Surround Yourself with Godly Mentors

There is nothing more discouraging than being around women who are not Godly mentors.  They will criticize your walk with God, draw you away into selfishness and you will find yourself adopting their ways.  Be careful who you spend your time with and who you have your communication and friendships with!  I would rather have a few friendships with quality women, than an overabundance of friendships with those that lack substance.

If you set out to follow God's Word and his plan for women and be a Christian wife and mother, you NEED to surround yourself with Godly mentors.  These are women who also share the same goal - to be a Godly woman who builds up her house and is focused on God, her family and her home.  Seek out these women in your area and online.  Let their words, talk or fellowship encourage your soul to be better and to love your husband and children as the Word of God instructs.

I've found that if I hang around women who are selfish, criticize their husbands and neglect their children - it will discourage me and prevent me from staying focused!  There are some, that we can BE mentors to, but if they are not interested in pursuing that route, don't let your good become the enemy of the very best.

Godly mentors will encourage and edify you to be better.  They will provoke you to good works.  They will shake your mind up to get your priorities straight again.  Hint; it isn't Facebook!  I remember 2 times I was on Facebook and both times I was saddened by what it did to me.  It took me away, like a vacuum, from the very best people in my life - God, my husband and my precious children.  Sorry Facebook, you may glitter and dazzle but I won't let you take me away with your deception of "friends" and forsake what, and who, is truly important in life!

I've surrounded myself with Godly mentors.  I've found a great group of women that encourage me in the Lord, in being a wife and being a loving mother.  They are very focused on their husbands, children and homes and it boosts my spirits.  I also read blogs and books of the same caliber of women to sharpen myself and help me in this continuing journey we face as Christian women.

Don't forget your children!  Make sure they have mentors as well.  We have a wonderful, Godly youth group full of youth that truly seek God and live the life outside the church.  I'm always amazed at the fervor in the hearts to be what God wants them to be.  It truly makes a difference when your children have others to look up to and be encouraged by as well.

Sending the Children Away


I've been reading a wonderful book that I would recommend (minus the Catholicism) to mothers everywhere.  It is called, A Mother's Rule of Life:  How to Bring Order to Your Home and Peace to Your Soul, by Holly Pierlot.  She had many children and homeschooled and never could get it together, no matter how hard she tried and what method she used.  She decided to give up and put the children in school.  What happened next is something that really touched me and I wanted to share.

She told her husband she was done and the kids were going to school. She told him nothing was going to stop her from doing this, her mind was made up, she had had ENOUGH!  He agreed but asked her to take a little time to consider whether this is best for the family.  She didn't see a reason to take any time to consider anything, she wasn't changing her mind.  She very reluctantly agreed to take a week and bring it to God in prayer.

She began to pray and be open to whatever the Lord wanted to show her.  Jesus brought her attention to these scriptures:

Matthew 14:14-21
14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.
15 And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.
16 But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.
17 And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.
18 He said, Bring them hither to me.
19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.
20 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.
21 And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.

She said:
Here were the disciples, staring at a large crowd, seeing all the needs of the people, and knowing full well they couldn't meet those needs.  The only solution they saw was to send the people away.  And here I was, seeing the many tasks and needs of my home - for my children, my husband, homeschooling, not to mention myself - and the only solution I could see was to send the children away.  But when the disciples brought their concerns to Jesus, Jesus told them to feed the crowds themselves.  The disciples must have been totally astonished, realizing the impossibility of the task before them.  I, too, had realized the impossibility of the task.  But Jesus wanted me to do it anyway.  And then it dawned on me.  It wasn't the Apostles' meager five loaves and two fish that fed the crowds, but their offering combined with the blessing of Jesus.  And Jesus was telling me to give him my five loaves and two fish, my insignificant efforts, and he would bless them, and the needs of my family would be met.

I hope you were touched the way I was by her sharing of this wonderful leading from the Lord!  We must look to Jesus, believing in FAITH to make up the difference after we bring all that we can each day.

Image credit: Amazon

Attention Mothers: Children Are Hurting!

In light of the recent school shooting, we seem to notice just how bad it really is in children's lives these days, yet there is never actually anything done to fix it.  Taking guns away will not only NOT fix it, it will make us ALL vulnerable to criminals, who WILL get guns somehow - just like they manage to get "illegal" drugs.  Look at how crazy everyone is acting!  Fighting and pointing fingers with one another.

Everyone seems to ignore that this shooter, this orphaned boy, was hurting extremely bad.  Not only was he supposedly given up by his real, biological parents, but his adoptive father died when he was a child and his adopted mother died this past November.  It didn't stop there.  He was bullied relentlessly at school for how he acted or behaved.  He couldn't have been expected to act normally because he had already been rejected by his birth parents and then lost his adoptive parent (and later on the 2nd).  His emotions were probably running wild and combine that with growing up and hormones and then the whole ungodly, public-school culture and you end up with a recipe for total destruction of a human spirit!!!  It was brought to the attention of staff at school but no one did anything about it and that hurt him even more.  He was treated as an outcast as though it was HIS fault he was the way he was.  The poor boy was hurting and screaming for help and all he ever got was tragedy and mockery!  The woman that took over for his mother after she died, showed her main goal ONE day after the shooting - she rushed to file a paper to make sure she got his inheritance from his dead mother, to the tune of $800,000 and she quickly tossed his brother involuntarily into a mental institution.

What we have here is not a case of an evil boy destined to kill.  We have a very, very hurt boy, who through hurts, rejection, abuse and having those who cared for him taken away, had an open door for demons to come in one by one.  Full of demons, he did whatever they said and did the unthinkable.  He could now finally have PROOF that he was a very bad boy unworthy of love.  God help him, deliver him from his demons and let him feel that he is loved by someone - by you and God!


Public school is a place that Satan rules and God isn't allowed.  The place where teachers spew their biased, liberal, anti-God rhetoric in between bites of actual book learning.  What kind of things should we expect out of such a place!?
  It is full of children, whose mother's have shuffled the responsibility of their education off to others (and forced us all to foot the bill for it) and chased the mighty dollar and career.  It is full of children hurting because they are without love and care and just want their mommies!  They are hurting so bad, they start hurting each other by bullying.  All bullying is, is hurt children taking it out on others, what they themselves don't understand.

What is so appalling to me and always has been, is that people that call themselves Christians, freely hand their children over to these prisons of evil.  They boast in unison of how they are "free" of their hindrances, so they can do other things, you know... important things like sitting on their rump, scrolling through Facebook or posting lascivious photos of themselves so another man can lust after them.  Meanwhile, little Johnny's head is being filled up with all manner of anti-God rhetoric and learning to love the "world" as he desperately tries to fit in to this culture called the public school.

It isn't just school choice.  Little Johnny doesn't even know what is a man or woman anymore and his mother sure isn't helping by dressing like a man and working like a man!  Women are partly the cause to this gender confusion, they, quite frankly started this mess by cross-dressing.  Children are CONFUSED and roaming the school halls for answers.

Mothers need to quit their jobs, put on feminine dress and act like a woman and school their own children!  There is no better place than the place where God ordained children to be - at home with their mothers.  When you wake up and realize just what you have caused, you should weep, repent and make it right if there is still time.  If your children are already grown, you can still weep and repent and take it before the courtroom of the Almighty God and ask Him to fix what you messed up.  Then, warn others - like I'm doing because my own mother told me to in her stead.

*Watch video of a psychotherapist telling why working mothers produce mentally ill children: http://www.christianhomekeeping.com/2018/03/working-mothers-produce-mentally-ill.html

*It should be noted that we probably will not end school shootings, as it is nothing new.  The first school shooting was in 1764 by Indians, with a student doing the shooting by 1840.  This post is to bring attention to mothers to help prevent their own children from being so hurt to do such an act.

What God Leaves Out


There are exceptions to a lot of things in the Bible that God did not include.  Had He included them, the Bible would have been enormous.  There are some that say there are no exceptions to anything.  Let's look at two views on this:

  1. Only what is IN the Bible
  2. There are exceptions to certain things

Only what is IN the Bible; No Exceptions

A lot of people think they believe this but when we start breaking down things, they realize they don't.  However, for this post, let's say that we believe this and there are NO exceptions to anything that isn't laid out in the Bible.  Let's take a few topics:

  1. Divorce - the Bible only states divorce lawful in the case of death or adultery, and desertion if the unbelieving depart.  If your spouse beats you or molests your children, you have to remain married and not depart because God didn't give this exception.  If you were forced into your marriage as an 8 year old child, you can't divorce or depart because God didn't give this exception.  If you are sold to a man for marriage, you can't divorce or depart because God didn't give this exception.  
  2. Don't forsake assembling - if the church or leaders decide to assemble, you can not forsake, no exceptions.  It doesn't matter if you are sick, in the hospital on your death's bed - God didn't give an exception.
  3. Obey husband in everything - if he tells you to stay awake for a week and not sleep, guess what?  You better do it, God didn't give any exceptions to this, He said "everything".  If he tells you to be a prostitute, curse, smoke, etc. you have to do it - God didn't give any exceptions.
  4. Obey them that have the rule over you - in regards to Pastors, if a Pastor tells you to do it, you have to.  God didn't give any exceptions.  If he tells you to quit your job and give him all your money, you must, there are no exceptions.  If he tells you to get a vasectomy or prevent children, you must obey him, there are no exceptions.
  5. Be content with your wages - don't ever ask for a raise or seek another job, God said be content with your wages, no exceptions.

I really hope you are seeing just how illogical it would be to think that God has no exceptions to certain things!

There are exceptions to certain things

  1. Divorce - I went over this in this post: http://www.christianhomekeeping.com/2017/12/marriage-101-divorce-and-remarriage.html
  2. Forsaking assembly - 1 or 2 times a week is sufficient most Christians believe for assembling.  You aren't in danger of hell if a church decides to have church everyday and you don't go.  If you are sick, in the hospital, have a sick child, etc. these are exceptions that most people understand as a given.  You should make it a point to assemble at least once a week and be with other believers.
  3. Obey husband in everything - You wouldn't obey your husband if he is telling you to do something outside of God's will, commandments or that is sinful.  There are exceptions to this!  You would be crazy to believe there aren't.
  4. Obey them that have the rule over you -  if your Pastor tells you to do something outside of God, well obviously don't but you could also find another Pastor.  There are exceptions to this scripture.  A pastor doesn't have to marry homosexuals and on and on, even if the church he is a part of tells him to.  Obey God rather than man!  If your Pastor tells you to get a vasectomy or prevent children, don't obey him!  That goes against God's Word and His plan for families.  Find a Pastor that doesn't do things that are questionable or just plain wrong.
  5. Be content with your wages - you can be content and also change your job, ask for a raise, etc.  There are exceptions.


There are so many more we could add and show the no-exception vs. exception side of.  Please use your God-given brain when reading and living God's Word!  He gave us the Holy Spirit to guide us and teach us!  Follow His Word YES but also heed the Holy Spirit and realize God can do anything He wants to do!

There are current news stories of people who followed the letter of the law and sinned.  I'm reminded of a Pastor, who was married but lustful.  He sought out women on a lewd website and had private adulterous affairs.  However, he convinced himself he couldn't divorce his wife, he had to keep God's Word after all - so he killed her instead, so he could be "free" to be marry another woman.  There are these kind of people out there, who hold so strong to ONE thing in the Bible and forsake the others.  The issue of marriage/divorce/remarriage is one of them.  I've seen people, like this Pastor, stick to the no-divorce thing so diligently but take their bed of ease in other areas and commit all manner of sins.

We should try and follow God's Word as it is written but also realize, there may be exceptions.  This is why it is so important for Christians to be filled with the Holy Spirit, led by the Spirit and know the voice of God.

Taxes in Ohio and Why It's Worth Living Here


Most people would look at the cost of living in Ohio when it comes to all the taxes and question why would anyone want to live there if they had a choice?  I'm here to answer the question, but first, I will tell you just how taxed Ohioans are.  Besides paying federal, Medicare and Social Security taxes, when you live in Ohio, you also have to pay:

  • Ohio State Income Tax
  • Income tax in the city you LIVE in
  • Income tax in the city you WORK in
  • Income tax for the school district you live in

Yes, those are ridiculous!  However, not everyone has to pay the last 3 taxes but everyone has to pay state income tax.  Let's talk about the last 3:

  1. Residence Tax - there are certain cities in Ohio that charge an income tax if you live in their city.  The highest I know of are 2.75%.  Some cities give you a discount off this tax if you are already paying a local income tax in the city where you work. 
  2. Work Place Tax - several cities in Ohio charge you local income tax in the city that you work.  If you work in the city of Cincinnati for instance, 2.1% of everything you make goes to the city of Cincinnati.  You can't claim it on your taxes, you don't get a refund and you will never see that money again.
  3. School district tax where you LIVE - If you live in one of the school districts that has voted in a school district tax, you have to pay this.  The highest school district tax is 2% of everything you make.  It doesn't matter if you have kids in the school or not, everyone that lives in that district pays.  Not every district in Ohio has this, so check to see if where you want to live has one.

There may be some people that gets credits on these, such as disabled, retired, etc.  I'm not sure, but for most people if you live or work in cities that charge these local income taxes, you have to pay.  I honestly don't know how they get away with this!

An average middle-middle class family of 4, would pay around $2,500 extra in Ohio taxes just because they live here!  That doesn't include the federal/Medicare/SS taxes.  You have to figure this in when you want to move to Ohio.  Check the city you live in for income tax and school district tax and check the city you will be working in.  You can't get away from the state income tax but you could possibly dodge these other local income taxes.

So why Ohio!?  We live a very nice life here despite the taxes.  It could be because of no tax on food and low sales tax (6.75%) or that housing is affordable compared to other parts of the country.  It could also be because the Cincinnati metro area is packed full of jobs and the pay is very good.  My family "feels" a very good feeling about the area we live in - it just feels blessed by God.  There are even cities named after the Bible places - so who knows LOL!  It just has a more peaceful feeling to this place and everyone I've spoken with has said they felt the same when they moved here.  Life here is good for most of the people we know.

Our pay went down $14,000 a year by moving to Ohio and we pay several thousands in additional taxes but we are still living the same level of life we lived in a higher-paying state with no state/local taxes, if not better!  We were also able to afford a home in a nice neighborhood here in Ohio.  Somehow, it is working - I just know God called us here and He can do anything!!