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Song: Faithful Father

January 2018 issue

Written and produced by Amy Smith

 
 
Ahh, Monday. ⠀ ⠀ Here's the email roundup:⠀ - A fabulous note from Natalya post-Father's Day⠀ - If These Stairs Could Talk: note from Amy, about her stairs 😉⠀ - Mrs. Ann: post from an anonymous contributor about a dear older woman in her church⠀ - Snippet from the current magazine issue⠀ ⠀ Have a great Monday, mamas. Find things to be thankful for today!⠀ ⠀ www.strengthandsong.com
Happy Father's Day!
|| Friday Magnify ||⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ "Oh, magnify the LORD with me,⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ And let us exalt His name together."⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Psalm 34:3⠀ ⠀ My mind has gone all sorts of directions for this post today. Since Natalya and I switch off with these Friday Magnifies, I look back at my previous thanksgivings and sometimes... it feels like so many weeks have just been hard. Two weeks ago, my last turn for Friday Magnify, I talked about it being a rough week. And maybe before that too, I didn't check. But it seems like so many weeks - over so many months - are hard!⠀ ⠀ Part of this is my pessimistic bent; I'm more apt to see the glass half empty than half full. It's just how I am. I'm working on it, for sure, because I want to know the joy of Christ even more than I do now. ⠀ ⠀ But another part of this is that some seasons are hard. And sometimes those seasons last for a while. So I could find things this week to show enthusiastic joy about (there are those things!), and just focus on those and let that be what represents my week. But this week has been hard, again.⠀ ⠀ I made this double batch of @joannagaines cookies last weekend, and there are still a few cookies in the jar. They are sooo good. I'm not usually a compulsion eater, but under stress I can be. This jar has sat on the counter as an unintentional reminder all week: these are a quick and temporary fix. ⠀ ⠀ I can grab a cookie, buy a coffee, call a friend, hide in the bathroom - these may help for a minute, and they're not necessarily wrong - but when situations are hard there's only one thing that will actually, truly help me. Jesus.⠀ ⠀ He soothes my frantic head, He reassures me that this life is bigger than what's around me; He reminds me that He is what & who matters most. He helps me do the thing in front of me, and then the next, and then the next, until I can see clearly to look ahead. He never fails. He's here whether I make good choices or poor choices, and He stays through whatever the consequences. What a Father.⠀ ⠀ This week, I'm just thankful for God. How I need Him! ❤️⠀ ⠀ - Amy⠀ ⠀ P.S. Your turn - what are you thankful for?
God is calling us to open not only our homes, but our lives - humbly, generously, and sacrificially - for the privilege to imitate Jesus as we look with expectation for His return.⠀ ⠀ Let us love one another with a costly love to which Jesus says:⠀ ⠀ "Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you took care of Me; I was in prison and you visited Me...I assure you: Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did it for Me." ⠀ ⠀ Matthew 25:34-36, 40⠀ ⠀ Excerpt from Stephanie Smith's article, "Hospitality: the Fruit of Sacrifice", Strength and Song magazine
We can do more than pray, after we have prayed, but not until.” Alistair Begg ⠀ ⠀ It is a tactic of the enemy to encourage a state of frantic busyness after some bad news or troubling situation has come to our attention.⠀ ⠀ Maybe there’s something heartbreaking in the news - legislation that breaks your heart, a missing child, a threat of war, an impending natural disaster. You immediately seek some petition to sign, or share it on social media, or call your mom (my usual reaction) or a friend. Or perhaps it is something closer to home – a family member with cancer, a broken marriage, a child gone astray from their faith and choosing a life of sin. Our reaction is often to DO something. To figure out some action we can take that will relieve the situation or, at the very least, the pain in our hearts.⠀ ⠀ All of that is good and well, but often those reactions are distracting us from the one thing we can do that will make an actual difference. There is power in prayer, friend! It is a direct line to the Creator of the universe. The One who has omnipotent power to intervene. Don’t forget to still your racing mind and bow before the Lord, your wisest confidant, and unburden yourself to His listening ear. Let Him guide your next steps.
Happy Monday!⠀ ⠀ This week's email is a bit shorter:⠀ - Amy writes about when chaos hits, and gives 4 tips & tricks she finds helpful to handle it all⠀ - Shontell Brewer @shontellbrewer talks about carrying the weight of the world and how to leave burdens with Jesus all week long, not just for a few days at a time⠀ - Podcast from Cultish @apologiastudios with Dr. Walter Martin about interacting with people with boldness in your faith⠀ - Sneak peek at the theme for Issue #3 (coming out in September!)⠀ ⠀ Enjoy today, friends!⠀ ⠀ www.strengthandsong.com
|| Friday Magnify ||⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ "Oh, magnify the LORD with me,⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ And let us exalt His name together."⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Psalm 34:3⠀ ⠀ This picture sums up what I am thankful for this week! This was taken by my husband after Mosha and Thad woke up from nap - they both seem to need a good five minute cuddle before they take off to play and explore. While snuggling them, it struck me how fast my boys are growing up and how thankful I am for their kisses and hugs! There's nothing better.⠀ ⠀ Natalya
"I would've never guessed that a $99 gas fire pit in our front yard would change our social life. Like most, we had the intention to invite people over to our home, but we typically lacked foresight to actually plan it out and make it happen...⠀ ⠀ Realistically, getting the house ready for guests along with making a meal is quite a bit of work with two little ones. We needed an alternative plan, and it happened to be stored in our garage."⠀ ⠀ Amberlee is a busy wife and mom of two preschoolers, but that hasn't stopped her from reaching out in hospitality to her neighbors - without breaking the bank. Read her full article in the magazine!
"Parenting – not politics, not the classroom, not the laboratory, not even the pulpit – is the place of greatest influence. To suppose otherwise is to be captive to the shriveled secular delusion. ⠀ ⠀ We must understand that it is through the godly family that God’s grace, a vision of God, a burden for the world, and a Christian character are most powerfully communicated… ⠀ ⠀ Parents, don’t abandon your place of influence. It is still true that “the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.” Believe it."⠀ ⠀ Kent Hughes⠀ ⠀ May we take our responsibility as parents seriously! This is a great joy and privilege we have been given - our children are precious gifts, but they are also our sacred charge. We will be held accountable for how we steward these gifts from God. May we seek Him daily for wisdom as we walk this road of motherhood!
Happy Monday, friends! ⠀ ⠀ Rundown of this week's email:⠀ - Encouragement to do what's next, right in front of you⠀ - From Fear to Peace: three truths to fight fear from @jenoshman⠀ - Come to the Table: Do you try to find time for yourself and still come away weary? @becky_pliego shares why we desperately need more God-time in our lives, and she invites you to be a part of the #samepagesummer @biblereadingchallenge - a challenge for this summer, which I (Amy) join her in asking you to participate! It's going to be great, and it starts today!⠀ ⠀ Go check your Inbox and be encouraged! If you want to read these articles/notes and don't already receive them, sign up at www.strengthandsong.com (in profile).😊⠀ ⠀ And when you have read them, let us know what blessed you? We'd love to know what pieces God uses to touch your life. ❤️