A Word of Wisdom from a Grandmother of Eight (Soon Nine!)

by Janis Williamson - 2/18/2014 - Used by permission

(Note from Lois: Janis is a dear friend of mine from childhood, and getting to know her even more in recent years has been very sweet!  Her mother used to be my Sunday school teacher and my mother used to be hers! 

By purposeful thought, we have one TV in our home.  It is upstairs in the bonus room.  My kitchen is quiet, peaceful, with a large farm table as its centerpiece.

My grandson, Ocean has been with me for several days, and during that time the TV has only been in use for two hours.  He has spent the remaining hours, at the farm table building trucks, cars, and airplanes, and reading books to me while I cook his favorite food.  The bonus room is a giant Knight’s Kingdom with medieval battles being fought, surrounded by more books piled high that take us into adventures far greater than the zombie-staring boredoms of an electronically talking box.

Dear Parents, you do NOT have to be so busy!  Control your television.  You can do it.  Do NOT let it control you!  Neither allow it to be the babysitter that will demand far more pay in future consequences than you will ever want to realize.

Your children are little people who have eternal souls to be nurtured for God and heaven.  For heaven’s sake, as Frederick Douglass wisely said so many many years ago, “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”

You want your kids to grow up and be your friends, right?  You want them to have a heart for God, right?  I do hope so!  Well then, TURN OFF THE TV, and find the joy in the little people, the eternal treasures, gifted to you by God, your precious children.

5 Questions that Can Change Your Schedule...and Your Life

Tricia Goyer - TriciaGoyer.com - Used by permission

I used to be the worst at saying no. If someone needed help at church, or a babysitter, or a work-project to get done, I was the person whom they could count on. I prided myself for being able to accomplish more than anyone I knew, but the cost was great. I was stressed. I was overwhelmed. I was tired all the time. And my shoulders grew weary from the high level of expectations. Especially mine.

My husband, John, was the one who taught me to say no. After one ultra-busy season he sat me down and forced me to go over my schedule. Together we asked these questions in order to pare down our calendar:

1. What things are vital?
2. What things are important?
3. What things are optional and can be cut for a season?
4. What things are we doing because we felt guilty for saying no?
5. What great things are we missing out on because we're saying yes to too many good things?

Take a few minutes and answer these questions. You might want to start with the last one first. What do you miss out on when you forget to say no? One of the most important things is inner renewal.

Tricia Goyer is a busy mom of six, grandmother of one, and wife to John. Somewhere around the hustle and bustle of family life, she manages to find the time to write fictional tales delighting and entertaining readers and non-fiction titles offering encouragement and hope. A bestselling author, Tricia has published thirty-three books to date and has written more than 500 articles. She is a two time Carol Award winner, as well as a Christy and ECPA Award Nominee. Tricia is also on the blogging team at MomLifeToday.com, TheBetterMom.com and other homeschooling and Christian sites. In addition to her roles as mom, wife and author, Tricia volunteers around her community and mentors teen moms. She is the founder of Hope Pregnancy Ministries in Northwestern Montana, and she currently leads a Teen MOPS Group in Little Rock, AR. Tricia, along with a group of friends, recently launched www.NotQuiteAmishLiving.com, sharing ideas about simplifying life. She also hosts the weekly radio podcast, Living Inspired. Learn more about Tricia at www.triciagoyer.com.