New Braunfels Bible Church Women's Ministry

Yes, the time of year approaches when many families will pile into their car, stuffed to the brim, and head off on a family vacation. This is, for sure, a time for making memories—of one sort or another. If we want happy memories, we need prayer, planning, patience, and a whole lot of grace.

There are many variables such as the age of your children, the distance you will travel, your budget, the size and condition of your vehicle, and your family’s different temperaments.

Some of us tend to like detailed plans, others not so much. Regardless, early reservations at popular spots during peak seasons are important. One advantage to lesser known destinations is smaller crowds. An advantage of down-to-the-wire reservations is that bargains are often available. If you experience an unforeseen delay, and you will be late for check-in, be sure to call to guarantee your reservation with a credit card. If you are staying with family or friends, call them right away with any changes in your ETA.

Depending...

I just attended our ladies’ retreat. It was wonderful in all respects. One of our speakers shared that she constantly emphasizes to her children that obedience brings blessing. You could almost say that it’s a mantra… no, a motto? Maybe a maxim, which is pretty much a proverb. Whitney: “Obedience brings…?” Whitney’s kids: “blessing.”

I applaud this emphasis. I wish I had words to express how very important I feel this is. Every child needs boundaries, rules, and expectations of acceptable conduct. And every child needs correction, discipline, and consequences…yes, unpleasant consequences for disobedience. This is such a basic need that scripture tells us that the parent who spares the rod hates his child, but the one who loves him is careful to discipline him. (Proverbs 13:24)

Another proverb says “Discipline your child while there is hope.” (Proverbs 19:18) I have seen disastrous results when a parent or parents did not discipline. These include: a lack of social skills, bullying, lying, uncontrolled...

When you think about spiritual gifts, and about your spiritual gift in particular, do you ever think, “Well it’s not teaching or leadership. Nothing too important or essential?” Never, ever think that! Every gift is important. Everyone needs to exercise their gift in the body. Otherwise, it’s like an amputation or atrophy. And if your gift is service or hospitality, your contribution can be great!

Thirty years ago, my husband and I became missionaries. An elderly widow named Dorothy opened her home to us and welcomed us warmly whenever we returned to the Northwest. Her home became “home” to us. Our younger daughter expressed this the first time we ate a meal there. With a big sigh, she declared, “I feel so at home here!” She was only four years old, but she knew she was truly welcome.

When Dorothy was a young mom of four, on a tight budget, she made sandwiches for the hobos who came to her door. She and her husband often invited soldiers home for dinner after church on Sunday. She taught first grade...

If you have ever researched the history of Valentine’s Day, you have to scratch your head. How did we ever get from remembering Christian martyrs to cupids and hearts, chocolates and roses? Well, never mind. Roses are lovely, but I did tell my husband the first time he brought me a big bunch that I could be quite happy with one or two in a bud vase. Roses are expensive and more so just before Valentine’s Day. I got two this year. Chocolates are very nice, too, but again not too many…for other reasons.

It is very nice to be remembered with treats and to receive loving words on this day, but older women are supposed to encourage younger women to love their husbands every day. (Titus 2:4) What an awesome assignment! Without God’s Word, I would not attempt it. My husband and I were newlyweds when we started walking with the Lord. I have often wondered what a foolish mess I might have made of our marriage without His principles. His ways are so opposite to the world’s that they may seem extreme to us. But no...

We had a chaotic, crazy Christmas this year. Our house was full of family, and at times family of family. Our grandchildren range in age from 18-months to five years. I am still finding objects out of place on a high shelf, where a parent put them after rescuing them.

One memory we cherish is that of Pippa, age 2-and-a-half, opening gifts. Everyone’s gifts. She would deliver them to the intended recipient, but she still thought it was her job to unwrap the gift for them. If a gift was for her, her eyes would light up, and hugging it, she would exclaim, “For me? Oh my!” It was delightful, even after several repetitions.

When I sat in our communion service this past Sunday, and heard an elder read the words, “This is my body which is broken for you,” (I Cor 11:24) Pippa’s words came to mind. “For me?” Broken for me? “Oh my!” I swallowed some tears. Somehow God’s indescribable gift was especially personal to me at that moment.

Do you suppose that when Jesus endured the cross for the joy set...

There are some memories in a family history that are so painful that you will make every effort to not go there again.  The shish kabob fiasco was one such episode for me.  I have the lessons that needed learning printed indelibly on my brain.  Fortunately, it wasn’t tragic, just embarrassing. 

About 15 years ago, we invited our pastor and his wife and our doctor and his wife to dinner.  I had a chicken pasta dish, previously well received, in mind.  A couple days before the dinner, I was talking with the doctor’s wife and asked  about food restrictions.  She told me that her husband was lactose intolerant, no dairy, allergic to basil, didn’t like pasta, and didn’t eat sugar.  Oops, so much for my menu!

I called another friend, and she suggested shish kabob.  We had skewers, so I thought “Okay, shish kabob.  Chicken?  Beef?  Shrimp?  Why not all three?  And rice pilaf, a salad, zucchini bread and grapes for dessert.”  We’d never done shish kabob, but when the day arrived I threw myself into multiple...

Maybe you recognize this expression as a Mary Engelbreit theme.  I have a cute mug with this on it, as well as the image of one very frazzled gal.  Some days I intentionally reach for it.  Do you sometimes feel like this?  Housework is very daily.  You skip a day, and the dishes and laundry multiply exponentially.  Parenting is totally daily.  There is no time off.  If you have a job outside the home, a daily job...eek-a-meek!

How to cope?  Well, Scripture tells us that, “Through the Lord’s mercies, we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.  They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”  (Lamentations 3:22)

What are some of these mercies?  Some are pretty basic.  The sun comes up each day.  We can get up.  Coffee can be a daily morning blessing. 

Another mercy is a home, a place of shelter which can be a pleasant, orderly haven.  Did I say, “orderly?”  Sigh!  Do you need inspiration in this area?  Invite someone over.  There is no better inspiration for order than...

Michelangelo said this when he was 87 years old.  I believe he said it in regard to his art.  He is considered by many the greatest artist of all time.

It is fair to say that knowledge is worthy of life-long pursuit.  I am not saying that it’s good to pursue knowledge for knowledge‘s sake or just to appear knowledgeable.  That can become a prideful pursuit...definitely not good.  However, the Lord can give us not just knowledge, but wisdom, exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart.  That’s what I want. 

How do you best pursue knowledge for good reasons?  Here are some things that come to mind:

Michelangelo had a good, humble attitude.  He didn’t say, “I have arrived.  I’m the best.”  He said, “I am still learning.”

Knowledge can help us do a better job ... to God’s glory.

There are many practical applications of knowledge.  Our food at Thanksgiving was very tasty, but we had some chaotic moments in the kitchen.  Before I serve that menu again I’m...

Change and mobility are very much the warp and woof of our times.  Do you have an adventuresome spirit that welcomes all things new?  Or do you sometime wish things were more stable and predictable?  Maybe sometimes one, sometimes the other?

My husband and I have moved many times.  Some moves involved a whole new culture and language.  A couple times we didn’t know where we were going next.  Once we sat a table in our apartment in France feeling a bit homeless.  We had just been told that we weren’t getting the visas we’d been assured, and that we had about five weeks to get out of the country.  My eyes fell upon a bookmark we’d just received at church.  It said in French, “Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  (Joshua 1:9)  How very good of our Lord to place it there!

We are now retired and hope to stay put, but we are not supposed to feel too settled and cozy in this world.  Hebrews chapter...

How do you feel about leftovers?  My husband and I love them, our daughters not so much.  We love being able to easily put together a tasty meal with little mess in the kitchen.

Part of managing a household well is using that which is leftover.  People in primitive cultures and those struggling with poverty are most often quite good at this, as a matter of necessity.  Unfortunately prosperity often breeds wastefulness.  Our country has been guilty of this.  Some people have taken up dumpster diving, not out of need, but to underscore this point.  Yuck!  Perhaps our struggling economy will result in better management of what we have. 

As believers, we are called to be responsible stewards.  We can use leftovers or remnants creatively to produce some good things.  Extra turkey can make a yummy soup or casserole; scraps of fabric, including some from favorite old clothes, can become a beautiful quilt; partial skeins of yarn can be knit into a well-loved striped scarf; bits of trim can dress up a doll...

One important courtesy that is often neglected these days is the writing of thank you notes.  This is too bad.  A well written thank you is a blessing to receive.  If you have taken much time and trouble with a gift, receiving warm thanks makes you glad that you did. 

I have a sister who feels thank you notes are so important that only nieces and nephews who write them continue to receive gifts, usually well-chosen books for their children.  Our daughters know this and manage to get their thank you’s off to her promptly.  I hope this is not just because they want to keep receiving those delightful books, but because they know it is important to her.  They aren’t always quite so good about notes to us.  Our younger daughter has been known to write a note, but then squirrel it away in her purse for quite some time.  Life is very full for her and her sister.  For many of us.

Thus, if we struggle with this matter, we need to be more intentional about it.  We should plan ahead.  Choose note cards that...

“Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)

The prophet Isaiah penned this prophecy approximately seven hundred years before Christ.  The apostle Matthew quoted the prophecy, and added that Immanuel means, “God with us.” (Matthew 1:23)

What a wonderful name for our Savior!  Because He came in human flesh, born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, and died for our sins, God can abide with us.  Holy God with sinful man.

Midst the frazzle and flurry of this season, it is hard to keep this focus.  Faced with tempting trappings, I ask myself again and again, “What does this have to do with the Incarnation of God’s Son, our Immanuel?”

A Sunday school teacher once told us about two prisoners of war.  They were tied back-to-back in the dirt.  One of them remembered that it was Christmas day.  He reached his hand to the side and began to write in the dirt, “Immanuel.”  A guard saw what he was doing and kicked him, erasing the word with his...

The Apostle Paul wrote from prison, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every circumstance, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”  (Philippians 4:12-13)

Many in this country are currently facing serious financial need for the first time.  Some are angry.  They want to blame someone.  They haven’t learned Paul’s secret.  Have we?  It’s definitely a challenge.

We’re rather spoiled.  At least some of us are.  My husband and I have faced some lean times, but we have never experienced the kind of poverty that much of the world knows.  We’re now living in the realm of plenty rather than need.  God’s Word warns us that spiritually this is a more dangerous place. 

It’s good for us to remember that in those lean times the Lord faithfully provided.  Friends prayed and gave.  One couple told us when they gave us very large financial...

A friend used this expression when it was time to get ready to go to a corporate event with her husband.  What did she mean?  I knew her well enough to be sure she wasn’t talking about putting on a mask.  No, she was talking about her heart.

Some verses from Colossians come to mind: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”  (Col 3:12-14, NIV)

In the context of a corporate party this made sense.  My friend would need these attributes as she interacted with some of the difficult people she knew she was likely to encounter.

That we, as God’s people, can put on patience, humility, and love for difficult people is pretty amazing.  Sometimes, before we can appropriate these qualities which...

We know that the holidays are especially hard on some.  Those who are grieving, battling depression, or facing serious need may be aggravated to read the above title.  However, if you know the Lord and have received His gift of salvation there is always much reason to give thanks.

My husband and I recently took on the task of reorganizing, purging, and shredding about 20-years of paperwork.  One thing that surfaced was the following poem.  I wrote it approximately 18-years ago after the death of my father.

In Everything Give Thanks   

In sorrow, give thanks for: the Father of mercies and God of all comfort    , His perfect love and righteousness, the sure hope of the resurrection, the prayers and comfort of friends, grace and peace

In times of need, give thanks for: Jehovah Jireh, our faithful provider, His every provision and promise, the challenge to be better stewards, every friend who cares and gives, God’s perfect timing.

In weary times,...

This blog is called “Good Things”, and today it is about one of the best things: thanking the Lord.

“It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord.”  Psalm 92:1

We should thank the Lord every day, all day, but the day our nation set aside for thanking Him is just around the corner.  In the process of writing this, I googled the history of Thanksgiving in this land.  I found it extremely interesting and somewhat checkered.  

Here are two tidbits of interest to Texans:

1) Texas is one of four states claiming the first feast of thanksgiving and praise.  In 1541 Francisco Vasquez de Coronado held a feast with the Teya Indians in the Palo Dura canyon near Amarillo.  This predates the Plymouth feast of 1621, but it was not at a permanent European settlement. 

2) In 1939, following a stressful decade, American retailers asked FDR to move Thanksgiving back a week (from the last Thursday in November) to provide more shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  President Roosevelt...

Mary Poppins gave us this bit of wisdom.  The following quote from Miss Piggy seems to contradict it, but actually both are true: “Too much is never enough.” 

Any time we have enough we should consider ourselves blessed as if by a feast, and we should thank the Lord.  As Americans we often slip into the realm of “too much,” and this is not a good place to be.  It is never satisfying.  Thus Miss Piggy is right, too.

Have you ever not asked yourself after overindulging, “Why didn’t I stop?”  This can apply to more than eating.  We can get carried away with the number of items on the Thanksgiving menu or the number of gifts we put under the Christmas tree for our children.  The holidays seem to have this effect on us.  The result is not good.  Troubling words like overspending, fatigue, stress, unrealistic expectations, grumbling and discontent come to mind.  It’s not a pretty list, definitely not what we want as we welcome family and friends into our home. 

In Luke 10, Martha is trying to...

It’s very interesting to me that in God’s word, there are no perfect families.  There are a few men  that have nothing recorded to their discredit.  That’s not to say they were without sin.  That is only true of Jesus.  But some, like Joseph and Daniel, trusted the Lord and honored Him through thick and thin.

But families, no way.  Every family has a skeleton or two.  So does ours.  In fact when our younger daughter had an assignment to make a family tree for a sociology class in college, she used a double layer of poster-board and made doors that opened, some revealing a skeleton.  She got an “A.”  She and her sister both used to play my-family-is-weirder-than-your-family with college friends, and they usually won.

But both our girls called home as college freshmen to tell us how thankful they were for us, for our immediate family.  With the Lord’s help, we have been able to break the mold.  We have a great marriage and a close relationship with our girls.  They are very close also.

Some...

Are there difficult tasks on your list...or ones that should be there?  It takes me a while to face up to some tasks.  I need to focus on why the task needs doing and how good it will be to say, “done,” as I scratch it off my list.  I also ask the Lord for grace, grit and gumption.  In asking for grace, I’m asking for guidance, provision, no major glitches, and blessing “on the work of my hands.” (Psalm 90:17)

The grit and gumption are requests for extra doses of initiative, courage, and perseverance.  Some people are naturally more goal-oriented.  Grit and gumption come easily to them.  These people just need to slow down and smell the roses.  Others, like me, are distracted by every rose bush.  We need to be encouraged to “do the hard thing,” an exhortation of Elizabeth Elliot’s, which sometimes I repeat to myself.  And once I start a hard thing, I need perseverance to finish .  I remind myself that there will be special satisfaction in completing it.

“...you have need of endurance...” (Hebrews...

Are you familiar with this concept?  I first read about it in Laura’s Kitchen, an “earth mother” book published in the late 70's.  I am not an “earth mother.”  I do not grow our produce, grind our flour, or bake our bread, but I do like this concept.  Traditionally “the keeper of the keys” was the woman of the house.  She was responsible for the efficient management of the household resources in good times and bad.  She wore a ring of keys at her waist, keys to the pantry, linen closet, storeroom, cupboards, and chests.  It was a position of great responsibility, authority, and trust?

I’m afraid that we have pretty much lost this concept, which is too bad, because it is biblical.  The Proverbs 31 wife is a very good keeper.  Thus she not only has adequate food for her household, but enough to share with the poor and needy.  Today we don’t have all those keys, and I am glad.  But we are still very much key to the efficient management of household resources.  Your husband may manage your finances overall,...

If you are involved in a church, a small group or a Bible study, you never know when the Lord may put it on someone’s heart to pray for you.  Most likely it will be at a time when you really need it.

Yvette, a young mom, was struggling with postpartum depression.  She would only rouse herself to change and feed her baby.  The laundry and dishes were piling up, but she could not face them.  She had been involved in a large Bible study before her baby came.

One day the assistant director of this study whose name was JoAnn was ironing.  She asked the Lord, “Who needs some prayer?”  Yvette popped before her eyes.  She didn’t really know her, but she knew her Lord did, so as she ironed she held this young mom up before the Lord.  Later she was moved to call her.  The young mom was so blessed and encouraged.  She shared that at the time JoAnn started praying for her, she found the energy to get up and start dealing with the laundry.

The young mom above was pediatrician.  She had things together...

I really like this expression.  We tend to say, “God is good” when He answers our prayers, but in truth, He is good all the time.  He may not answer our prayers the way we want, but He always hears, and answers with our good in mind.  Sometimes He seems to be telling me, “This is not about you.  There is something else I need to deal with here.  Just trust me.”

Some are quick to say there is no God or certainly not a good and powerful one, or He would not have let some tragedy occur.  I would say that they have missed a few basics. 

First of all, from the beginning God gave man and woman free will.  This was a very courageous gift.  Man could either choose to obey, love and trust God or he could go his own way.  If he chose his own way, he would forfeit the blessing of God. 

Of course God could have created us without free will, but then we would have been puppets.  There is a huge dynamic missing from any relationship that lacks choice. 

God chose to graciously extend His love...

Being like-minded is a biblical goal that can make a big difference in our relationships.  Romans 15:5-6 says, “Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

My husband and I lacked this concept early in our marriage.  I remember one appalling occasion when we invited a single gal to dinner.  Somehow we wound up at odds, more or less competing with each other for her attention.  There was no unity.  After she left, I could only ask, “What must she have thought of us?”

Perhaps that evening was in the back of our minds when we found the above verses and embraced them as what we wanted for our marriage.  We then had the goal of together seeking the best solution, the best way, the best timing for all our decisions.  Of course, by then I’d also begun to grasp that my husband was to be the head of our marriage.  Hmm.

The Greek words...

Some of us seem to lack the gene for order and tidiness.  It doesn’t come naturally for us to pick up, put away, stack in tidy piles, or close cupboard doors and drawers.  We may have an abundance of creativity and fun ideas, but some of these result in more mess.

This can easily reach the point of chaos.  It becomes difficult to find things.  We forget an important date–because the date book was buried. That’s why the operative phrase in our house is always, “Oh, it’s under...”  The thought of friends dropping in, not to mention one’s mother-in-law, nearly brings on an anxiety attack. 

But “God is not a God of disorder, but of peace.”  I Corinthians 14:33  Yes, I confess that I yanked this verse out of context, but it’s true and applicable here.  I have experienced the connection between peace and order in our home.

I struggle with order, but I long ago decided that it’s a desirable and worthy goal.  I bought The Messie Manual, a book of tips for confirmed but repentant “messies.”  I applied...

A friend who had recently become a grandma related to me a conversation that I love.  A friend’s little girl had said to her mom, “But Auntie Mona can’t be a grandma yet.  She doesn’t have any ruffles.”  What a delightful error in word choice.  Ruffles are always decorative.

I didn’t yet have “ruffles”, but I knew they were coming.  I remembered from Proverbs 16:31 that “the silver-haired head is a crown of glory” found in the way of righteousness.  I concluded that growing old in the Lord could be okay.  I thought about some elderly Christian women with twinkles and ruffles.  No bitter lines on their lovely old faces.

You may not experience ruffles or silver hair for many years, but tuck away the concept, and concentrate on righteousness, good relationships, and a spirit that pleases the Lord.  That’s the best way to insure that your wrinkles will be ruffles.

Tips:    Cotton knits and denim are easy care.  You can eliminate most wrinkles by throwing them in the dryer with a wet wash cloth...

I imagine that we all have interesting memories of family meals, especially those with small children present.  Our younger daughter was usually well-mannered, but she had a tendency to choke and then propel the offending article across the table.  My husband was usually across from her, and he developed a quick reflex of pulling his plate toward him.  Her range wasn’t really quite that good, but it was a natural defense maneuver.

Sandwiched between such unappetizing episodes, many good things can happen at family meals.  I can think of no better training ground for children in regard to social interaction.  They learn: to thank God for their food, to wait, to chew with their mouth closed, to say “no thank you” instead of “I don’t like...” or “I don’t want...”, to not interrupt,  to share their day and eventually their ideas, to listen to their parents share about the Lord and His ways, and to appreciate “the whole family all together”as a safe and supportive place.

With so much potential for good,...

There was once a young mom who was feeling very overwhelmed.  She had some serious health issues, including an auto-immune disease which caused fatigue and muscle weaknesses.  She had two little girls and a very helpful husband.  However her husband was in the Navy reserves, and he was doing his two week annual stint of active duty.  He’d been gone about ten days.  She was very tired.  The house was in need of cleaning.  The laundry was piling up.  So were the dishes.

She stood at the kitchen sink wishing she had a helpful Christian mom nearby.  Then she was moved to pray, “But Father, if You think I need help, You can send it.”  Not five minutes later the doorbell rang.  There was a friend from church who, with her husband, hosted their small group.  She said, “I’ve come to clean your house.

The young mom was a little embarrassed, but also very overwhelmed.  There was, in clear sight, a pile of leaves under a Boston fern that begged vacuuming, so she could not protest. 

The cleaning was quick and light, but so very significant.  Yes, I was that young mom a long time ago.  I decided that a much greater blessing than a Christian mom nearby is a heavenly Father who sees, hears, and sends help.

Tip:    There are many good reasons for being in a small group.  In the above case, it facilitated the Lord sending help, but it was also easier to receive help from a friend.  Find a group.

    “Before a word is on my tongue, You know it completely, O Lord.  You hem me in behind and before.  You have laid Your hand on me.  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me.”  Psalm 139:4-5

One thing to love about our Lord: He is the God of new beginnings. He never tells a child of His: “That’s it. You’re hopeless. You flunk!” No, it’s always, “Get back on the horse. You can do this.”

Did you forget your husband’s favorite granola after he asked specifically that you get some? Are you running out of baby wipes? Is the laundry piling up? Not only that, when your husband asked about the granola again this morning, you yelled at him and rattled your baby.

Sigh! What does the Lord say? “Back on the horse.” No, that’s not a quote from Scripture. But Micah 7:8 says, “Rejoice not against me, O my enemy. Though I fall I will arise.”

We do have an enemy, and he wants nothing more than to see us discouraged and defeated. Every time we get up again and press forward, we score a victory over him.

Apologize to your husband. Hug your baby. Put the granola on your grocery list..also the baby wipes. In the meantime, improvise. Put in a load of wash. Thank the Lord for forgiveness and...