A Selection of Things for Mother's Day

I started to write something for today, but it isn't finished. I know, we've been down this street before. Anyway, here's a selection of things that might encourage of bless you today. :-)

Tender Strength - A photo and some thoughts from my own family history.

From Mom's Collection - A selection of items that my mom saved over the years. A variety of topics.

Mother's Question - A poem with a thought provoking question.

A Christian Mother's Life - A poem.

In Honor of Mothers - Scripture and pictures.

Bless the Hands and Hearts - A prayer.

Thorns - An encouragement for mothers whose babies died before birth.

I Love Homemaking... - Rejoicing in the the lovely work that God has given.

Evening Song - Be Thou Exalted

Psalm 34:3 O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together. 

Psalm 21:13 Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power. 

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FREE Bookmarks To Print - Springtime Photos

Here is another small gift for you, dear readers. :-)

This is a collection of printable bookmarks for you to print and cut apart. These could be used as small gifts in greeting cards or letters, an addition to a gift book, or in a gift basket. Or you can use them for your own enjoyment. They might make a nice addition to a Mother's Day card or something to give someone who is discouraged or sick at present. Please make free use of them, but do not charge for them. These are my own photography and graphic work. 

To get a full sized graphic please go download the image at my storage location. The download icon is on the left. Then print it in full size for an 8.5"x11" sheet of paper. For best results you should use white cardstock of a weight you prefer for bookmarks. Ordinary printer paper would not hold up well, unless you laminate it.

If you do not have a color printer, most of these looked pretty good in black and white in the test I printed. You can also order a print of the image from SmugMug which you could then cut apart after you receive it. (I do not receive any money or credit for orders as I do not have a professional account.)

These could also be used as a permanent or removable part of a handmade card. :-)

Enjoy!

Flowers left to right:
Texas paintbrush

Peach blossoms

Red bud blossoms

Our woods in springtime.

FREE Graphic - Lily-of-the-Valley - Peace of God

This is an original photograph of my own and my design work. Please feel free to download it to your computer for use in craft and paper projects. Click here for a higher resolution version of it, then click the download button on the left.

Worth Repeating - Anna Duggar and Wives Being Blamed for the Husband's Failings

In light of the recent arrest of Josh Duggar on federal charges of possession of child pornography, I am posting this article here again. According to things said and written by some who present themselves as "experts" on being a "Titus 2 woman" this vile behavior could be blamed on Anna, his wife. Oh, they might deny that and condemn him roundly now, after the fact, but based on their general teachings and things that are said outright or implied, the wife is responsible to keep her husband from these heinous sins by making sure he's properly serviced in the bedroom.

There is nothing a woman can do to keep a man from sinning if he so chooses, because this is not an issue of someone failing in their bedroom duties (I think 8 pregnancies prove that). This is about a wicked heart. This is about a man who was raised in a vagabond "Christianity" that emphasizes works at the cost of salvation and elevates "character" over relationship with Jesus Christ. Josh Duggar may not even be born again. There is nothing that Anna could do to make him a better person or change who and what he is if he doesn't want to change, and it's become obvious that he does not, or that he lacks that internal spiritual power - the indwelling of the Holy Ghost - to make victory possible. This is Anna's sad and hurtful truth. Don't make it harder for her by blaming her for something she didn't do.

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September 2015

The recent Duggar catastrophe that exposed Josh Duggar for having an Ashley Madison account and his subsequent "confession" has caused a lot of discussion. Among other things, there has been speculation about whether Anna, his wife, would feel compelled to share in the blame. This compulsion could be caused by a number of things - the teachings of Gothard on sexual sin, her own misguided conscience, her in-laws, her church fellowship, etc. 

I feel badly for Anna, but there is nothing that I personally can do for her except pray, so speculating on her state of mind and conscience is kind of pointless. However, it seems like it would be appropriate to stop and consider how we arrived at the point where women in Christendom are so often blamed either partially or mostly for their husbands' moral failures. How did this unjust balance in thinking come about? Here are some reasons that came to mind. There are probably more.

1. It is the historical norm. 

This is not to say that since it's "normal" it's OK.  Far from it. Sin is "normal," but that doesn't excuse it. What I mean is that this has been going on in history for a very long time. In fact, it goes back to the very first husband and wife. That's right, men blame their wives because Adam did, and the rest of humanity has tended to follow his lead. No surprise on that since we are told in 1 Corinthians 15:22 that "in Adam all die..." We have been following his bad example ever since he gave it.

Continue reading the article here.

Evening Song - Praise His Name

Acts 10:42-43 And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. 

1 John 3:23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. 

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