Rare but Real

Wise women want to build their homes. But we never arrive. We never have it all figured out. We can never build, watch, sleep, rest, or do anything without the Lord. That is - anything of substance. This week on the podcast, we're going to look at Psalm 127 and 128. In these two passages, we are reminded of God's providential care over us. He is sovereign. Our work is useless unless God wo...

The Scripture tells us, “By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; and by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.”

When older Christian women are spiritually strong, when they are wise, when they model godliness in both their behavior and in their dress, they become great role models for the young women. In today’s podcast, we take a look at the Rebekah, Tamar, the foolish woman of Proverbs 7, and the women of Judah. Each of us must decide if we are going to be wise or foolish.

Transitioning from the lazy hazy crazy days of summer to the structure of fall as children begin schooling - that’s the conversation with GraceAnna for this week’s podcast! Stay tuned for episodes with Maureen and Chesed!

Wisdom seems to be underrated and under-appreciated today.  It used to be that foolishness was reserved, for the most part, to the young and immature.  They would grow out of it as the older and wiser instructed and taught them.  But today, it seems foolishness reigns, yet God tells us to get wisdom.

I keep getting asked about the Barbie movie. In this podcast, I share my thoughts.

Thoughts on my birthday.

Chesed joins me for a fun podcast talking about reaching children for Christ through Vacation Bible School. Their church doesn’t have a building but God gave Jeremy and Chesed a vision for putting together a Vacation Bible School anyway. With the help and leadership from their church, God has blessed it now for several years.

Maureen joins me for part two of losing Jane. We talked about birthdays, holidays, and Jane's heaven anniversary. Also, Maureen shared how God has brought joy and laughter into their lives amid so much sorrow and loss.

July 24, 2023 marks the seventh year without our little granddaughter, Jane. God called her home when was 21 months old. Jane’s mama, Maureen, is here with me to talk about her and our son’s (Jordan) painful time of the unexpected and sudden loss of Jane. She shares how God carried them through the fog and continues to carry them …

On this week’s podcast, I grabbed some time with my daughter, who just had a baby! She shares how scary it turned out to be, and walks us through how she and her husband trusted the Lord through the journey. As always, we trust you will be encouraged as you give it a listen.

When I teach Psalm 8 to children, I ask if they have a baby brother or sister. Then I ask if they ever let a newborn baby grab hold of their finger. They all are eager to say yes, yes, yes. Then I ask , “Is it easy or difficult to get your finger out of the grasp of that little newborn baby?” They usually start laughing and say it's so hard. I tell them that even a newborn baby has some streng...

I still remember when Psalm 1 made its first huge impact in my life. Carl and I were newly married and in our first church together.  The pastor was not preaching that day … it was a lay person.  And I still remember his saying, “Open your Bibles to Psalm 1.”  Then he taught it, verse by verse, and it loomed large in my life. God reminded me that Sunday morning that there are two paths and only tw...

Psalm 91 is so comforting. God encourages us to trust Him even in the worst of circumstances. He brings us to see Himself for Who He is - the God beyond our fears, beyond our insecurities, and even beyond the real dangers that lie before us. I pray this episode encourages you.

Does mothering boys change as they grow into manhood? A mom asked if we would discuss this on the podcast. I’m so grateful God gave 4 boys to me! What a privilege to raise young men for Christ, especially in this day and age when men are so criticized and disrespected by women. My daughter-in-law, Maureen, is married to one of my boys and they are in the throes of raising 2 teenage sons. She joine...

Life is filled with stress and hard things. Yet, we can endure and grow stronger because of those stresses. We CAN do very hard things with God’s help. Though it is difficult to understand, He leads us into stressful times. He has a greater purpose …

Read-aloud books, thought life, change, and one-on-one time with children. In this episode, GraceAnna joined me to answer questions from women.

It’s easy for women to come up with a list of things they don’t like about their husbands; but my encouragement is come up with a list of things you love, appreciate, and admire about your husband. And then encourage him! Chesed joined me for a conversation on this very topic.

When we were children, we acted like children. Now that we’re grown women, are we acting like grown women? As believers, are we growing up in the Lord? Let’s ask some questions: Are you still as immature today as you were when you were 12? Are you still as spiritually immature today as when you first became a Christian? Do the same things provoke you today that provoked you 10 years ago? Do you st...

“Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.“ 1 Peter 4:8. What does this mean? How do we cover sin? And what does it mean to rejoice with the truth and how do we practically believe the best about others? I hope you will be encouraged as you listen to the third part of Biblical Love.

In this week’s episode, we continue exploring God’s love. His biblical love. We’ll see more how real love behaves - how it’s not rude, it has a big heart, it’s not bitter, and it certainly doesn’t keep a record of wrongs. So much to learn this week.

“Charity suffereth long, and is kind;” 1 Corinthians 13:4a KJV I love this. Biblical love is patient … it is long suffering. Oh how we need supernatural love for those around us. Even though we have a God-given natural love for others, we need God’s grace to adequately express it. Our love runs raw. It grows thin in the stresses of life. It gets tired. Our love does not suffer long by itself. Jesu...

Proverbs 14:1 says “The wise woman builds her house, But the foolish tears it down with her own hands.” What does a wise woman look like? What are some of the choices she makes as she sets out to build her home? She won’t make the choices of the world. She will obey God.

We know we need to discipline our children, but so often we don’t know what it means or even how to carry it out. In His Word, God explains His heart as to why and how He disciplines His own children. There is much application for us!! In this session, we look at the Scripture as it concerns discipline, training, and practical ways to carry it out. But first, you’ll learn some principles for your...

Even though we mothers possess a natural, instinctive love for our children, the Bible is very clear that we need to be taught biblical love. So often the way we love our children is wrapped up in the way we view them. This message covers a lot - and also gives you practical ways to enjoy your children when the rest of the world seems to be enduring theirs