At Home With Sally

Today, Sarah, Joel, Joy and Joel and I share some of what we who are all a part of each others’ story, about what we love and what we have learned here in this God ordained place. I hope you enjoy. And a bonus is that Joel just finished composing a brand new album that is quite wonderful. I hope you will consider purchasing this and enjoying it for yourself and with your family. (Thanks for your support of his music—it is how He is funding his way through His PHD.

God created us to see the invisible fingertips of Him in our lives, the glory of His creation, the reality of His love manifested in countless ways and the generous and abounding love expressed throughout the story of His people.

Today we have a treat for you; a sneak peek of some of our exclusive Life with Sally membership content! Summer is upon us, and so we’re shaking up our usual schedule a bit to let you into our various Girls’ Clubs—the membership, our leadership team, etc. Misty and I are talking about our summer plans today, and I hope you’ll listen to the podcast to learn more about what we have up our sleeves, and of course to contemplate this message about the power of words.

God does not intend us to be filled with anger and frustration and disappointment. Sometimes when we want to blame God, we refuse to see that we have not walked His ways, or followed His paths, and so our lives and our souls are filled up with the world of man, which will always carry with it confusion and grief. How can we learn to instead dance with our Heavenly Father?

I have invited a friend, Sheridan Voysey, to join me in my podcast today whose story goes along with all that we are discussing in my book. What to do, feel, where to go when life is turned upside down from what you expected. We met several years ago here in Oxford and his heart and story encouraged me very much.

Join us today to hear about decisions we are making for our hearts, souls, minds and strength to be sure we are living intentionally, well, to invest time in the things that will provide us the most meaningful and flourishing best life forward. Love love being with my Joy. And I will never forget the wonderful time we shared in Vienna. Such a great decision.

In this Podcast episode, Aaron and Jen share about the uniqueness of the body of Christ and how we all have a purpose and a ministry to fulfill. They also share the importance of friendship in marriage, as well as how having a marriage after God impacts parenting. You are not going to want to miss this one! 

Looking for opportunities to deepen friendships, to counsel women, to have fun and invite someone in so that I do not feel alone has provided me with countless sweet and memorable moments from setting my table in my hotel rooms.

Learning to think clearly and Biblically, in order to be able to fight the formulas and ways of other men takes practice and investment of time---and it is the one way all children need to grow--to learn to think well, to learn to see the fallacies, false doctrine and rules that are man made and not in scripture--it requires thinking and being a steward of the word.

Each tea was different in attendance and unified in spirit. As we sipped and munched together, we created fellowship during a season that for many people is filled with loneliness.

Education of morals, habits, character and faith determine the foundations upon which a life will be built. Strong foundations lend themselves to vast structures. Make a plan today about how you will build those foundations into your own life and that of your children!

Hearts were opened by the simple beauty of bread, cheese, and warm herbed soup as we spoke of the shepherds who had found and worshiped Jesus on that first Christmas so long ago. And my own heart was warmed by the gathering of friends from such different cultures who shared our table and celebrated the love that whispered His reality through the moments of the evening.

No matter how old your children become, you are the example for them. They will always be looking at you to see integrity, ideals, and how you interact with God. And the longer you provide your children with wisdom based on truth, the more they will quickly consider your advice as they walk their own adult journey. Still, on a daily basis, I am walking with my adult children. They learned to trust their "path guide" on the trail of life we walked together, day by day.

We still have Family Day every year even though our children are now grown and living away from home, and we still begin the day by listing our “memorial stones” together. This practice reminds us not only of God’s faithfulness to us individually and as a family but also of the fact that we are inextricably tied to one another, bound in loyalty.

Learning to be righteous is a heart issue, not a rules memorized issue. If it feels wrong to their heart that has been shaped on righteousness, then it is probably wrong. But you need to talk to your children as they grow, about choices, trusting you, listening to God, living above reproach in a culture that is evil.

Nathan, Joy and I put together a little podcast just because we want to wish all of you well this Sunday when women with mother’s hearts will be celebrated.

Today, in my podcast, I talk with my friend, Jamie Martin, about her new book called: Introverted Mom: Your Guide to More Calm, Less Guilt, and Quiet Joy  I wish I had this book when I was a young mom because I think it would have given me permission to seek some quiet, soul filling time without guilt. It took me years to learn this truth. So many moms I know have said, “You know, I used to think I was an extrovert but now I think I might be an introvert.”

We treat our children with respect, serve them in humility, choose to use honorable words to our husbands, to friends, because when they learn this attribute of God, they will become those who win the souls of others who are so longing for someone to validate their worth.

Over time, my teatime habit became a foundational discipling tool for me. Taking time in the middle of a busy day to focus on a real live person and share our hearts over tea or coffee became a way of connecting with other women, with neighbors, and especially with my children—and even with my swirling, hurried self.

Patience is learned moment by moment in irritating circumstances. It is learned through seasons--(terrible twos, tricky teens, hormonal middle age, old age senility). Teaching your child little by little to be patient, to control His spirit, to exercise self-control, is training your child to learn to wait on God.