I've done this! I love it!

I loved getting this devotion! I could so relate to it.
You know Hines sight is 20/20 and as I look back I can see a thread that brought me to my full blown home based business of Home Design. One day I will share all those threads with you.
I will also be sharing some Home Design hints. Fun!
It is so interesting to get old enough to see some of the puzzle pieces fit together.

Encouragement for Today

Friday, September 25, 2009Forward to a Friend Free Newsletters Print

September 25, 2009
A Financially-Productive Woman
by Glynnis Whitwer
"She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes." Proverbs 31:24 (NIV)
Devotion:
In today's economy, I look for every way to save money. I'm a sale-shopping, coupon-clipping, leftover-loving woman. I'm a firm believer in Benjamin Franklin's well-known adage, "A penny saved is a penny earned." And this past couple of years, my family has certainly had to apply that to our lives in greater measure. Sometimes, however, saving money just isn't enough. As many families face a reduced income due to layoffs and company closures, there are only so many ways to cut corners. So I'm also a believer in trying to make money in creative ways. As many of us wonder what the future holds financially, I'd like to suggest we look at a biblical example of how to use the resources we have within our homes to increase our families' incomes. One of the best examples I know is found in Proverbs 31. Throughout chapter 31 we meet a woman who was a good manager of all her resources, and in verse 24, we learn that she used her weaving skills to make money. As I consider this women's ingenuity, I learn that she identified a need (merchants needed sashes) and then used her skills (making garments) and energy (selling them) to increase her family's financial well being. I wonder if many of us overlook this principle as we face a financially shaky future with dread. Perhaps we don't need to look for an employer that is hiring, but instead should consider how to use the resources God has already given us. On a recent trip, I met a wonderful example of a woman doing just that. She is past retirement age, lives alone and wanted to bring in extra income. Since I'm a small business owner, our commonalities got us talking. This productive woman buys used wool sweaters, shrinks them and sews them into designer mittens using other fabrics and decorative accents. Then she sells them in a local shop where she has a booth. That's not all she sells. She has added hand-made products made by women working at home in other countries, plus some unique new clothing items she buys and resells. It all started with a creative idea, the use of her talents and some energy to sell them. Artistic talents aren't the only resource we have to help our families. Many people have other skills that can be used to increase incomes. Some examples are physical strength, athletic training, organization, planning, love of travel, cooking, gardening and cleaning. Many have families that can help. This past summer I watched a local landscaper work every week with his two sons by his side. They are a family pulling together when it counts most. No one wishes for hard financial times - though we can learn much in them. When God is on our side, there are always opportunities waiting to be uncovered. Instead of dreading the future, perhaps God wants to tap into the unique resources He has planted within our lives and family for such a time as this. Dear Lord, I thank You today for the many resources You have given me. Thank You for my life, for my mind, for what health I have and for the hope you offer. Please help me to see how I might use these resources to become more financially productive. Only You know the true depth of my needs. So today I ask for Your help. I know I can do all things through You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Those Precious Servant Hearts!

Servant-Hearted
by Charles R. Swindoll
2 Corinthians 4:1-7
In his fine little volume In the Name of Jesus, Henri Nouwen mentions three very real, albeit subtle temptations any servant of Christ faces. They correspond with the three temptations our Lord faced before He began His earthly ministry. They also fit with three observations the apostle Paul mentions in his letter to the Corinthians (2 Cor. 4:1-7).
First Temptation: To be self-sufficient and self-reliant. Instead of being so self-assured, we need to be open, unguarded, and vulnerable.
Second Temptation: To be spectacular . . . a celebrity mentality. In Nouwen's words, "Jesus refused to be a stunt man. . . . He did not come to walk on hot coals, swallow fire or put His hand in a lion's mouth to demonstrate He had something worthwhile to say."
Third Temptation: To be powerful . . . in charge. To lead is appropriate, necessary, and good. But to push, to manipulate, to be in full control . . . never! To say it simply, one God is sufficient.
Servanthood implies diligence, faithfulness, loyalty, and humility.
Servants don't compete . . . or grandstand . . . or polish their image . . . or grab the limelight. They know their job, they admit their limitations, they do what they do quietly and consistently.
Servants cannot control anyone or everything, and they shouldn't try.
Servants cannot change or "fix" people.
Servants cannot meet most folks' expectations.
Servants cannot concern themselves with who gets the credit.
Servants cannot minister in the flesh or all alone.
Let me suggest five practical guidelines for cultivating the right kind of servant habits.
Whatever we do, let's do more with others. Ministry is not a solo, it's a chorus.
Whenever we do it, let's place the emphasis on quality, not quantity. Excellence, not expansion, is our goal.
Whenever we go to do it, let's do it the same as if we were doing it among those who know us the best. Not only will this keep us accountable, it'll guard us from exaggeration.
Whoever may respond, let's keep a level head.
If someone criticizes, don't allow it to get you down.
If someone idolizes, don't tolerate or fantasize such foolishness.
However long we minister, let's model the Master . . . a servant-hearted and a grace-oriented style.
Let's serve . . . in the name of Jesus.A servant-hearted attitude keeps us from self-minded attitude

Looking for haven? Check this out!

Good morning,
You know what?
"Jesus is not merely the rope that pulls us from the threatening waves; he is the solid beach under our feet, the air in our lungs, and the beat of our heart, and the warm sun on our skin, and the song in our ears, and the arms of our beloved.” John Piper

Where Do You Live?

Trouble Valley or Victory Mountain?
By Linda Coles

Let's be neighbors on Victory Mountain!

Please click the link below to read the message.

http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AUonif3MhRbsZGMzenJmN2NfMGZya3dkemQ5&hl=en

Are your mountains shaken?

"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,' says the Lord, who has compassion on you."

Hear this and allow the truth of it to warm your heart,

soothe your pain,

and calm your fears.

God knows. He's been there, and He is there still.