Something to think about

To be surrendered to God is of more value than our personal holiness.

~Oswald Chambers

The key to overcoming spiritual dryness and emotional bondage

I wanted to share some thoughts that really blessed and encouraged me in my devotional time this morning.

Are you bogged down with discouragment, fear, anxiety, depression, or grief? Do long for spiritual renewal and refreshment? When we praise God we are fulfilling the highest purpose for which He created us. We should praise the Lord because praise takes us into His presence and brings down His glory. God inhabits the praises of His people. Psalm 22:3

Praise is the cure for spiritual dryness.

Praise defeats Satan. One of his strategies is to get us to focus on ourselves- our needs, our problems, our circumstances, and our feelings. When we lift our eyes up, though they may be filled with tears, and choose to praise the Lord, Satan's plan is defeated and God is victorious in our lives.

When you are tormented with fears and doubts or bombarded with temptation to sin, try praising the Lord, and watch Satan flee.

Praise sets us free from spiritual bondange, as in the story of Jonah being delivered from the belly of the fish. (Jonah 2:9,10) Praise precedes and prepares for deliverance, as in the story of Paul and Silas being delivered from prison. (Acts 16:11-34)

Are you living in some kind of prison? Perhaps you are in bondage to your past, to painful memories, to past failures, to the expectations of others, or to some sinful habit that enslaves you. Your prison may be the consequence of your own disobedience, as it was with Jonah. Or it may be the result of the wrongdoing of others, as in the case of Paul and Silas. If you have sinned, then, of course repentance is the first step. Then lift up your heart from your prison cell, start to praise the Lord, and watch God begin to open the prison doors. Your circumstances may or may not change, but you will change - your heart will be released; God will set you free.

Praise in an expression of faith and an act of the will. It is not based on how we feel. When we decide to magnify the Lord instead of our own circumstances, our hearts are lifted, as are the hearts of those around us.

Praise is not a response to our circumstances, which constantly fluctuate. Praise is a response to the goodness and love of a God who never changes.

Praise demonstrates faith that God is bigger and greater than any circumstance we may be facing. And faith pleases God - that is why He loves it when we choose to praise Him, regardless of how we feel.

Praise is a ministry to God. Praise is first and foremost for God, not for us. The purpose of praise it to bring Him blessing and pleasure, not to make us feel good. In our narcissistic, sensual culture, "praise and worship" has become for many believers a "spiritual," even erotic expression of self-stimulation and self-love - a means of experiencing self-fulfillment. This is far from true worship and is not pleasing to the Lord. In Exodus 30, God gave Moses the precise "recipe" for making the incense that was to be used in the temple worship. Then He emphasized: It shall be most holy to you. Do not make any incense with this formula for yourselves; consider it holy to the Lord. Whoever makes any like it to enjoy its fragrance must be cut off from his people. (Exodus 30:36-38) Though true worship will bring about many benefits and blessings in our lives, the purpose of praise is not to satisfy us, but to bless Him.

If there is one group of people in the world who ought to love to sing, it is those who have been redeemed, for they are the ones who truly have something to sing about. The singing of "psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs" is a primary evidence of being filled with the Spirit and having a grateful heart (Eph. 5:19; Col 3:16) We must not forget where God found us. When we sing about the love and the mercy and the greatness of God, we should think of what we are singing about, and sing as if we mean it.

Next to reading the Bible itself, singing and listening to godly music - both to and about the Lord - has probably produced the greatest encouragment, blessing, and joy in my Christian walk. Many of the repetitive, simple choruses, that we sing today are meaningful expressions of love and devotion to the Lord. But if we limit our diet to those choruses, I believe we are missing out on a precious treasure God has given to the church.

Many of the hymns and spiritual songs written throughout the history of the church are rich in theology; they communicate God's nature and redemptive plan with a depth that is not commonly found in the most popular choruses and songs of our day. Disposing of those hymns can easily lead to a spiritual experience that is shallow, trite, self-centered, and emotionally driven. It may take more thought and effort to sing "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" or "Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee" than to sing some of our contemporary choruses, but the long-term payoff of disciplining our minds to think (and sing) great thoughts about God is well worth the effort.

Singing to the Lord is a powerful weapon in overcoming the Enemy. Apparently, before he exalted himself against God and was cast out of heaven, Lucifer had a major role in leading the music and worship of heaven ("the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou was created" [Ezekiel 28:13]) Now, as a fallen creature, he knows the power of music as a means of praise. He knows how much God loves to hear the musical praises of His creatures. He knows the power of praise to deliver us from bondage. So he strives to keep us from singing or to cause us to make music for our own pleasure and gratification rather than to magnify and exalt the Lord.

Over and over again, the power of singing has defeated Satan and overcome emotional bondage he may have led us into. Discouragement, fear, anxiety, depression, grief - in many cases, these will flee as we sing to the Lord. The clouds lift and the sunlight of His sweet peace and grace pour in, quickening and encouraging our hearts.

Praise, my soul, the King of heaven,

To His feet the tribute bring;

Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,

Evermore His praises sing;

Alleluia! Alleluia!

Praise the everlasting King.

-Henry F. Lyte (1793-1847)

Make and Share Monday

Katie, a blogging mom of 12 at Team Bettendorf, is hosting Make and Share Monday, where you get to show off all your crafty goodness. Participation is easy!

1. Blog your crafts. Knit; sew; paint; crochet; needlework; craft with your kids; photography; scrapbooking; whatever creation your heart desires! Whether you are new to crafting, or have something advanced to teach us, share your crafting adventures!

2. Please be sure to include a link back to the hosting site in your original blog post. Feel free to include one of our Make and Share Monday graphics on your blog!

3. Add your blog address to the Make and Share Monday Linky widget.

You can find this by visiting Katie or Kristy’s blog to find the Linky widget for the week. (We will be alternating hosting.) Please be sure to put into the Linky widget a link to your blog post for this week and not just a link to your homepage. Have fun and visit some other participants’ websites!

My first entry to the Make and Share Monday is my home made goat milk soap. When my first children were very young, I read an article in Country Woman magazine about a woman who built her home based business by making and selling her own homemade soap. I became very interested in the idea of making money from home by producing my own soap, specifically soap made from goat's milk because of it's well-know cell reconstructive and moisturizing properties. I have always loved animals and desired to have a small farm of our own. In 2006 that dream came true when we purchased our first Alpine dairy goats and began the journey of managing a farm and learning how to run a business.

I have found that making quality consistent soap takes lots of practice, using exact measurements and temperatures, and fine tuning of your recipe. For a good tutorial on how to make soap, I recommend this link, complete with pictures, as it is a lot of information to incorporate into one blog post in a limited about of time.

Let me tell you a little about the soap I make. If you would like to see more, such as the various oils I use to fragrance my soaps, you can learn more at our website, www.naturallysoothing.com

In most commercial soapmaking processes, the soap is the byproduct of glycerin production. Glycerin, which is the result of the chemical reaction that produces soap, is much more valuable than the soap itself. So commercial producers remove the glycerin by cooking the soap to force the glycerin formation to occur quickly, so they can harvest it from the soap vat and sell it for a multitude of commercial uses.

Commercial soaps with the glycerin removed have two main faults:

1)Soap devoid of glycerin can dry your skin, leaving it feeling tight and uncomfortable; and

2) Cooking the soap destroys the delicate vitamins and healing properties of the original ingredients.

Our specialized process, known as cold-process soapmaking, does not require cooking. Soapmaking at lower temperatures retains all the goodness of our specially selected ingredients, and our soap retains 100% of its natural glycerin.

Healthy Ingredients

We use goat milk, which contains an average of 4% butterfat, 3% protein, vitamins A, B, and D, and medically significant medium-chain fatty acids. Research has indicated that the constituents of goat milk are capable of rebuilding collagen in your skin, making it a natural wrinkle reducer. Goat milk has shown to be cell reconstructive in the care of dry skin, damaged skin, and elderly skin. Goat-milk baths are one of the oldest recorded beauty treatments.

Supplemental Oils added for their special properties include:

Olive and avacado oils, both fine skin softeners; coconut and castor oils, to create a great lather; and pure fresh lard and canola oil for superior conditioning.

Other ingredients may include honey, finely ground oats or lavender buds, aloe or rose hips, natural pigments, and of course quality essential or fragrance oils.

Not only is our soap good for your skin, it lasts longer than harsh commercial soaps! Each bar is cured for a minimum of several weeks to ensure a hard, long-lasting bar.

Constantly Abiding

There’s a peace in my heart that the world never gave,

A peace it cannot take away;

Though the trials of life may surround like a cloud,

I’ve a peace that has come here to stay!

Constantly abiding, Jesus is mine;

Constantly abiding, rapture divine;

He never leaves me lonely, whispers, O so kind:

“I will never leave thee,” Jesus is mine.

All the world seemed to sing of a Savior and King,
When peace sweetly came to my heart;
Troubles all fled away and my night turned to day,
Blessèd Jesus, how glorious Thou art!

Constantly abiding, Jesus is mine;

Constantly abiding, rapture divine;

He never leaves me lonely, whispers, O so kind:

“I will never leave thee,” Jesus is mine.

This treasure I have in a temple of clay,
While here on His footstool I roam;
But He’s coming to take me some glorious day,
Over there to my heavenly home!

Constantly abiding, Jesus is mine;

Constantly abiding, rapture divine;

He never leaves me lonely, whispers, O so kind:

“I will never leave thee,” Jesus is mine.

~Anne S. Murphy, 1908

Blogging update

I've decided I'm not much of a blogger....I enjoy reading others' blogs and must admit I am envious of their ability to make writing look so easy, translating daily life and ruminations into worthwhile reading material. You would think as a homeschooling mother of (soon to be) 12 would have plenty to write about; however, I do not seem to fit the mold of your typical blogger, so I have more or less resigned myself to the idea that I probably never will be. For my blogging friends, at the very least you can find me on facebook. :-)

I also have a website at www.naturallysoothing.com where you can learn about our farm and purchase my handmade goat milk soap and organic goat milk cream, as well as other wonderful homemade skin care products.

Our family is super busy this summer with our growing dairy and meat goat herd, raising rabbits, 4-H, church and youth group activities, and enjoying a very nice large above ground pool complete with a surrounding 5' deck that was given to us completely free of charge. Only problem is that so far this has been an unseasonably cool summer. No matter....kids will swim in any weather!

I am busy with Saturday morning farmer's market and making soap, restocking at our local retailers, and rebuilding and optimizing our website in an effort to maximize our traffic potential and increase our internet business. Just around the corner is the beginning of a whole new school year, and I am contemplating new ways to tackle the job with NINE students in eight different grades. Toss canning season, two toddlers, a newborn arriving mid-schoolyear, and winter kidding season into the mix, and our days are guaranteed to be packed with activity. Challenging to say the least, but with God's help we can do it. Our oldest daughter will be a senior, and with four teenages in the house we are experiencing an exciting new phase in our family life.

Our future in this nation may be uncertain, but I am thankful that we have a God who is always in control and that we can trust Him in everything.

Grace and peace~

Annette