Blessed Homemaking

Gone Before You Know It

Mon, 24 Jul 2023 22:32:49 +0200

One day, it will all be gone. Those sleepless nights you thought you'd never get through. The waking babies who constantly need you. The sick little one with an earache or tummy trouble in the night. Days where your toddler wants you to read the same book twenty-one times in a row...Gone. Those days when you think you will always be pregnant and you think you can't get through another

Happy Mother's Day + Homeschool Help

Sun, 14 May 2023 22:49:17 +0200

Dearest Mothers,Oh, do you love or loathe this day? Does it remind of you of your failures, or of your blessings? Though I have many failings and of course have not always done things "right" or perfectly, my children always bless me on Mother's Day, and my husband. I just can't believe how blessed I am, and can only thank God that He took me from being a person who never wanted children to a

Reading Holy Scriptures

Sun, 16 Apr 2023 09:15:35 +0200

Reading the holy Scriptures is like a treasure. With a treasure, you see, anyone able to find a tiny nugget gains for himself great wealth; likewise in the case of Sacred Scripture, you can get from a small phrase a great wealth of thought and immense riches. The Word of God is not only like a treasure, but is also like a spring gushing with everflowing waters in a mighty flood. St. John

Urgent-- Subscribers-- Problem with My Feed

Thu, 13 Apr 2023 12:54:46 +0200

My Dear Readers and Subscribers, It has come to my attention that there is a problem with my feed, for those of you subscribed via follow.itIt seems several links have been put up that are coming through my feed. The titles are in Spanish and go to some website--please don't click on them! I have no idea how this has happened and what is going on. I have contacted my email subscription

Church is a Lonely Place for Homemakers

Wed, 22 Feb 2023 10:31:33 +0200

Time and time again I've had Christian homemakers, Biblical keepers-at-home, write in to me and say how lonely it is at church because the church is full of feminists. It feels so lonely there because in a time for having fellowship, the other women are all talking about their work week. Instead of talking about their week spent at home preparing lovely meals for their husbands, teaching

Merry Christmas, Dears

Sat, 24 Dec 2022 23:17:06 +0200

Many of you are probably busy with your families today, but I just wanted to with you all a very blessed Christmas! What a wonderful occasion to remember the Lord Jesus come down to be with us. May your Christmas be very joyous ❤️“This is what we are celebrating today: the Coming of God to man, that we might go forth, or rather that we might go back to God, that putting off the old man we

{Time Sensitive} One Last Reminder

Fri, 11 Nov 2022 23:53:05 +0200

Just a quick post today to remind you that it's the last day that you can purchase the Home Management bundle. I know I sometimes forget things like this, so I just wanted to send you a quick reminder.Also, you don't have to use everything in the bundle if you purchase it! I know there are so many products, and it can seem overwhelming to think you have to use it all, but you don't. Even if

Do You Ever Feel Like This?

Wed, 09 Nov 2022 03:00:00 +0200

"A woman once fretted over the usefulness of her life. She feared she was wasting her potential being a devoted wife and mother. She wondered if the time and energy she invested in her husband and children would make a difference. At times she got discouraged because so much of what she did seemed to go unnoticed and unappreciated. “Is it worth it?” she often wondered. “Is there something better

Help for Your Most Important Work (at Home!)

Tue, 08 Nov 2022 00:00:26 +0200

Hello Dear Ones,I have received some messages asking where I've been and if everything is alright. Yes, everything is alright, but life has just been busy. As I get older and now have grown daughters helping out with many things, I often wonder how I managed so many years without them helping in such ways. But with the Lord's help I did.I have also been told many times by

Hurry for Homeschooling!

Thu, 21 Jul 2022 23:00:29 +0200

Dear Blessed Readers, I haven't written in awhile, I know. But I am still here. And part of the reason I haven't written in awhile is just pure busyness--the kind where you are just trying to keep on top of the most important things. Homeschooling is one of the reasons I am so busy--if you've been reading here for awhile, you know that I am a big advocate for homeschooling our children and

Christian Motherhood

Fri, 18 Feb 2022 15:00:00 +0200

Christian motherhood means dedicating your entire life in service of others. It means standing beside your husband, following him, and investing in the lives of children whom you hope will both survive you and surpass you. It means forgoing present satisfaction for eternal rewards. It means investing in the lives of others who may never fully appreciate your sacrifice or comprehend the depth of

Love and Prayer and Purity

Thu, 17 Feb 2022 04:00:00 +0200

The woman who makes a sweet, beautiful home, filling it with love and prayer and purity, is doing something better than anything else her hands could find to do beneath the skies. - J.R. MillerPlease join me today for a little homemaking encouragement I wrote at Christian Homemaking.Receive Blessed Homemaking in your inbox. Subscribe here.

Children and Socialization

Wed, 16 Feb 2022 18:18:52 +0200

If you want to raise your children to choose the Lord as their God, you must reject the world's unrelenting chant that your children "need" to socialize outside your home. Instead, you must believe the Lord when He says, "Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate." ~Elizabeth KruegerReceive Blessed Homemaking in your inbox. Subscribe here.

Advice to Christian Women

Fri, 26 Nov 2021 13:38:07 +0200

We are in Constantinople, in 384 AD. There is a festive event taking place: the wedding of two well-known youths of that time. They are both from upper class families.

The bride, Olympiatha, is a remarkable young lady, quite wealthy and a descendant of the imperial family. She is an orphan whose uncle Prokopios (an eparch of the Imperial State that is also her protector) undertook the responsibility for all of the wedding arrangements, including the invitation list. Olympiatha is marrying a wonderful man by the name of Nevrithios who is the eparch of Constantinople and overseer of the imperial fields.

According to the historians of that time, all of the “who is who” are in attendance of the wedding ceremony, including a sizeable group of bishops. St. Gregory the Theologian (the Patriarch of Constantinople and spiritual father of the bride) is unable to be present due to personal illness. He sent a personal letter to Prokopios expressing his regrets for being unable to attend due to illness. As the spiritual father of Olympiatha, he is pleased about the wedding and passes in writing his immense joy about the wedding of the “golden Olympiatha.” He calls her golden not because of her immense family wealth but rather her golden heart that is evident in the bride’s character and demeanor. In his letter, St. Gregory refers to her as “my child,” i.e., my spiritual child; as such, he is in position to know the depth of her character and quality of her soul as no one else.

Within his letter to Prokopios, he writes that “I am next to you, celebrating the event, and with you I place the right hand of the one youth upon the right hand of the other and then both of them upon the hand of God.”

Later on, St. Gregory sends to the young bride an original wedding gift: a poem with 111 verses, written in ancient Greek and with quite old-fashioned language (even for that time). Through this gift, he passes to his spiritual daughter the wisdom of pertinent advice and thus paints the ideal type of an Orthodox Christian wife.

My daughter,

For your wedding, I, your spiritual father Gregory, offer you this poem as a gift. And I consider it to be the best possible advice a father could offer to his beloved daughter.

Listen to me Olympiatha: I know that you desire to be a true Christian. As such, be aware that a true Christian must not only be one but she must also appear accordingly. This is why I ask you to pay special attention towards your personal appearance. You must be simple! Gold, attached to precious stones, does not add any value to women of your stature. This is even more so with make-up. It is very improper for you to alter your face, which represents an image of God, for the sole purpose of attraction and admiration by others. Know that this constitutes vanity that is unbecoming of a young lady of your character. I therefore ask that you overcome the feminine vanity that is abundant among young ladies of our time and remain simple in your appearance. The expensive and fancy dresses must remain for those women that have no desire for the life beyond and do not know what the meaning of spiritual struggle and attainment of virtues is all about; this type of woman cannot possibly comprehend the spiritual radiance and brilliance of a life in Christ. You have aimed towards greater goals and for a higher purpose for your life. These goals demands your full and undivided attentiveness and care.

First of all, you must respect and love God and immediately after Him you must respect and love your husband in the same manner as our Lord and Savior and in accordance with the instructions of our Holy Gospel. I thus ask you, how is it possible for a woman to love her husband in this manner if she has not met, has not respected and has not loved Her Lord and Creator in this same manner?

In your marriage, fondness, affection and love must be strong and persistent for him whom God has selected to be your life partner. This man is now the eye of your life and the delight of your heart. And if you ever perceive that your husband possibly loves you more than you love him, do not take advantage of his feeling by attempting to gain the upper had in your marriage. That is plainly wrong as it is totally against the writings of the Holy Gospel!

You must respect him and love him unconditionally, as you love God. Be aware that you are a woman and you have an important and great purpose and destiny; however, your purpose and destiny is different than that of your husband who must be the head of your household. Set aside the silliness of equality among the sexes, that some of your contemporaries preach, and attempt to comprehend the obligations of marriage. In the realization of these obligations you will discover the great patience and endurance that is necessary to fulfill your family duties; it is in this manner that you will also discover the great strength that you as a woman possess.

You must surely be aware of how easily anger overtakes men. They cannot maintain and they often appear as wild lions. It is at this exact moment that a woman must remain stronger and display her superiority. You must play the role of the lion-tamer. What does a lion-tamer do when the beast starts roaring? He becomes even calmer than usual and through kindness and persistence he overcomes his wrath. He speaks to him kindly, in a soft but firm voice, he caresses it, he attends to it, he pets it and little by little calmness is restored.

You must never criticize, scold or become derogatory towards your husband for something that he has erred. Likewise, you must avoid any contempt towards any inaction or indecision by your husband, even when the outcome is not favorable or something that you greatly desire or consider proper. Be aware that demons are always around attempting to penetrate your household, and break up the couple’s harmonious spiritual cohabitation.

You must share everything, joys and sorrows alike. The Holy Sacrament of Marriage has indeed made all common to both of you. This is equally important towards the daily obligations and duties as they apply to running the household; it is the only way that a strong foundation will be built for your marriage. Let both of you provide your views and opinions; in the end, however, allow your husband to have the final say.

When you observe your husband to be sorrowful, share in his sorrow and provide him the needed relief; the support of the person closest to you in moments of sorrow and despair is of great value and relief. Immediately, however, let your facial expressions become calm, clear and collected; let peace prevail upon your demeanor and forego the temptation of any thoughts of despair. The wife is the calm harbor for the sea wave-stricken husband.

Your presence within your home is irreplaceable; you must accordingly love your home with all the cares and concern of a dedicated housekeeper. You must view it and consider it as your kingdom and you should be judicious about how often you exit its entrance. Let your husband take care of many of the outside cares and obligations while you concentrate towards those within the home.

Be extremely careful with whom you associate and the company that you keep. Be especially careful of the social gatherings that you may be participating in. Do not allow yourself to enter entertainment centers of questionable background; these represent extreme danger towards your purity and the sanctity of your marriage. These types of social interactions remove the instinct of shame, eyes cross with eyes, and once shame is not there to guard from any impropriety, the demons are able to exercise their influence and give rise to evils of unspeakable magnitude.

On the other hand, social interactions with friends of substance and of firmly grounded spiritual state must be pursued. In this manner, words of value get implanted within you and you either benefit from them or are able to confront and resolve any weaknesses that you may recognize. Concurrently, you are able to cultivate social interests and get to know people who will benefit your household’s spiritual state.

Do not be anxious to keep company or even appear in public and in the company of others for no reason. You should instead dedicate your precious time in the company of your wiser and more prudent relatives, priests, and seriously-minded people, young and old alike.

Stay away from conceited and ostentatious women whose mind is pre-occupied with external appearances and social circles, all for the purpose of vainglory and public display. This should be the same for any men that you consider respectful and spiritual but whom your husband has not allowed to enter your home, irrespective of how highly you may regard them. For is there anything more precious for you than your good husband whom you love so dearly?

Your thoughts must aim high but you must never behave as intolerable or snobbish.

I applaud women that are known by only a few men. Do not run towards worldly feasts and celebrations, even when those are for weddings or birthdays. It is around those types of gatherings that the passions of the flesh are aroused with the many dances, the drinking, the laughter and the false joys that are capable of deceiving and misleading even the pure and the wise. Always remember that purity is extremely fragile—it is like bee wax exposed to the rays of the sun. It would be prudent to limit and at times avoid the worldly feasts, even within the confines of your own home. If we were capable of controlling the desires and many appetites of the stomach we would be well served in our struggles against the many passions of our flesh; we would be in a position to conquer them instead of being subdued by them.

Keep your face calm and collected and do not alter it with extreme laughter or with grimaces of dismay, anger or disappointment towards others. Your ears should be decorated not with pearls but instead with the sounds of proper language and with locks for all the improprieties that may enter your nous through them. Thus, whether they are open or closed your sense of hearing will remain pure.

As far as your eyes, they are the ones that display the contents of your soul. Let them be the source of blush and virgin purity that pours below your eye lashes. This way, your presence and eyesight will invoke modesty, decency and the shame of innocence to all that lay their eyes upon you, perhaps even your husband! It is best and for many reasons that you keep your eyes closed or indifferent to the events around you and you should make it a habit to always maintain your sight low.

And now for your tongue. Your husband will always be your enemy for as long as your tongue is uncontrolled, even if you are to be blessed with thousands of other talents. A foolish tongue often endangers even the most innocent of people. It is preferred to maintain quiet, even in cases that you are correct. This is because you risk the expression of an unintended improper word or characterization. No matter how greatly you desire to say a lot, it is best that you limit your words and instead choose your presence to be a quiet one.

Be attentive even of the manner that you walk; it matters greatly towards a prudent presence.

And now pay close attention and be mindful of the following advice: You must never exemplify or maintain an uncontrollable desire for the flesh. Persuade your husband to respect the holy days of the Church and the fasting periods. This is because God’s laws are of much greater importance than the image of God. Be mindful that the institution of marriage was established by the Son of God to aid His creation so that a balance is maintained, as some depart this world while others arrive.

If you have benefited from this old man through some spiritual words of value I ask that you keep these words and advice guarded well within the depths of your soul. In this manner, through everything that you have benefitted and through the grace of your moral stature, you will be capable of healing your excellent husband and well known politician from the evils of vainglory and pride that constantly surround him.

This is my gift and heirloom that I offer to you. And if you desire my blessing, I pray that you become a vineyard of descendants, with many children, and many children from these children, so that our God may be glorified by more of us, for it is for Him that we are born and to Him that we should aim our earthly paths.

Your spiritual father,

+Gregory

Patriarch of Constantinople

Attention, Email Subscribers

Fri, 26 Nov 2021 10:11:23 +0200

If you don't already know, Feedburner has discontinued its email subscription service for blogs. But, not to worry, if you already subscribed to this blog via email, you will continue to get posts delivered, but now by follow.it. There is nothing you need to do to continue to get posts, as I have taken care of everything. If you are not an email subscriber and would like to be, just fill in your email on the sidebar where it says, "Get new posts by email".

I'm sorry for the lack of posts for some time. Life has gotten so busy!

Receive Blessed Homemaking in your inbox. Subscribe here.

Femininity

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 13:12:21 +0200

“Why do women want to dress like men when they’re fortunate enough to be women? Why lose femininity, which is one of our greatest charms? We get more accomplished by being charming than we would be flaunting around in pants and smoking. I’m very fond of men. I think they are wonderful creatures. I love them dearly. But I don’t want to look like one. When women gave up their long skirts, they made a grave error.”

~ Tasha Tudor

Receive Blessed Homemaking in your inbox. Subscribe here.

Ambition

Wed, 26 May 2021 12:49:22 +0200

"As for her, like most women, she had but one ambition. To be a good wife and a good mother, and to be beloved by her husband and children, was all she asked. [She was] a busy, affectionate, cheerful little housewife, whose voice would never be heard in the streets, but whose memory would always live in a few faithful hearts."

~Elizabeth Prentiss

Receive Blessed Homemaking in your inbox. Subscribe here.

A Wise Young Man

Wed, 19 May 2021 21:50:59 +0200

A young man I know was recently telling me of a wife who was going to work against her husband's wishes. We were discussing praying for that family in that situation, but this boy, who is entering into his young manhood, wisely observed a couple of things.

He said, "I don't even understand why women go to work when their husbands work anyways. Whenever I see women working at their jobs, they always seem so stressed out, but not so with the men--they are mostly cheerful."

How observant is this! He is being so honest about the state of most women today--trying to fill a role they were never meant to fill, and taking upon them Adam's curse (Genesis 3:17) and also his duty to provide. It goes against a woman's nature to provide, unless she is in a true emergency situation, such as the death of her husband when no one is providing for her (by the way, the Bible prescribes a remedy for this as well).

I hope no one steals this young man's astute understanding away, and that he will always trust in what God's Word says, including the roles of men and women.

Also, I pray that more Christian women will return home to where they belong, guarding, guiding, and keeping the home, as the Bible prescribes. The world is in a dire situation, and a great deal of it is because Christian women have abandoned the home.

If you know of some good blogs that encourage women to be keepers at home (along with other Biblical things), would you leave them in the comments below? I'm sure we all could use some encouragement.

Receive Blessed Homemaking in your inbox. Subscribe here.

God Loves the Vocation of Homemaking

Wed, 12 May 2021 14:00:00 +0200

Thank You Mr. Strachan!

Receive Blessed Homemaking in your inbox. Subscribe here.

The Home is Where the Answer Is

Tue, 11 May 2021 14:00:00 +0200

"The youth minister, trying to think about what's wrong with youth ministry, is a classic case of the fox guarding the hen house. The fox is not going to say, 'I need to not be here.' The fox is going to try to figure out how he can devour fewer hens so that you'll be happy with him for awhile. Youth ministers are not going to say, 'Parents need to be doing what we're doing. We need to not have this job.' They're going to try to preserve the institution. Now, does that mean that they're evil, and that they're scheming, and conniving? No, but they wouldn't be there if they didn't believe, fundamentally, that it was their job to do what they're doing. And that it was essential, and that they were the answer. They wouldn't be there if they didn't believe that. So they're going to give you those answers. But it's ironic that what the youth minister says is, 'If we're going to reach these kids, number one, we need to know them better.' Well guess what? Parents know them better. 'Number two, we need to have a relational ministry where we're involved in their lives.' Guess what? God's designed a relational ministry to be involved in their lives; it's called their parents. 'Number three, we need to be more consistent in our teaching.' Guess what? God's given them a place where they wake up every morning where they can have consistent teaching. Everything that youth ministers say is the answer already exists in the home. But what they will not say is, 'The home is where the answer lies.' They can't, because the moment they say that, they admit that they shouldn't be in their position."

—Voddie Baucham

Receive Blessed Homemaking in your inbox. Subscribe here.