To have a gentle and quiet spirit

Do you ever have those realizations that there's something you've been missing?  Not doing?  Not understanding?  I had one of those "aha" moments yesterday.  And it was humbling.

I want this kind of spirit as a wife: a gentle and quiet one.  This is the kind of spirit that Peter says creates true, unfading beauty:

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.  Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.  For this is the way the women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful.  They were submissive to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master.  You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear."  (1 Peter 3: 3-6)

There's a lot in this passage.  I want to point out a few things that have stuck out to me in many readings of these words.

First, look at this phrase from verse 5: "the women of the past who put their hope in God..."  A gentle and quiet spirit comes when our hope is not in ourselves or our own abilities, but in God and his Spirit at work within us.

And this: "Sarah...obeyed Abraham and called him her master."  This passage isn't talking about being our husband's slave, but it is descriptive of a wife who highly respects her husband.  This respect isn't shown just in our actions, but in our words and thoughts.  Do we show our husbands by how we speak to them that we respect them?  Do we make the effort to let them know that they are priceless treasures to us?  Do we pay attention when they talk?  Do we make it clear that we're interested in all parts of their lives?

These are things I've been struggling with.  This, and distrust (my constant battle).  Thus, look at the last part of this passage:

"...do not give way to fear."

Fear, my mother often reminds me, is of the Enemy.  Fear is what comes naturally to our sinful selves.  The opposite of fear is faith, which is a gift from God.  Faith in God and his promises...hope in him...this is what enables us to be wives after God's own heart.  Wives who love, respect and trust their husbands.  Wives who are beautiful not because of their outer looks but because of the quiet and gentle spirit within them, that comes from God.

This is the kind of wife I want to be: 

"A wife of noble character who can find?  She is worth far more than rubies.  Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.  She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life."  (Proverbs 31:10-12)

I want to be the kind of wife in whom my husband can have complete confidence, and who he can trust fully.  I want him to be able to trust me to bring him good, not harm, every single day.

But you know what?  I cannot be that kind of wife on my own willpower.  I don't have the ability to do it alone.

That's why I take comfort in the fact that God's strength more than makes up for my weakness.  In fact, as God promised Paul, so he promises me, and I can say this with Paul:

"But he [God] said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong."  (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

If you've been struggling with this at all, take comfort: you are not alone.  And for whatever trials you are experiencing, know that God's grace is more than enough.  His love covers you completely.  His forgiveness is unfailing and never-ending, and encompasses even those things for which we feel most guilty.  Jesus has taken away that guilt, paid the price for our sins, and enables us to live as his children.

I'm taking comfort in this: today and every day!


Linking with: To Love, Honor, and Vacuum; Exceptionalistic, Messy Marriage

Advice is Overrated--Encouragement Isn't

I am honored and blessed to have Tim Fall writing for me today!  Tim's blog is Just One Train Wreck After Another, where he writes about faith, family, books, and life as a Christian judge in California.  Tim is known for his encouraging blog comments, and I hope you are as blessed by this post as I have been.


[My son K is 22 and recently graduated from UC Berkeley. My daughter J is 20 and a third year student at UC San Diego. A lot of parents write advice letters to their young adult children, laying out what they want their children to learn. I'm not one of those parents. Instead, I'm writing them a letter pointing out what they've already learned.]

How old were each of you when you first left the country on a missions trip? 9, 10? Something like that. We all traveled together to Mexico to serve in one of the poorest places I've ever seen. K, we took you with us for the first couple trips, and J you joined us for several trips after that.

And then you went overseas on your own mission trips. You still do.

K, you even went on one all by yourself without a missions team. Seriously, Vietnam on your own? I know you'd been there twice before with a team, but to hop a plane and get to work with the organization over there without any team training or support was impressive. And now you are preparing to return as head of a team you are putting together to minister to the people you've met there over the years.

J, those trips to western and eastern Europe and into Israel started while you were in high school. Then South Africa came along, but you weren't going as a member of the team. You led the team. And this summer you are going to do it again.

So I said this was about what you have learned. Here goes:

You've learned how to take initiative: Mom and I never asked you to go on these trips, never even brought up going on overseas missions. You thought of it, you explored it and you figured out how to get it done. It may not have always happened the way you expected, but it happened. And you learned that God has some great plans for you, even better than your own.

Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. (Proverbs 19:21.)

You've learned to adapt: J, when your co-leader in charge of logistics had to back out 2 days before leaving last year, you and the other program leader stepped up and took on the duty, all while handling all your own responsibilities. K, you knew you had several weeks in a foreign land without anyone your age that you knew so you went to the coffee-house and made some friends, good friends that you loved to hang out and play music with even if you didn't speak each others' languages all that well.

So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10.)

You've learned to trust God: K, when you were 17 and started team training for that first trip to Vietnam, you didn't know anyone else, student or adult. But you trusted that God had put you there and that he would see you through. J, when you were getting ready to fly off to training for your last trip to Europe and got so sick you could barely stand, you trusted that God would work it out so you could still go, even if it meant joining the team late. God saw both of you through those times and so many more.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him, and he will direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6.)

You've learned the God's word is not only powerful, but a joy: K and J, each of you have learned over the years how to study God's word. I wish I could take credit for that, but it's really your own relationships with God that have drawn you deeper into his word. I get to have the fun of talking about Scripture and doctrine and theology with you, and often you are the ones who bring up points I've never thought through. This is a joy for us in talking about it, and I can tell that you get a kick out of reading his word and studying what theologians and other writers have to say about it for yourself too.

When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, Lord God Almighty. (Jeremiah 15:16.)

There's more of course, but I hope you've learned one more thing in particular. Mom and I are not only proud of you, but we are so pleased for you in your relationships with God and the people he has put in your lives. I told you when you were young and I'll tell you now:

K - you are my wonderful boy.

J - you are my wonderful girl.

And your wonderfulness has nothing to do with whether you've learned anything at all. Your wonderfulness has everything to do with the fact that you are blessings from God.

[For those reading this who aren't K & J, please know that your heavenly Father is even more pleased with you than I am with my kids. He loves you eternally and without limit, and I hope that encourages your socks off.]

Tim is a California native who changed his major three times, colleges four times, and took six years to get a Bachelor’s degree in a subject he’s never been called on to use professionally. Married for over 25 years with two kids (one in college and one just graduated, woo-hoo!), his family is constant evidence of God’s abundant blessings in his life. He and his wife live in Northern California. Tim blogs here.

Lessons Learning: Life lessons from the mission field and beyond

I am so honored and excited to be writing on Tim Fall's blog today!  He'll be visiting here tomorrow, and we have semi-coordinating posts.  I'm writing about what I've learned in my experiences in mission work, and he's written... well, you'll have to come back tomorrow to find out!

Despite being young, I've learned a lot of important lessons in my life so far.  God has used some amazing circumstances to bring me closer to him and teach me some things I really needed to learn.  Some of the biggest lessons he's taught me are remembering that He has my life in his hands, how to love others the way I've been loved by Him, and trusting him in ALL things, even when trusting is scary.

When I was thirteen I read several books about missionaries which sparked my interest in mission work.  The summer I turned fourteen, my family was visiting my grandparents.  At church during that visit, my mom ran into some friends who were, at the time, missionaries in Hong Kong and China.  She asked if they knew anyone with whom I could be pen pals, and they suggested that instead of doing that to learn about the life of missionaries, I just come visit them.

For the rest of this post, head over to Tim's blog! 

Reflecting on the A to Z Challenge

Well, I made it!!  This was my first year doing the A to Z Challenge, and I jumped in the deep end right away--not only did I sign up for the challenge itself, I volunteered to be an Ambassador for the fantastic Arlee Bird, whose idea it was to begin the Challenge in the first place.

I'm glad I took this opportunity.  It was a lot of work, but it was worth it!  I planned out all my topics in March, but I didn't pre-write or schedule any of my posts.  I like writing every day, but since I only have a certain amount of time every day in which I can do my blogging, that meant I didn't have time to visit as many other blogs as I would have liked.  I feel bad about that, and that's something I would definitely change for next year (you bet I'm doing this again!).  April was a busy month for me in other ways, but I'm proud of the fact that I did keep up with my posts, generally having them published the night before.

I am following quite a few new blogs as a result of the Challenge, and I'm delighted to welcome new followers myself!  This event has been a blessing in that area, allowing me to get to know other bloggers, some of whom have interests similar to mine, and others who I would have never found if not for the Challenge.

In terms of how the administrators organized everything, I have no complaints.  It's a massive job to host such a huge link-up, but I think they did well.  Those many of us who helped patrol the link-up list did our best to make sure everything was running smoothly.  I think perhaps it might be helpful if there were even MORE of us ambassadors/minions/whatever-we-were next year, especially if the Challenge grows in popularity (which I sure hope it will!).

I think perhaps it might be beneficial to have a few separate link-up lists, divided by type of blog (personal, writing, cooking, photography, etc).  That would make the list a lot less overwhelming to navigate, and it would help bloggers find more easily the blogs they're interested in, versus just blogging the whole huge list.

I will definitely be doing the Challenge again.  I appreciated the fact that it required me to be disciplined with my blogging.  I enjoyed the community, and getting to know other bloggers.  I definitely appreciated the major boost in visitors it gave me this last month!  I also enjoyed the mental challenge of having to come up with a post topic for each letter of the alphabet.

There are a few things I'll be doing differently next year.  I will start visiting blogs in the days and weeks leading up to the Challenge, as they are added to the link-up list.  I will plan my posts six weeks in advance and start writing them four weeks in advance.  Then I'll spend my time each day visiting blogs and leaving comments instead of writing.  I hope to be an Ambassador again next year, too (just for future reference, Lee!), and I hope to do a better job of it next year.

Did you do the Challenge?  What did you think?  Head over to the A to Z blog and share your post!

What do you do with ninety-seven eBooks?!?

This post contains my affiliate links.  See my disclosure policy here.  Thanks for supporting Living in the Light!

The thought of having 97 books to read is downright overwhelming.

Have you thought that, too?  Is that thought making you hesitate to get this great bundle?  Well, think about it this way:

Maybe you're just interested in the books on cleaning and organizing your home and DIY decorating.  (I'm hoping to put these to good use this summer!  I have quite the list of things I want to do around the house.)

If you purchased all these books individually, they would cost $77.89.  The bundle of 97 books is $29.97!  For just these books alone, purchasing the bundle is a savings of nearly fifty dollars.

Or, perhaps you're a blogger and a stay-at-home mom, and you want to read the books with advice and information on being a blogger and working from home!  I know these are going to be so valuable for me.

These five books alone are worth $42.97.  That's nearly $13 more than the price of the bundle!

I'm really excited about this next collection of books.  I have all summer to work through them and try out new recipes!  If you like to cook at all, these books are for you.  I REALLY want to try "20-Minute Meals" and "Feed Your Family Nourishing/Real Food On a Budget!"

All these books on cooking and real food are worth $83.81.  Buying the whole bundle gives you a savings--on these books by themselves-- of over $53.00!

The collection of books on marriage and romance is one I'm really looking forward to reading, too!  I actually own two of these already--"Rekindling Romance" by Jason and Jami Balmet and "31 Days to Great Sex" by Sheila Wray Gregoire.  All these books are worth $22.95.  Now, that's less than the cost of the bundle, but when you buy the bundle you get these books and ninety-two others!  That makes the total cost of the other 92 books only SEVEN DOLLARS.  I'd say that's a pretty good deal!

Now, these aren't the only books in the bundle!  There are books on pregnancy and babies, home schooling, parenting, and finances.  (Plus, don't forget the freebies worth $140!!) Some of these I'll keep to read at a later time in my life, when they're more useful.

You might be wondering (and I asked myself this too at first)--"What am I going to do with all these eBooks?"  I have an older laptop, the hard drive of which has already crashed once, and I don't really want to keep all those eBooks on it in case the hard drive fails me again.  I plan on saving the eBooks to a disk or flash drive, and then deleting them off my hard drive.  You can also download the eBooks from your computer to any mobile device you want to read them on--an iPhone, iPad, Nook, Kindle, or other e-reader.  The great thing about all these files is that they're PDFs, which means they can be read on any e-reader, unlike eBooks you buy directly from Amazon which have to be read on Amazon's Kindle device.

If you save them on your computer, you can create files for the different categories, and then save the books in those files--much like a physical file cabinet.

If you had a LOT of paper and ink, you could print all these eBooks: that would fill a whole bookshelf!

Any books you don't need or want, you can give away!

Mother's Day is just a couple weeks away, and these would make great gifts for any woman in your life.

Plus, if you're a blogger, you can use the extra books for giveaways on your blog!

Just make sure you don't read them yourself (you want to give away "new" books that haven't been read!), and delete the files off your computers after you give them to the giveaway winners.

Even if you use only twenty of the eBooks--still a lot!--that leaves you seventy-seven eBooks to give away!  You wouldn't have to work hard to find things for giveaways for a LONG time.

I'm also hoping to review the books I read for the authors who wrote them, and become an affiliate for each of those authors individually.  That way I can promote each of the fantastic authors of these books!

Click the image below to purchase a bundle right now!

If you have any questions I haven't answered, feel free to email me!