The Titus Impact

"In the same way, older women are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not addicted to much wine. They are to teach what is good so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands and children, to be sensible, pure, good homemakers, and submissive to their husbands, so that God's message will not be slandered."Titus 2: 3-5

I am blessed to be surrounded by older women who gracefully fulfill their roles as wise, Titus 2 mentors.

As young women desiring to be prepared for life and hopefully wives, mothers and home-keepers, it is vital for us to have not just godly influences, but women who are not afraid to actively mentor us in our walk towards being a Proverbs 31 woman. But in this culture, godly mentors for girls are few and far between. And while our mothers are our primary mentors, even they need support from other older women.

Older women shake their heads at the foolishness of young women around them, but do they own some of the fault from a lack of teaching?

It speaks volumes to me that my elders are open to sharing their wisdom. It is wonderful to know I can walk up to any woman in my church family and I know they will humbly, but firmly give me a kind answer to my questions of life.

But some might ask "What if I'm not cut out for mentoring young girls?" I do not view the women above me as specifically aiming to mentor me. They are merely doing what is laid out in Scripture. It teaches us so much simply when you are living out your lives according to what Scripture commands. When you embrace the virtues of Proverbs 31 and Titus 2 we look up to that.

"Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world…" Titus 2:12

My White Christmas

My family and I had the blessing of being able to take a vacation from all the chaos and work for Christmas and to visit family. Pagosa Springs Colorado is so beautiful in December.

Mom sledding! This is rare people!

The two cutie pies in the car. Traveling wasn't as bad as I had prepared for. All the kids were did very well for a thirty hour trip.

Dad was apparently trying not to look like someone was pulling his hair.

At the Big Texas for supper. A bluegrass group went around to everyone's table and played any requests.

And we couldn't leave without a photo in the giant rocker.

(My grandparents accompanied us)

Mom Christmas morning after opening her dream come true. Dark chocolate truffles.

Yours truly snow boarding and sledding. I still can't believe how many muscles throbbed after those activities.

My two handsome brothers.

Left to right. My brother, dad, grandfather, and uncle after a day of snowmobiling.

All the kids learned to snow board and I was astounded how experienced they became after such a short time. This is my five and ten year old sisters.

The scenery in New Mexico is beautiful. But very lonely. We drove for dozens of miles at a time without seeing anything but snow capped, lifeless plains.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas with family and celebrating our Savior.

A Thanksgiving

By George Macdonald
I Thank Thee, boundless Giver,
That the thoughts Thou givest flow
In sounds that like a river
All through the darkness go.
And though few should swell the pleasure,
By sharing this my wine,
My heart will clasp its treasure,
This secret gift of Thine.
My heart the joy inherits,
And will oft be sung to rest;
And some wandering hoping spirits
May listen and be blest.
For the sound may break the hours
In a dark and gloomy mood,
As the wind breaks up the bowers
Of the brooding sunless wood.
For every sound of gladness
Is a prophet-wind that tells
Of a summer without sadness,
And a love without farewells;
And a heart that hath no ailing,
And an eye that is not dim,
And a faith that without failing
Shall be complete in Him.
And when my heart is mourning,
The songs it lately gave,
Back to their fount returning,
Make sweet the bitter wave;
And forth a new stream floweth,
In sunshine winding fair;
And through the dark wood goeth
Glad laughter on the air.
For the heart of man that waketh,
Yet hath not ceased to dream,
Is the only fount that maketh
The sweet and bitter stream.
But the sweet will still be flowing
When the bitter stream is dry,
And glad music only going
On the breezes of the sky.
I thank Thee, boundless Giver,
That the thoughts Thou givest flow
In sounds that like a river
All through the darkness go.
And though few should swell the pleasure
By sharing this my wine,
My heart will clasp its treasure,
This secret gift of Thine.

The Importance of Being Earnest...in Friendship

Friendship. Do we really consider what that word means? Or what it should mean? Friendship is such a gift from God! Too often we take friendships for granted or fail to take the time to become the kind of friend we really desire to have ourselves.

Some might ask, and I have questioned as well, "what should I look for in a friend? How will I know if I have a true friend?"

"A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." Proverbs 18:24

The following points were given by a very wise man and father figure to me who was instructing us about the right tools needed in a true friendship.

A Beautiful Friend:

• Loves God and his Word -do not be unequally yoked.


• Is a giver not a taker. He is not self absorbed. He is not a know-it-all friend and is someone you can't out-give.


• Does not seek self glory but God's glory. You don't have to walk around on eggshells with him. He rejoices in God's ways.

1.Be prepared to get hurt.

Friendship is not always pain-free. If you have a perfect friendship where nothing ever goes wrong or disagreements never arise, you may not be in a true friendship. Additionally, you cannot walk into a friendship with a soft shell. If a person takes offense at every little thing it is very straining on a relationship. Friends must cultivate long-suffering with each other.

"Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful." Proverbs 27:6

2.Friendship with men is different than with women.

This is very true and something I think we don't heed often enough. I believe there is no harm in speaking to young men or other men in a social setting and being polite and courteous or talking about subjects you have in common. But I think we have to be cautious in our friendships with men. Married and unmarried women alike might find themselves getting more attached than just in a friendly manner.

3.You must learn to trust and display humility- Have a receiving nature

Someone whom you can trust is a precious gift indeed.

"If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!"Ecclesiastes 4:9

"A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." Proverbs 18:24

"Do not associate with a man given to anger; or go with a hot-tempered man, Or you will learn his ways. And find a snare for yourself." Proverbs 22:24

4. Be willing to take risks. Open up and disclose yourself; if you don't desire risks you may live alone without intimate friends or relationships.

Again trust and deep love is involved here.

5. Be willing to rebuke and be rebuked

I cannot say it any better than scripture:

"Better is open rebuke than love carefully concealed."

"Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses." Proverbs 27:5-6

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. Proverbs 17:17

7. True friendship involves time- Will you sacrifice your own time for your friend?

It's easy to just randomly pick friends and think those friendships will succeed if you send them an occasional email. But we must invest in our friends.

8. Have fun together- Don't take life too seriously.

Do things to show you care for each other. Time is involved, and lots of love and sacrifice.

9. Take life seriously :)

Life isn't all about fun though. We cannot abandon our families and responsibilities. We also have a responsibility to our friends to make them aware of God's commands regarding our duties in life.

"A good friend is a gift from God." "Love means saying you're sorry all the time...Love means I love you the way you are." Dr.Vest

Of Sand and Sunburns

My family and I just got back from Florida and a much needed vacation. We spent four days in a condo that one of our friends blessed us with on the beach. It was wonderful to get away from the busyness and decisions of life.

Our grandparents were able to come with us so it was an even more enjoyable time with them.

My grandfather and dad took all the boys on a four hour deep sea fishing trip. That made their day and they caught some delicious Mackerel and Mahi-Mahi. to put in the freezer. (You can click on the pictures for a larger size.)

OK It was not my idea to turn Dad into a merman just for the record! But it was rather funny to watch.

My favorite part of the beach is finding little treasures. I'm a marine enthusiast so I love seeing what I can find, and the children had fun looking alongside me.

I loved it when we went to the pool. Of course we were flipping everyone out with the number of children. You could see their heads nodding as they counted.

Then the questions come..."Are they ALL yours?-You didn't adopt? How do you get anything done?"

And I probably got asked three times if they were my kids. Really? Do I look old enough to have had eight kids? My wrinkles must be coming in early.

The love birds.

Jax loved the sunshine and sitting in his float.

And of course there was the occasional, slightly threatening presence of dangerous critters. One day the jellyfish were so numerous we didn't try to venture playing in the ocean.

You almost got tangled up in them even if you were looking out for them.

Amazingly, we saw sting rays feeding every evening and morning and they would leap out of the water. And they were so friendly they'd come right up to your feet. Though I didn't want to get that close for a photo shoot.

Ellia didn't care all that much for the sand or waves.
For the first time, we were not ready to go home; perhaps because we don't have our real home right now, or perhaps because we were just having so much fun. Still, we were so grateful for our friends who sent us off on such a great break.

The Baby Conference---San Antonio

My family and I just got back from the Baby Conference in Texas. It was a new experience. I won't say it wasn't stress free but we all had a great time. We stayed in a rental house with some dear friends of ours for a week.

There were about twenty-five speakers, that all delivered very profound messages. Although my favorites were Doug Phillips, Kevin Swanson, Mr. & Mrs. Duggar,

& Scott Brown ( by the way I got to meet Mrs. Duggar and Kevin Swanson!!!) I will be touching on many of the subjects in future posts. It was a huge blessing to meet so many other conservative homeschoolers. I think the final head count of the registered 1,700!

We drove the fourteen long hours to San Antonio. Whew, if you want to know the patience level of your siblings ride in the car for fourteen hours with them! Although I was included on the impatient list. We passed through many states with interesting and beautiful scenery. As we passed through Louisiana we got to see the beautiful bayous.

We have many old friends in Texas and got to fellowship with them. Afterwards we toured the 8,000 acre ranch of Dr. Leininger.

After the three day conference we toured the Texas attractions. The Alamo being one of them. Looking among the hundreds of honored heroes we found a Crawford!

There were many moments to cherish.

Stopping at a little red cart for snow cones,

hugging and comforting the crying babies.

In the living room of the rental house we were all piled on the pull out couches sharing what we benefited from the conference, even the three year olds. Afterwards we sang hymns. Truly wonderful times.

It was a unique experience, but enjoyable with my family to share it with.

Thank you Whites for the wonderful fellowship!!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I love this group! I hope everyone is having a wonderful time preparing to celebrate Christ's birth!

This says it all!