Wednesday, March 31, 2010

USDA Regulations

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_4742.cfm

USDA Says "Raw" Almonds, Including Organic, Must Soon be Steam-Heated or Treated with Toxic Chemical


Small-scale farmers, retailers, and consumers are outraged over a new federal regulation that will require almonds to be sterilized with various "pasteurization" techniques.


“Raw produce and nuts are not inherently risky foods. Contamination occurs when livestock manure or fecal matter is inadvertently transferred to food through contaminated water, soil, or transportation and handling equipment. Raw foods can also be infected by poor employee sanitation either on the farm or in processing facilities.”


We know of a family in Orange County that requires their customers to sign a document that the goat milk purchased is for animal consumption. They sell a quart for about $18.


According to USDA our almonds may be for animals. The sheller told us the almonds have gone through a sheller machine. That's it. The ones we toss out sprout and grow trees in the compost pile.



Almonds & Honey

http://melodys-notes.blogspot.com/2010/03/honey-almond-price-list.html


Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Victoria Botkin's "How to Help Your Husband Love You" notes by Beth Braun


Q: Do you think that older daughters are to remain in the home until they marry? Where do you see the biblical directive for that?


A: I’d like to ask: Where do you see that an unmarried daughter IS to leave home in Bible? Are there any examples of that? What you see in the Bible is that unmarried daughters DO stay home normally--except for one: Dinah. It’s not a good example. There is Esther, but she was taken forcefully from her home. You just don’t see unmarried daughters leaving home as the Biblical example. So, why should we deviate from the absolutely clear pattern in Scripture of daughters staying at home until marriage -without a biblical directive?


Q: I really like Facebook. It has been a great way to find old friends and communicate with people. Do you think that spending time on Facebook is the same thing as being an idle busybody?


A: How do you use it? Like so many things, consider it a tool to use for good…or harm. Facebook can be used to make disciples, encourage people, used for good purposes, or… it can be a snare for some, addictive. It depends on how you use it. If you need guidance, ask your husband what he thinks about your use of it.


Q: I wondered what your thoughts are on the subject of men being kind nurturing fathers. It seems most women want their husbands to be this kind of “dad”: one who takes his daughter on daddy-daughter dates, uses endearing terms like “princess”, hugs them, tells them how wonderful they are, goes on walks together, just to talk. It seems like this is rare! Men just don’t seem to be built this way, and this can cause contention when the wife is pushing this, and they are resisting…and it never results in a building time with father-child. I wonder how much of this image is right, or realistic, and how much has been created by our current culture and is damaging? Do you see examples of fathers doing things like these in scripture?


A: In Scripture: are fathers Scripturally to take on father-daughter things? Well, they are instructed to protect, provide, and teach them to fear the Word. Respect your husband to be who Lord wants Him to be—not what others think he should be like. If he wants to do ‘those things’ like you’ve mentioned, OK, but let it be his decision. Scripture has not provided any concrete formulas for how to be the ideal father. Think: Should daughters be the focus of his attention or…should you, the mother have your daughter focus her attention on her dad? This is more normal: for her to have a relationship with her Dad. Mothers should encourage their daughters to do things with their fathers: hanging around with her dad would certainly give a daughter a better picture of normal life, and her role in it, and of her father’s life.


It is a contemporary culture thing: the daughter as a princess. “Daddy’s little princess” role playing, on the part of a father, is a poor excuse for nurturing. This is a self-absorbed notion: your Dad’s little princess, you’re special, you need to feel good about yourself… Our children need to be raised to see

themselves as servants of one another, and servants of the living God, and should be taught that life is a battle ground, and not a playground. Princesses culturally, when I studied this historically… Historically, a princess was just about the last thing you would want to be. Princesses were the property of the state, and were used as pawns. The bad ones grew up thinking their position as royalty entitled them to be selfish. The good princesses grew up understanding that they existed for the good of their subjects…and that they ruled by the consent of their subjects. They knew they did not belong to themselves.


Q: My husband is making me work outside the home, when I believe my most important job is at home in raising my 3 little children, and it breaks my heart to leave them every day. How can I make my husband see this wisdom, or is there nothing I can do except pray for God to change his heart? This has been going on for 5 years now. I submit to his authority, when he tells me that I have to work and help him in this way, but I just don’t know. Is my heart mistaken?


A: What you can do is pray God changes his heart. Statistics show that a wife working outside the home… after subtracting the costs of childcare, the wife’s work wardrobe, a second car and gas and insurance for it and higher taxes, etc., the wife’s work often doesn’t really bring in enough income to make it worthwhile. Your standard of living…real, biblical living…would be much higher if you were living in a small house with only one car, but were able to stay at home with your children. (Deuteronomy 6 says…) Clear pattern is to be…obedient to the Word. It involves sacrifices to be obedient to the Word but the rewards are great. You can suggest this if he’s willing to talk. Tell him you are will to make the sacrifices—but remember to be respectful and submissive.


Q: How would you handle visits with family who are not believers? In fact they are avid God haters with children who are defiled. Do you not visit at all? Or do you visit and attempt to keep our children from being defiled?


A: If relatives…well, you have a greater responsibility to your kids than your natural family. There are other things you can do, like call them, or write them. You can still show love---do it in ways that don’t involve direct contact if they show no signs of repentance. Entertain unbelieving family, neighbors, and acquaintances who you are trying to reach out to, at your own house...if they give you reason to believe they may come to Lord. Being on your own territory is a huge plus. At your house you can control your visitors’ behavior and what happens in house. All visitors must obey the rules of the house, the same as your family do. You can feel perfectly free to kindly correct another person’s child, in your own home, if his parent is not doing it--but be gracious kind, friendly, not mad or bent out of shape. Be extremely hospitable so they can’t be offended by any ‘correcting’ of behavior…


Q: I home school my children and am with them for the entire day, but I am quite unsure of how much free time to allow them… the amount of time they should be spending by themselves playing outside, reading alone, playing with friends… My children seem to fight me on not wanting to work with me around the house and do things together. They want to do whatever they want to do. I want for us to enjoy our time together, regardless of whether we are folding laundry or reading a book or doing schoolwork. Am I doing something wrong or is this normal? I want them to use their time productively although I know that free time to play and explore is also important. What types of things do you feel are productive and acceptable for free time. Are there subtle ways to win their hearts and draw them into doing things together joyfully?


A: What do you think is productive? Are your hearts together in these things? Discipling, having friends, free time, productive time: these are great questions, like four in one, so let’s talk about this specially in a few weeks…so we can get to the main topic of tonight’s discussion:

We were created to help husbands…obey the commands of Scripture. Tonight we’re going to talk about how we can help our husbands to love…us. It’s a loving and wise and smart thing, to help your husband love you…by being someone who is easy to love.


The idea that I’ll respect him if he…well, there’s no conditions in the Bible attached to our duty to respect him. We are commanded to respect our husbands by God. As also there are no conditions attached to the command to him to love us.


So…how can you make yourself lovable to help him love you? There are many ways. For example, your looks, such as your hair, make-up, jewelry; we’ll discuss this aspect next week. Or your speech, your voice, how you say things. A very important one is your personality, which we’ll discuss tonight.


Personality or the kind of person you are is due to your outlook on life. Here’s an example of what I mean by your personality and how it affects your marriage:


A woman came to me seeking counsel, but it just seemed she was seeking to get me to commiserate with her. Her husband was a doctor, and she was jealous of his time he spent at work, bitter he worked so much…and afraid he’d, well, run off with one of those pretty nurses he worked with. It seemed like a Greek tragedy tale. Her marriage is fine she said, she has a good marriage. However because of her worries and anxiety and jealousy, and her nagging and scolding and suspicious questioning…she just may make the thing she is afraid of happen. By her own personality…This is one of the ways we can tear down our house with our own hands: by being a person who is unpleasant to be around. She never had a reason to be alarmed by any of his behavior she said, but she still constantly worried. He was a doctor and those nurses helping him… Men do get attached to the women who are helpers to them. But she needs to just believe in him. Take action to keep his heart. It’s a very loving thing for a wife to help her husband resist the temptations of other women by being loving and lovable herself. She wasn’t competing with the nurses by complaining at him all the time when he came home, but one way to ‘compete’ with them is when he is home, she should be warm and welcoming to him—waiting at the door with outstretched arms. She should be a ready listener. If he wants to talk about work when he gets home, fine, listen. She should not meet him at the door with complaints about the children’s misbehavior, or complaints about how he’s never home, but with loving kind words, with affection, and with physical comforts…make him feel loved by her. In short, she has to be more attractive than the nurses. The young nurses’ admiration, respect, support and sympathy are their biggest attraction to him, not their outward appearance. Show him you appreciate all his hard work—for you. She CAN outdo the nurses by her respect and support for her husband so SHE is the person he wants most to be around. A person who is obedient to Scripture and full of faith, love, hope and joy…is going to be easy to love.


So what are some of the other qualities in women that men appreciate?


One of the qualities men like in women is respect. Respect. We are commanded to give it. Whereas love is our vulnerable spot, men’s is that they need respect. Eph 5:33—“…let the wife see to it that she respects her husband.” See to it--I say it and I mean business—disrespect and scorn can ruin a man for service. Even if he’s NOT a Christian. We have a lot of leverage to either build him up or tear down. A man’s need for respect makes him vulnerable. Here’s a story from the Bible:


2 Samuel 6:14-23 “And David danced before the LORD with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the horn. As the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, and she despised him in her heart…Then all the people departed, each to his house. And David returned to bless his household. But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, "How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants' female servants, as one of the vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!" And David said to Michal, "It was before the LORD, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince over

Israel, the people of the LORD--and I will make merry before the LORD. I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your eyes. But by the female servants of whom you have spoken, by them I shall be held in honor." And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.” We see here David dancing before the Lord, but Michal sees him and despises him. David returns to bless his house, but Michal scornfully greets him. Michal despised her husband and openly expressed her scorn: God punished her with barrenness and you never hear of her having any children whether by David and her other husband. David points out the servants WOULD honor him. Do you act this way (—even if he is acting disrespectful is no excuse)? It’s God’s decree he is over us! Or…Do you ever despise your husband…just in your heart? Remember, it’s God you are disobeying, and it’s HIS instruction you are despising, if you let yourself despise your husband in your heart. HE has told us to respect the husband that he has placed over us.


Q: I hear all the time respect and support your husband but in application I am struggling. I was not raised to do this for any authority. So what would you recommend how to find out how to do this?


A: We live in a culture of disrespect, where everything’s in your face, flippant, irreverent. Look at this story in the Bible:


1 Samuel 24:4-10 “And the men of David said to him, "Here is the day of which the LORD said to you, 'Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.'" Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul's robe. And afterward David's heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul's robe. He said to his men, "The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the LORD's anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the LORD's anointed." So David persuaded his men with these words and did not permit them to attack Saul. And Saul rose up and left the cave and went on his way. Afterward David also arose and went out of the cave, and called after Saul, "My lord the king!" And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the earth and paid homage. And David said to Saul, "Why do you listen to the words of men who say, 'Behold, David seeks your harm'? Behold, this day your eyes have seen how the LORD gave you today into my hand in the cave. And some told me to kill you, but I spared you. I said, 'I will not put out my hand against my lord, for he is the LORD's anointed.'” The principle is this: Saul was being evil, attempting to murder David…but because of Saul’s position of authority, not only did David refuse to kill him, but David paid him respect and gave him homage because he was God’s anointed. David didn’t submit to Saul’s attempt to physically abuse him but David still respected him. So with our husbands: God has told us to respect them.


Another example of respect is when Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him lord.


Look at the respectful example of Abigail toward David—1 Samuel 25:23-24 “When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got down from the donkey and fell before David on her face and bowed to the ground. She fell at his feet and said, "On me alone, my lord, be the guilt. Please let your servant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your servant….”Again and again we see in the Old Testament how full of respect it was. Falling down, bowing—now I’m not saying do this, but respect and reverence were a huge part of the Biblical culture. They are not part of ours today! Ask the Lord to help you learn what respect is as you read more of the Old Testament. Respect and honor all men throughout the Bible but not in today’s world. How we respect God’s authority is shown by how we respect others. Every human creature is worthy of respect and honor, because we are all created by God… in His image. Your husband was created by God, and lives and moves and breathes by God’s design. He belongs to God--obedient or not--and he is God’s creature, so he deserves respect for that. In God’s chain of command, he has been put over you, so respect him.


So, how can we show respect? Do ordinary polite things to him, such as greeting when he comes home or gets up in the morning… 1 Timothy 2:11 “Let a woman quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness.” Don’t despise him in your heart or grumble against him—or let your kids disrespect their father but teach them to serve him. You are trying to restructure your thinking around making him happy, making him comfortable, making his life easier. I know some listening are going to be rolling their eyes, or gnashing their teeth at this, but it is what the Bible says. Think of someone you really respect, and then think of how you would act, and treat that person, if he or she came to your home—and then do it for your husband. It’s not totally weird to think that way of your husband though the culture deems it so. We’ve been discipled by the world, not by the Word of God. (So we need our minds renewed.)


What else do men like, besides respect? Men like gratitude, such as for all the hard work of providing for his family. Thank him for it. Find things about him you appreciate—and all husbands have things to appreciate—and tell him. Tell your husband the things about him that you like, little things, too. Like the way he laughs, reads the Bible to the kids, carries in the groceries, etc. We have a bad habit of taking him for granted. And be sure to thank God for your husband…that will help you learn to appreciate him. We’re like cups: if what’s in your heart is bitter, that will spill over; if we’re full of gratitude, then that is what will come out from us. You should overflow with gratitude to God for all his goodness to you!


Men like cheerfulness. If they see pictures of 2 women: one not smiling but prettily made-up and the other smiling…they are most interested in the smiling one. Phil 4:4 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” And there are dozens of other places, many of them in psalms, where we are commanded to rejoice.


Here are some interesting verses to ponder. Deut 28:45-48 "All these curses shall come upon you and pursue you and overtake you till you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that he commanded you. They shall be a sign and a wonder against you and your offspring forever. Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things, therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the LORD will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness, and lacking everything. And he will put a yoke of iron on your neck until he has destroyed you.” They had abundance but did not serve the Lord with gladness for it. How can we say things are hard? We need to search the Scriptures for promises and believe God for them. Stand firm in the faith. Faith is not a static thing… it’s an active thing…it’s a thing we can work at. 2 Peter 1:5—“giving all diligence, add to your faith…” Sometimes it’s work to believe God, so work at it! When things are hard, and we are waiting to see our prayers answered…when we are waiting to see the deliverance of God…we have to work to believe. Like when David was at Ziklag, it was hard on him: 1 Samuel 30:6 “And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.” Just say no to doubts for we know that all things work together to good for those who love God. I refuse to feel sorry for myself…


Another thing that makes us attractive and lovable is praise. Psalm 33:1 “Sing for joy in the Lord, O you righteous ones, praise is becoming to the upright.” Praise is becoming; criticism unbecoming. Be quick to praise people…and one of the most becoming things is when you praise your husband. Praise is not flattery, not insincerity. Don’t make things up, but there are plenty of things to be thankful for!


Another thing that is attractive is enthusiasm. By enthusiasm, I mean wholeheartedness, doing things with your whole heart. Deut 4:29 “… you will seek the LORD your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.” 2 Chron 6:14 …"O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven or on earth, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to your servants who walk before you with all their heart…” Prov 3:5 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” Col 3:23 “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” Contrast this with--Rev 3:16 “So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” God wants whole-heartedness when we do things for Him. Our popular culture of boredom, who cares, what’s the big deal…well, the Lord’s servant should have zeal to pursue Him!


Another quality that makes us attractive is being sympathetic. 1 Peter 3:8 “…let all be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kind hearted, humble in spirit, not returning evil for evil, or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead.” Phil 2:1-2 “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.” Romans 12:15 “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” 1Thess 5:14 “And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.” We should sympathize with people who have difficulties.


The next thing that can make us loveable or unlovable is our voice, and our words. There are tons of verses supporting this. Prov 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” Words are the most important things on earth, what words cause. Ours is a word-based faith. God made the world with a word. Psa 33:6-9 “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him! For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.” The power of God’s Word is amazing! Heb 1:3 “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power.” Jesus is described as the Word become flesh.


We will be call to give account for our words. James 3:2-10 “We all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.”


There are dozens of passages in Proverbs about this aspect, such as:

Prov 15:4 A gentle tongue is a tree of life…

Prov 12:18 …the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Prov 25:15 With patience a ruler may be persuaded, and a soft tongue will break a bone.

Prov 10:21 The lips of the righteous feed many…

Prov 12:19 Truthful lips endure forever…

Prov 14:3 …the lips of the wise will preserve them.

Prov 15:7 The lips of the wise spread knowledge…

Prov 20:15 …the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.


Finally, Eph 4:29 “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” We are striving to be godly women and it’s clear how our words should be…words of life… we can be reproving but gently. We need to bathe our minds in THE Word. Also, what is our tone of voice? This is important, too. Reading aloud is extremely helpful for training your voice; since you are not having to think of what you are going to say, you can focus on how your voice sounds.


Another important way to be lovable is by our deeds what we do for our family, our service to them. You can be lovable by thoughtful things you might do for your husband. Do extra things for him…look for things he needs, do little things that make him feel loved. American women pamper their pets more than they pamper their husbands…and our divorce rates show it! If it makes you squirm to think of ‘pampering’ him…bitterness, pride, turning over a new leaf and having to change, these things can prevent this. You may be saying to yourself…but that’s just not ME! Well, just start doing it and then you ARE that way!


As Christians, we need always to be changing, always to be growing, as Paul said. As it says in John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease." We need to be becoming a new person more and more…more loving, cheerful, in the faith, etc. We must decrease HE must increase, so die to yourself and obey Scripture!


2Co 13:11 “Finally…rejoice. Be made complete, comfort one another, be likeminded, live in peace; and may the God of love and peace be with you.”

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Friday, March 26, 2010

Socialized Medicine
by Art Thompson

"Why bring the word evil into the debate on government health care? The mass murderer and Bolshevik leader of communist Russia Lenin said that socialized medicine was the keystone in the arch of the socialist state."


http://www.jbs.org/jbs-news-feed/5205-socialized-medicine

Men Load Bees Late Nights , Set them out Early Mornings

Men love machinery that makes their job easier.
We are moving from almond pollination
to oranges for honey.

This is a wonderful location for the orange bloom,
with miles of citrus all around.


Notice the chain over the forks?
The wheels latch down.


The new set-up makes the process more efficient than ever.
We are pleased with the truck and forklift trailer.

Grace, Beauty & Dignity by Dinah Seppi

It easy to get off to myself and not care about how I look. Something that has really been impressed on my mind lately is, "Why do young ladies have to look beautiful?" "Why do girls have to have manners?" "Who says what is boyish and what is feminine" "Why can girls not act, sit and talk like boys?" I have come to the conclusion that having good manners is a gift we give to those who have to look at us. Same with dressing in a neat and beautiful way, it is a gift to those who look at us all day.

Sometimes it is easy to think “Mom will say, 'No,'” or “I’m sure Mom and Dad will have an aversion to____.” But, asking, “What to you think about____? Is it ever appropriate on certain occasions?


Our behavior is a picture of the order, beauty and creation of God. When I was young, I never knew that my dad had particular likes and dislikes about clothing because I really did not care what he thought. All that mattered to me was that I could get all dirty in the garden and nobody would get upset. All that matters is the heart, right? Mrs. Botkin said about what we wear: just please your husband. Do what he likes. And don't worry about everybody else. My mother loves that. Because no matter what group of people a lady walks into she may never fit in. And for a girl all that really matters is that she pleases her father and mother, so long as it does not go into conflict with God's word. Yet, no matter what God provides a lady to wear, if a girl is joyful, confident in the Lord and ready to serve others she will be a more valuable and beautiful than jewels.


“…where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Liberty” 2 Cor. 3:17


Tuesday, March 23, 2010

The Day We Longed For Has Come

A Day of Thanksgiving
Our Warehouse Passed Final Inspection Today
pinot hitch & strap rollers
Lance Always Wanted a Bee Truck

Head Coverings by Dinah Seppi



I think I Corinthians 11 is pretty clear as to if a lady should wear covering. Verse 6 tells us, “For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short...” (English Standard Version)
I have heard that R. J. Rushdoony said that when women start wearing head coverings, that is when this country will change because there is no other reason to do it other than that God said to.
Here are some of the things I enjoy about head coverings:
It reminds me of the fact that I am God’s little girl in His Kingdom.
It reminds me that am under the protection and providing care of my father (and mother), who I am to submit to under the word of God. This is a submission only insofar as his commands are properly in accordance with the laws of my Heavenly Father.
It makes me unique, which I love. It says “I’m a Christian and not ashamed of it. Got a question?” I especially like wearing it in public. It identifies me as someone who has convictions. Searching people often ask questions. A homosexual asked me about why I believe in the God of scripture. Homosexuals especially love to wear the clothing of who they are. They want everybody to see what they are wearing and be reminded of their message. So do I.
I have seen people who do not even know me, start talking about God.
Men in general like head coverings. But ladies are typically worried what other women will think of them.
The reaction I get from people, when wearing them is: inquiry, tolerance, great awe from men, but sometimes, a supernatural hatred.
If a gal does not like lots of attention for wearing a head covering, a more fashionable head covering such as a stylish hat or feminine wide head band is a great option.
Head coverings are distinctly feminine. They should be the outward decoration of a reverent and servant-hearted woman.
I do not believe that head coverings are something to be superstitious about.
People can, "‘major on the minors’ and miss the big picture.” This is true. I do not confront women on head coverings because women are the most sensitive to peer pressure and fashion.
Clothing standards must be governed by God’s word, as should every area of life.
God bless you as you serve Him and your family this week.

All About Love - Victoria Botkin, Notes by Beth Braun


Let’s begin with some questions that have been asked…


Question: What if your husband doesn't have vision?


Answer: All husbands do have vision—but what is it? (You do need to know it to help him.) All men have been discipled by the world but Christian men are trying to have their minds renewed. To best help him at whatever stage he’s at, and all men are at different stages in their walks: pray! There are two ways you can pray: 1. Pray fervently that God inspires your husband with the right vision for your family and 2. Pray for the grace to support your husband with his current vision, and then try to find out all you can about what it is. Ask questions along this line: I’m learning a lot about how I can support you, so how can I pray for you intelligently about your vision for the family? So you can help him implement his vision.


Question: If Biblical femininity is about helping your husband, what about biblical femininity for young, unmarried women?


Answer: Woman helping man is what it’s about—being a confidante, help, friend. Especially in a marriage, you should be this way. Our goal for daughters is to train them, both in their attitude toward their father and their brothers and their future husband, and to equip them with useful skills, to be able to help their future husbands. The goal is more than just “housekeeping”; they can be a practical help like doing the bookkeeping for his business.


Question: “...sometimes the demands on me just seem like too much... (This woman has 11 children and has had a traumatic year due to a variety of very difficult circumstances.) Especially when my husband says that I do a terrible job running the house and home school. Should I quit schooling at home to keep a better run house?”


Answer: Hard year…seems like too much is happening… I’ve been there and d

one that. It should cause you to draw nearer to God. What does Psalm 55:22 say? “Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.” In the Hebrew, ‘cast’ means ‘to roll it off’. Yes, we don’t have the strength--to even throw our burden off, so we can only roll it off our shoulders—onto Him. If things seem like too much, ask your husband for ideas to help you. Eliminate extras (remember the streamlining tip last time), stick on getting the necessities done when the kids are little.


If you are asking, “Should I put my children in public school so that I can keep a better-run house?” the answer is NO! The housework is nothing in comparison to the value of the children. Don’t stop teaching your kids at home and put them back in public school! Deuteronomy 6 contains no mention of housework but it does mention your responsibility in educating your children. You will tear your house down if you send them off to public school! You will be guilty of a serious offense—before God—by letting the ungodly educate your children when God has command that YOU do it. It’s a sinful, spiritual abuse of them!


Maybe you’ll need to take some time off from “school” at home to prioritize things. When you have a house full of children, you can only stay on top of all the work with the help of your children. So train the kids to help with the housework. Training tip: First, you do the task, while he/she watches. Next, do it together. Finally, let him or her do it while you watch. If your child has it down, OK, but it doesn’t mean you don’t keep an eye out on the housework. Lavish praise and encouragement on them when they do things, tell them how it helps the family, that their contribution IS important, that they ARE important to the welfare of the family. Revamp your housecleaning plan. It’s an important part of education, too! ALL work counts as “school.” Training your children to do useful work is an important part of their education.


But really, the Bible does not command “school” for our children but it does command us to educate them. What your goals are for the children’s “school”...are you just trying to recreate a “school” environment? Don’t recreate a public school environment at home, do things the public school class way. One of the most important educational goals we should have is to teach our children to teach themselves. They can then learn things you don’t know yourself, that ‘you can’t possibly teach them because you don’t know it yourself.’ Do you know how many things my kids learned how to do that I don’t know anything about, simply because I taught them to learn for themselves? A child who can teach himself is prepared for life.


Older kids, like 13 and up can take charge of a lot of their own education. One of the best things you can do for your older children, educationally, is to have them help teach the younger ones. Thinking like this should help you be in better shape…


Question: I have been counseled by an older woman in our church to focus on being my husband’s help meet where he is struggling. Whatever it is that he is struggling in, then we are to consider that God gave him us to do the things he is not able to do. This seems different from the Biblical encouragement you are providing to “accept your situation and God’s control over it”. When should we step in and take on roles that our husband is failing in, or should we?


Answer: Circumstances you can step in and help him with are like if he needs help with his business, help him do his work or do the accounting for him. If your hands are full with just keeping the house and training the young kids, do that—it helps him too when you manage the home for him. (But don’t take a job under another man just to make money, that sort of help.)


Question, continued: You also ask, “Also, the other women at church tell me that I should have an “outside ministry”. I feel that I have enough going on in my home, just training my children and raising and homeschooling them. Where I live, “outside ministry” is touted as more spiritual, no matter what is happening with the children during that time. What is my best response to these ladies and how do I overcome those feelings of inadequacy in what I am doing?


Answer: Coupled with the above question, it sounds like you’re dealing with some Christian feminists. These type older women advising younger homeschooling mothers, I hear this often...These older women mean well, but they probably didn’t have any good, biblical teaching about the home, children, and marriage while they were growing up. That was what happened with their generation and now we’re trying to reclaim the biblical teachings now. Their suggestions are often completely unbiblical, but be respectful to them, honor them but don’t listen to any advice you know is unbiblical.


Question: I’m at a church where there is a continual stream of comments and barbs being injected into conversations concerning how we’re raising our kids...what we teach them or don’t teach them...that I don’t “work”...that I defer to my husband...”


Answer: Well, why go to a church like that? I know, you’re now saying, “but there’s no other one around.“ Well, is what you describe REALLY fellowship? Is this church equipping you, helping your kids and family with this sort of talk? Such churches are ruining wives and kids with these ‘friendships’. But don’t put ‘friends’ above what’s right for your family. I know some families desperate to have real fellowship that drive 2-3 hrs for it. The church should be to for the building up of the believers. But, if your husband wants to stay there, pray and submit but don’t let the ladies get you down. You may be able to help your husbands by directing them to www.ncfic.org (The National Center for Family-Integrated Churches.) Let your confidence be that you are trying to be pleasing to the Lord and your husband, not these women. Don’t let yourself be bullied but be polite, and say, excuse yourself and go talk to other women.


Question: I feel like I am correcting my little boys all day long. Telling them, “calm down” when their playing gets too lively, or “use an inside voice” when their voices get way too loud. “Don’t squirm in your seat at the table,” when it’s excessive and could cause spills, etc. They are 6 and almost 5. I know I need to let them be boys and I do try to let them play outside as much as possible. I want to teach them to have fun doing calm things, but everything seems to lead to boisterousness. Is this a process or is the fact that I’m still correcting a 6 year old an indication that I’m not training well? When does it become a discipline issue when they don’t do what we expect automatically? Is this just the nature of children their age? I just don’t know what to expect from them...”


Answer: Don’t be discouraged—they’re little still. God made boys rambunctious, active, noisy...they are little dominion men! Their testosterone levels are 10X that of a woman, and in the teens, like 3X that! That’s why they don’t function in “school” well. God didn’t create them for a school-type environment. But they aren’t to be allowed to be shrieking hooligans! The time for quiet is when you say so....you need to train them to obey you when you ask for quiet, and obey instantly. Just remember, they are not wired like ladies, so give them room to be boys. (Public schools have almost succeeded in making them ladies—but you should not try to!) Her kids did crazy things as little ones—with the windows…paint cans…but they’ve become godly men now, those noisy boys! They were just being boys... and that is a wonderful, glorious, God-glorifying thing! Your husband has a better idea of what to expect from noisy boys—he was once one, too! Get your husband’s advice on how much to rein them in and when, and where. And you can pray that the Lord will help you learn to love their noisy, boisterous spirits. We NEED strong, active fighters, men, in this country. We have already got too many men in this country who learned in school to sit still, be quiet and just do what they were told.


Question: I have 9 children ages 14- 3. Sometimes many reproving and instruction issues can pile up, and it can take quite a while to sort them all out and deal with them in a calm manner. Any suggestions?


Answer: I know when I was too busy to discipline my children biblically...I WAS frazzled by the end of the day when my husband came home. This is an important verse: Prov 29:17 “Correct your son, and he will give you comfort; he will also delight your heart.” Diligently correcting—over a ‘long time’—will bear good fruit. Prov 29:15 says, “The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.” Other kids see one being disciplined with justice and fall in line. The Bible instructs us on how to discipline—don’t try alternative methods—they don’t work.


Tonight, “Love” is the topic, what it isn’t...what it is. Is it really about Cupid and Valentine’s Day?


The REAL question is: Why do we humans think so much about love? Stripped down, it’s a basic human elemental need. We're afraid, and we're lonely. We need to know that someone is saying to us: "Do not fear for I am with you...I will strengthen you...I will uphold you...I will never leave you."But guess what? No man will ever be perfect; a man will always disappoint you. Only God will always be there for you.


Our need for love is mentioned first in Gen 32:10, when Jacob says: “I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant...” All through Genesis we see members of the covenant family of Abraham thanking God for his love. He reminds them of His love for them, continually showing it, because He knows they need to know it. God is love, and we are created in His image. Our need for love is related to our need for God. God is love. We are image bearers of the One who is love, so we need to give and receive it. God is love. Wives, and women in general, appear to have a special need for love. Eph 5:25 “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” Eph 5:28 “In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.” Eph 5:33 “However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” Col 3:19 “Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.”


Look at what these verses say! Now, this isn’t ammo to use against your husband—this not about what HE should be doing for YOU. We're here tonight to talk about what we should be doing for them. Don’t worry about their specks and beams, focus on your own. We're studying women's need for love in order to help us understand ourselves...to help us to be on our guard… we need to know that this can be a weakness. Our need for love makes us vulnerable. Just look at all the movies, books, magazines, music, the psychology business—they are capitalizing on “love” and they all are influencing us to develop certain expectations. We need to ask ourselves what we have learned about love from Hollywood. What have we learned to expect from men...and how Biblical is it?


One thing they teach us is that the woman has a man focused on her to exclusion of almost all else. Now, are we disappointed to find that we are not the sole focus of our husband’s attention? Is this Biblical? They tell us how men are to be: handsome, rich, witty, intelligent, strong, etc. A more modern woman’s fantasy---to be women who are completely independent of men, except as lifestyle accessories. Fantasies about men only lead to discontentment. Now the female stars teach us we are completely able to compete and win in the world. But we are not like any old or new movie stars—nor are biblical men. Now we know men and women aren't really like the people in movies...but somehow we may still be expecting them to be. Don’t as a Christian be influenced by the movies to think a certain way. It’s NOT harmless ‘entertainment’ or ‘amusement.’ We can’t watch anything or read anything with our minds disconnected. We have to be on guard continually, watching critically, analytically, holding everything up to the standard we learn from Scripture.


Do you ever compare your husband to a character in a book or movie and wish he were more like that? If your man isn’t like the movie actor …remember he doesn’t have the perfect movie script. Be careful! If what you are reading or watching is not helping you love your husband, you shouldn’t be reading or watching what you are... Don’t expect of him what you wouldn’t have of you. Remember, Hollywood’s ideal is selfish, not sacrificial. We Christians are to live firmly in the here and now (not in fantasy world), giving thanks for what we have, and praying for what we need.


Question: Aren’t there some Christian romance novels that would be good, safe reading for our daughters? Many of them promote courtship models and take place in historical settings.”


Answer: It’s challenging to find edifying reading material for daughters. But I believe that genre is unhelpful and dangerous. The heroine’s life centers around romance. The climax of her life is the romance. But your daughter’s life shouldn’t be focused solely on courtship and romance. Thinking about romance doesn’t prepare girls for marriage – only focusing on real life prepares girls for marriage.


One woman told her: "After a few years of reading these novels, I found that my marriage was not as strong or as holy as it should be because I would begin to fantasize so often after reading these novels.” Now these novels weren’t graphic, just planted discontent thoughts like, why isn’t he treating me this way, why can’t he be like that... This train of thought will lead to unrealistic expectations for a spouse. God made him a certain way and so we develop contempt for how God made him. They aren’t to be like the novels—it’s a cheap humanistic imitation. Movies and romance novels don’t just give us false expectations, they give us sinful expectations. Escapism is a kind of idolatry because it trains us to prefer man’s “reality” to God’s.


Romance novels usually present an emphasis on feelings and a glorification of feelings, rather than objectivity and rationality. Is this how we want our daughters to think about men? One woman’s assessment of a novel she read: “…the whole thing was full of enticing descriptions of the young men’s physical appearances…I was fantasizing compulsively about my 'prince charming' and creating in my mind 'the perfect guy'. I wouldn't focus on the jobs the Lord had given me to do in the here and now but would always be wanting to get back to my book as I was still caught up in their world. I would continually be desiring the future, never being content with what God has called me to here and now." Matthew 5:29 warns, "If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.”


So what does the Bible teach us about the relationship between men and women? What should we expect a biblical marriage relationship to look like? Hollywood teaches us to focus on ourselves...on the desires of our flesh. Yet Eve wasn’t created to be Adam’s focal point but she was specifically created as a helpmeet, with a job to do. His work for the kingdom should be his focus—not you, so grow up and get over it. Focusing on yourself is a Hollywood mindset. But Scripture teaches us that (Rom 8:6-7) “The mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot.” Also, look at this verse: Mat 6:33—“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” What should you really be seeking? Man was made for work: to be fruitful and multiply, replenish the earth, subdue it, have dominion, make disciples of all nations… You know, it's really very romantic to be co-laborers in the gospel...fellow-heirs of the grace of life!


So, what does the Bible says about love? The Bible has over 500 verses dealing with love. I did a study on the computer on the word love, looking at all the verses together, the spirit of it, and you know, this is what being a Christian is all about. Coleridge the famous poet asked, “Is love a feeling or a fantasy?” God defined it for us in the Bible. John 15:12 "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” 1Jn 3:16 “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.”


Love is an action not a feeling or fantasy like we’ve been taught by the world. It’s being willing to live for someone else. To meet others’ needs at one’s own expense, so others have—even if you don’t. It’s sacrificial. 1Jn 3:10 “By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.” 1Jn 3:14 “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.” 1Jn 4:8 “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 1Jn 4:20 “If anyone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.”


This love God’s talking about is dying to self and living for others. We need to evaluate ourselves: are we really Christians? 2Cor 13:5 “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” Some of the questions I’m being asked by you ladies indicate selfishness to me is your motive, rather than self-sacrifice. Ask yourself: is my life characterized by love of my husband, kids, and other believers? What I’m saying is that you should examine yourself, if you seem to be unable to love your family, to see whether you are in the faith.


We all stumble at times and make mistakes, but is your life characterized by love or not? Mat 7:21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” A Christian is characterized by obedience to the Word of God. His obedience is not what saves him, for it says in Eph 2:8, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” But as a result of our salvation …our lives will be different, like it says here: 2 Cor 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” A Christian will be characterized by these things as it says in Gal 5:22-24—“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”


Assume we examine ourselves and find we are in the faith; then this is how we should live with each other. 1Cor 16:14 “Let all that you do be done in love.” Everything that we do should be done in love. There is no neutral territory. No time off from this way of life…no “ME time.”But I’m not saying we shouldn’t rest and take care of ourselves, just do it for the sake of others, not for ‘ME time.’ 2 Cor 5:14-15 “For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.” Gal 5:13 “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” Now this is love in action: Col 3:12-14—“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”


Let’s look at the passage in 1 Cor 13, ‘the most important love verses’ people think about:


Verses 1-3—“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.” Outwardly spiritual actions without love are a sham. They are just spiritual games if you’re not characterized by a ‘fruit of the Spirit’ love. It’s not my opinion but what Scripture says.


Verses 4-8: “Love is patient, love is kind and is not envious, love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth, Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”


Wow, there’s lots of room for thought on these verses, especially for those we love the most: our family. It’s easy for us to be like this when we’re with people from our church people, but it’s harder to do with the family at home, who we are with constantly—we think we just don’t have the time to do it…

First in verse 4: Patience. Love is patient. How do you have this…when we are tired and stressed? Yes, it is harder to be patient. A tip if you are running ragged: take a nap, even if you don’t ‘have the time’. If it means you have to give up your scrapbooking or blogging, then do that first, not the important things you do need to do. You may have to take a nap when your children do. As mothers, trying to get enough rest is something we do for our families. Do it for their sakes, not yourself. Choose the better part—be patient even if you are tired, pregnant, stressed, etc., but if you have physical needs especially if you’re pregnant or sick, do it, but not to indulge your flesh. I’m not telling you that you get to be self-indulgent. I remember when my rowdy boys would interrupt me while I was sewing. I didn’t react well. I realized sewing was not as important as having a good relationship with them. Matt 18:9 “And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away.”I gave up sewing for a season because the temptation for her to sin against her boys by stumbling them because of her behavior. Maybe you need to give something up.


Love is kind. More about this in a later talk.


Verse 5: Unselfishness or “seeketh not it’s own” in another version. What a verse: Phil 2:4 “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” You think of others’ welfare. Do a study on all the ‘one another verses in the Bible. This is what this verse is about: others. It’s amazing what how we are called to be with ‘one another.’ (NOTE: I do have a list put together...if I have the time I will post it as a note, too.) I love using the computer Bible program. It is so helpful to study the Word. You know with all the technology and tools we have today, we should be the most biblically literate people in history! She uses E-sword (I use it too, it’s great!) This program is free at http://www.e-sword.net/


Verse 6: Rejoicing in truth. Love rejoices with the truth. John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” The ultimate truth is the gospel, who Christ is, so searching out truth is important. For example, how do we talk about each other? Find out if things are really true before you pass them along. If we hear something juicy…if it’s true…do we gossip by passing it on, or is your motive honestly for the person’s good? We should not delight in passing on bad news…things that bring shame on others. Watch your motive when talking!


Verse 7: Being longsuffering: “Love bears all things.” Phil 4:13 “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Rom 15:5 “May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus.”God will grant us endurance to bear hard things--if we pray for it. Col 1:11 “May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy…” God gives abundantly in answer to prayer. Heb 12:1 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” Here’s a clue also, how to have more endurance, by laying aside entangling sin that burdens us.


And Love believes all things—as in the best about each other. The law says that defendants should be presumed innocent until proven guilty. Do we operate this way? Proverbs has much to say on our speaking. Don’t just repeat things without proof—it’s needed. Don’t just believe any slander you hear…wait and see if the bitter tale is true or not. Is there an ax to grind? Are the ones spreading this bitter at the person or don’t like the biblical teaching? If you hear slander about a person who is a respected leader, a person whose teaching has been a blessing to you…don’t listen to it…don’t repeat it.


And Love hopes all things.—There are dozens of verses about hope in the Bible. Here are some: 1Thess 5:8 “…having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.” Heb 10:23 “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” 1Pe 1:13 “set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”


And Love endures all things— Love that is…true love…endures misunderstandings, failures, delays, hopes for things that never came to pass, sickness, separation, etc. In other words, Love never fails.


Verses 4: It’s not envious. Imagine David bursting in on the scene after killing the mighty Goliath…it became pretty obvious he was going to be next king. But guess what? Even though the natural reaction would be for Jonathan to hate David, Jonathan didn’t even though he was going to ‘lose his throne’ to him. He knew David was God’s man and didn’t envy him for that. Don’t be resentful or envious of another’s gifts. The key to overcoming envy is to recognize that a person’s gifts are from God. And be content with what God’s given you.


Love is not boastful. Prov 27:2 “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.”

Nor is it arrogant—Jas 4:6 "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." There is a certain kind of pride, a ‘superiority over other’s’ type. As the NASB says, it’s self-explanatory; Love is not rude, irritable or resentful.


Being resentful. This is important: don’t focus on it. Bitterness is really dangerous. Heb 12:15 “See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no "root of bitterness" springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled” Bitterness causes trouble, defiles, separates, steals our joy and spreads, defiling many. And we wives probably all have things we think we can legitimately be bitter about. This is what the verse means when it says, love does not take into account a wrong suffered. All our husbands have failed us, disappointed us, not met our expectations, hurt us—in some way—and these are the best Christian ones. It’s worse if they’re not Christians!


But love doesn’t keep a mental list of all the hurts and resentment. Eph 4:31 “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.” If you only remember one verse from tonight, hold on to this one! Don’t store up bitterness to someday make him make it up to you—let it go. No one can possibly make up for years of accumulated bitterness. Let the Lord work out. Bitterness is like the weeds in a garden -you have to keep it weeded out constantly, as weeds constantly spring up! Only the Lord can meet all our needs. Eph 4:32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Bitterness about the past WILL poison the present.


And as for grievances—well are YOU so perfect? Doesn’t your husband have reason to be bitter toward you? Perhaps that’s why these verses were written, too: Col 3:19 “Husbands, love your wives, and do not be embittered against them. Eph 4:31-32 “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”



Last tip on how to love your husband: show him affection, even if you don’t want to because there is strife between you. It will help heal strife between you if you do it. “Be kind to one another…tenderhearted.” Husbands need our love and affection at all times. Do little things for him, kiss on the top of his head, pat his arm... How long is it since you thanked your husband for working hard all day and providing for the family? Be sober and think what would you have done differently…if your husband went out the door and never came home…the car accident statistics are chilling. Do you really appreciate him for all he does—and show it? Go ahead, kiss him goodbye when he leaves the house. Show him little acts of kindness…like buying his favorite ice cream… Forgive him as Christ has forgiven you…


2 Thess 3:5 “May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.”