one love life?
 
These moments, these notes, each one supporting the best music ever played! To live nother note is thrilling!
 
Imagine sneering at the sound of a new heartbeat? Impossible! That sound brings triumphant celebrations, yet what does it do? A job that is day in and day out, year in and year out, never changing. When it begins, we give parties and when it stops, we cry!
 
Then why should we sneer at the day in and day out heartbeats of our season? Why should we cry over the mundane rituals that accompany our season?
 
When we are changing diapers and they say they are “changing the world,” you beam your smile wider! While they are standing to receive accolades and you are falling on your knees from a stray Lego, keep smiling!
 
Yes! Feed the children, get them to bed, and wake up and do it again. And what for?
 
Because it is beautiful!
 
Because this is what makes life! Our everyday moments. The ritual of the everyday! The business of breathing, bathing, work, and the hours people call mundane to live, are in fact our treasure!
 
The secret to loving life is not in pursuit of life but of loving every moment in the ritual of the everyday!
If the joyful heartbeat of daily living dies in your whining, you will live for yourself and lose your soul trying to find a purpose for life.
 
NOTHING is as dead as not realizing your season and the ritual of it! To escape the mundane is to escape the incredibly beautiful whole of life! The sheer goodness of having a work before us that is enduring, made up of scars and healing, laughter after pain, dancing after mourning! It is beautiful, utterly beautiful. To look for anything outside of that is to look for something that doesn’t exist!
 
It is a fast-paced, fleeting fame, and burnout world that offers you false highs, empty escapes, and thousands of new toys to try to make you happy.
 
But you, yes, you have the market on life! Your mind can choose its skies where the insignificant and daily duties are quite literally the bulbs of blazing life and awe!
 
Look up, my friend! Look up! There are 70,000 twinkling stars for the choosing!
 
EVANGELINE JOHNSON
 
Picture: Evangeline still healing from her broken shoulder.
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Nancy Campbell
Women's Daily Encouragement Blog

WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON?

WhoseSideUOnI stated in the post below, WHO ARE YOU A SLAVE TO? “The devil wants to keep everything about God in a little box. He does not want us to spread the truth and light of the gospel. He hates the truth. He hates the light, and he wants to keep people in darkness.”
 
He also wants to keep us in the dark about the blessing of having children. He really hates this truth! To bring forth the godly seed is anathema to the devil.
 
We see how the enemy became very agitated when the children of Israel multiplied in Egypt. The new Pharaoh was shaking in his boots. He said to his people: “Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: Come on, let us deal wisely with them; LEST THEY MULTIPLY.” The devil is scared of God’s people multiplying. He does everything in his power to “rob, kill, and destroy” to stop children coming into the world.
 
Will we give in to his strategy to hide the revelation of God in the earth? Or are we on God’s side? We can be so assimilated and even mesmerized by our godless and humanistic society that we fail to recognize that when we oppose or deny life coming into the world that we are on the devil’s side. It’s a plain fact that the devil hates life but God loves life. And we are on one side or the other.
 
Each new baby is a fresh revelation of the image of God on earth. Let’s not hold back the revelation of God. Let’s not hold back the children God wants to bring into this world.
 
I am so glad you are a testimony of God’s truth and that you are shining His light in the midst of the darkness. Keep spreading the truth. Never be silent.
 
Blessings to you today from Nancy Campbell
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Nancy Campbell
Women's Daily Encouragement Blog

WHO ARE WE YIELDING TO?

SlaveToThe devil wants to keep everything about God in a little box. He does not want us to spread the truth and light of the gospel. He hates the truth. He hates the light, and he wants to keep people in darkness.
 
Do you remember when Peter and John prayed for the man who was lame from his mother’s womb and he was immediately healed? He began walking, leaping, and praising God. All the people saw it and began to praise God. In fact, about 5,000 people believed on Jesus. This was too much for the devil.
 
The priests and Sadducees put Peter and John in custody until the next day when they met together to make their decision. Their verdict? “’We can’t deny that they have performed a miraculous sign, and everybody in Jerusalem knows about it. But to keep them from SPREADING THEIR PROPAGANDA ANY FURTHER, we must warn them not to speak to anyone in Jesus’ name again.’ So they called the apostles back in and commanded them never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus” (Acts 4:16-18 NLT).
 
Do you notice that they called the truth PROPAGANDA? A visible miracle was performed for all to see but to the enemies of Christ it was propaganda. That is what’s happening today. Anyone who stands up against the tyranny in our nation is called a conspiracist. Unless you fall in completely with the liberal agenda, your beliefs are propaganda.
 
Did Peter and John become victims to their verdict? No. They answered: “Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19, 20).
 
The devil wants to close our mouths. He does not want the gospel to be proclaimed. He does not want the truth to get out. He propagates lies and deception and fake news.
 
He has also used his recruits to deceive and bring fear upon the whole world during this last year for a so-called virus. Yes, a virus which has proved to be another strain of flu with a 99 percent survival rate.
 
And now they are brainwashing the masses with mandating a vaccine that has not had time to be proved. People are dying. Many more could die. But people find it easier to listen to the lies of fake news than to live and abide in God’s word. They fear the words of man rather than God. It reminds me of Nehemiah 9:36, 37: “Behold, we are servants this day . . . also they have DOMINION OVER OUR BODIES, and over our cattle, AT THEIR PLEASURE, and we are in great distress.”
 
I will never yield my body to this vaccine. You may feel differently and want to. That is your prerogative. My prayer is that it will not be made mandatory. Those who do not mind those whose goal is “the depopulation of the world” to take dominion over their bodies are free to go ahead. But there are thousands who will not.
 
“Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey?” (Romans 6:16 NLT).
 
I will not yield to tyranny.
 
Be blessed today,
 
Nancy Campbell
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Nancy Campbell
Women's Daily Encouragement Blog

PRAYER FOR MY CHILDREN

Prayer4MyChildrenMay all my children live for You,
To do the things You've called them to.
Oh grant this mother's one desire
To light their hearts with holy fire.
 
No greater task on earth You give
Than that my children thus would live,
With hearts and ears to hear Your voice,
With lives surrendered to Your choice.
 
I do not pray for wealth or fame,
Or any other earthly gain.
No momentary, passing peace,
To live their lives in comforts' ease.
 
I only long to see them live
Prepared for You their lives to give,
That in that country far away
Together we'll all live some day.
 
What's done for selfish gain won't last,
And earthly pleasures soon will pass;
But if they'll fix their eyes above,
They'll know the joy of heaven's love.
 
I know this prayer is much to ask,
When failure marks times of the past.
Though I'm not all You'd have me be,
May they still see Your love through me.
 
And may they each forgive my falls,
That they might hear and heed Your call.
For when to glory I must pass,
May only truths I've taught them last.
 
VAL HALLORAN
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Nancy Campbell
Women's Daily Encouragement Blog

WHAT’S YOUR MARRIAGE TEMPERATURE?

MarriagementTempermentHave you lost your first love? Jesus rebuked the church at Ephesus because they had lost their first love for Him. To keep love going, we have to rekindle it, don’t we? God’s heart of love never changes toward us, but we need to keep our hearts close to Him and loving Him back. We do this by keeping in His Word, in prayer, and fellowshipping with the saints.
 
It seems that we are prone to losing the first fire of love It happens in marriages too. What is the current temperature of love in your marriage?
 
Is it hot and passionate or getting a little cold and boring?
 
Love doesn’t automatically keep hot without action. Without doing anything, it easily slips away.
 
Jesus told the Ephesus church to “repent, and DO the FIRST works”: (Revelation 2:5). The Passion translation says: “But I have this against you: you have abandoned the passionate love you had for me at the beginning. Think about how far you have fallen! Repent and do the works of love you did at first.”
 
Jesus never rebukes us without giving an answer. And here is the answer to returning to our first love to Jesus. We do what we did in the beginning.
 
It’s the same in our marriages. If our love toward our husband is waning, we don’t let it go on that way. We DO something. First of all, we repent! Then we start doing what we did when we first fell in love.
 
You wouldn’t be married unless you fell in love with your husband. When you fell in love with him, you spoke lovingly and kindly to him You spoke endearingly to him. Begin doing this again.
 
You were sweet to him. How sweet are you now?
 
You smiled at him and looked at him adoringly. Are you doing that when he talks to you now?
 
You wanted to be with him all the time and communicate with him? Are you communicating now?
 
When love has grown really cold, it can seem impossible to get back the first love. But do it one step at a time. You take the first step. You do one little thing you used to do. And then you take the next step and the next step and as you keep doing the things that made your husband fall in love with you at the beginning, it will restore that glorious love between you again.
 
In fact, it will be more glorious Older love is even more amazing than first love. Never be satisfied with lukewarm love. Go for the ultimate. It will happen if you do what God says.
 
Blessings to you today,
 
Nancy Campbell
 
Painting by Monika Lunick
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NO EXCUSES!

ExcusesNoAre you rejoicing today? “Help, I don’t have anything to rejoice about,” you exclaim! Sometimes you can feel like that when everything goes wrong, insurmountable problems confront you, or you feel just plain lousy.
 
However, Psalm 89:16 inspires us: “IN THY NAME shall they rejoice ALL THE DAY; and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted.” Wow, God’s word never gives us any excuses or loopholes, does it?
 
It is true that you can’t always rejoice in your circumstances or what is happening in your life, but you can rejoice in the name of the Lord. His name never changes. It is always constant. His name is holy. It is awesome. It is glorious. His name is Jehovah-Jireh--the Lord who provides, Jehovah-Rapha--the Lord my Healer. The name of the Lord is a strong tower into which you can run. And on and on.
 
And never forget that God has given Jesus “a name which is ABOVE EVERY NAME, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-112). Every name bows to His name! Every demon. Every evil. Every circumstance.
 
We never have an excuse to not rejoice in the name of the Lord. No matter what your difficulty, you can rejoice in His name by faith. Praise Him for His glorious attributes Rejoice that you are called by His name.
 
“Rejoice in the LORD, and again I say, rejoice” (Philippians 4:4).
 
Encourage yourself in His name today,
 
Nancy Campbell
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MORE AND MORE

MoreMoreProverbs 4:18 is one of my favorite Scriptures: “But the path of the just is as the shining light that shineth MORE AND MORE unto the perfect day” (Proverbs 4:18).
 
Our walk with God is a MORE AND MORE walk. We should never be stagnant. Never get in a rut. Never stay the same. Never think we have arrived. Never come to a halt.
 
Let’s look at some of the things we should experience MORE AND MORE each day.
 
Abound MORE AND MORE in loving one another (1 Thessalonians 3:12; 4:10 and 2 Thessalonians 1:3).
Abound MORE AND MORE in pleasing God (1 Thessalonians 4:1).
Abound MORE AND MORE with thanksgiving (Colossians 2:7).
Change MORE AND MORE into the image of Christ (Romans 8:29 and 2 Corinthians 3:18).
Filled with MORE AND MORE joy (Romans 14:17; Hebrews 1:9 and 1 Peter 1:8).
Gather MORE AND MORE with the saints (Hebrews 10: 25).
Increase MORE AND MORE in the knowledge of God (Colossians 1:10).
Increase MORE AND MORE in righteousness (2 Corinthians 9:10).
Increase MORE AND MORE in wisdom (Proverbs 4:5, 7; 8:11; 19:8; and Proverbs 31:26).
Learn MORE AND MORE of God’s heart for mothering (1 Timothy 2:15).
Live MORE AND MORE by faith (Luke 17:5 and 2 Thessalonians 1:3).
Praise the Lord MORE AND MORE each day (Psalm 71:14).
Shine MORE AND MORE of God’s light to others (Proverbs 4:18).
 
And what about this wonderful promise? “The Lord shall increase you MORE AND MORE, you and your children” (Psalm 115:14).
 
We certainly have no opportunity to stay stagnant, do we?
 
Let’s be families who never stay the same, but instead are always growing in the knowledge of God, shining His love and light to one another and others, and strengthening and building up our marriage and family a little more each day.
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I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT!

CouldNotBelieveAldi is my favorite grocery store. All of us on the Hilltop shop at this store. However, yesterday I was in the city and popped into a new Aldi to get one or two items.
 
I needed to use the restroom before I left and could not believe my eyes when I got to the door. I was so grieved, saddened, and offended to see that they have joined with the transgender deception. It is not enough to have a male and female restroom, but they have added the picture of a half/man, half/woman!
 
Imagine little children looking at that picture! What about our young people? We cannot take this sitting down.
 
Do you shop at Aldi? If so, I would please urge you to write to the main office and state your concerns. They will be putting these restrooms in every new Aldi. Go to the internet for address and emails for Aldi.
 
Your local Aldi, like ours, may still be traditional. Please also contact, call, or write to your local manager where you shop and tell them that if they change to transgender bathrooms, they will lose your custom.
 
To not do something is to side with transgender which is a slap in the face to God who created us male and female! We must stand up for the truth.
 
Ephesians 5;11: “Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”
 
Yours standing against all evil.
 
~ Nancy
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ARRANGE YOUR FACE

ArrangeFaceThe expression on our faces has great power to change the way we feel personally and the way we affect others. Our faces are very powerful to either release blessing or negativity.
 
Have you been blessed and uplifted by the smile of a stranger? It’s amazing, isn’t it? Sometimes I have been walking in a shop and a stanger will smile at me. I am immediately warmed and blessed inside.
 
But we don’t always feel like smiling or showing a happy face, do we? But look at this Scripture in Job 9:27 (ESV): “I will put off my sad face, and be of good cheer.”
 
NET: “I will change my expression and be cheerful.”
 
In the Hebrew it actually means to “abandon my face, or to change my expression.” Or “I will arrange my face.” We have the power to change the expression of our face. We usually allow our face to convey how we are currently feeling, whether happy or sad, don’t we? But we can move into a new realm where we determine the expression of our face.
 
Have you tried this? It truly works. There are times when I may feel despondent, but if I allow that expression on my face, it will take me into a greater depth of self-pity or despair. But if I put on a happy face and smile in the midst of my difficulty, my whole attitude changes. The expression I put on my face determines how I feel and the how others feel around me.
 
We have such power to influence the mood of others by our expression. Let’s not be wimpy mothers who give into our feelings (for feelings are deceiving and come and go like the wind) but instead be mothers of stamina and determination. Let’s put on a smiling face even if what we are going through is the opposite. We will bless ourselves and those around us.
 
I love reading Job, chapter 29 when Job reminisces of the days when God’s blessing was upon him and of how he was a blessing to many others. These were great memories in the midst of his present suffering.
 
Here is one of the things he did: “When they were discouraged, I smiled at them” (Job 29:24 NLT).
 
A greater thing is to smile at others even when we are discouraged ourselves!
 
Are you ready for a new way of living?
 
Love from Nancy
 
P.S. You can’t show a smiling face with a mask on!
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THE UNKNOWN MISSIONARY

UnknownMissionaryMy mother, the unknown missionary

With five noisy children in tow,

From dawn till dusk we kept her busy

As she taught us and watched us grow.

Those child-days were long and wearisome

With babies, toddlers, and more.

But training up children in the way they should go

Was a mandate to Mum, not a chore.

It wasn’t easy with many small children,

The days stretched out long one by one,

“Don’t grow weary in doing what’s good”

Was the Scripture that encouraged Mum.

To God she always taught us to look,

Him we were taught to love,

As Friend and Savior, Lord of all,

Our minds were on things above.

Now we are grown and have all left home,

Waving goodbye one by one,

But we’ll always be impacted by the lessons taught

By the unknown missionary, our Mum.

~ Hannah Bronn

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