Laines Letters...Revisited!

Dear Sisters, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud." 1 Corinthians 13:3 The love of Christ is so beautiful. I am so often amazed when I ponder what He did at the cross. I believe that when we get to Heaven we will be in awe at what He left to come and live here as one of us. And then to give up His life in one of the most gruesome deaths, separated for the first time from His Father, that we might live. That we might live! Words cannot express what our God has done for us. Awesome, Awesome Love. It is this love that motivates me like no other. For when I sit with Him in the early morning hour and read His Beautiful Love Letter to us in His Living Word, I am again refreshed, and inspired, and motivated by the deep, deep love of God the Father in Jesus Christ our LORD. Over and over I ask that I might only do His Will. That His love might shine, and that others might be  drawn to Him through me....

Dear Sisters, So often when women read the Proverbs 31 passage they exclaim, "This is the Impossible Woman!" They shake their heads and then begin to make excuses why this woman could not be true. Here are some of the statements I have heard, or read, or even stated myself: "She is a compilation of many women." "She was married to a rich man and had more money to work with than I do." "She had servants, therefore she was able to accomplish what she accomplished." "She was married to an older man who held her in honor." "She was an older woman. I'm young and inexperienced." "She had to be choleric - a doer. My personality is different than hers." "She probably had an older and wiser mother who trained her. I am untrained."  I could go on and on. The point is that we are very good at making excuses in our lives, but we will never know the power of God's Word in...

Dear Sisters, "She girds herself with strength, and strengthens her arms." Proverbs 31:17 I may be kind of unusual, but I don't like to exercise just for the sake of exercising. I like to do something that ends up with some sort of household accomplishment following it. And if I am doing something towards this purpose that ends up being a form of exercise, then that is great! For I love the feeling of accomplishment that goes along with a rapid heart beat after working out. How can I do this in my home? Honest Hardworking Housework. It is so funny. I was reading recently in a health magazine that doctors are now prescribing housework to elderly women as a form of exercise. Immediately I thought of the Proverbs 31 passage. It has been my opinion that if a woman practiced all that these verses teach, she would be in top physical form. And she would sleep much better at the end of the day as well. My early morning housework is just that. ...

Dear Sisters, This past Saturday was the day I spoke to a small group of women on Proverbs 31 for about 4 hours. I can't tell you how nervous I get before I speak. It doesn't matter if it is a small group of women, or a large group of women. It doesn't matter if it is for one hour or for four hours. My knees still do the same thing. They jerk. My husband says he can always tell when I have a speaking engagement coming up because I will wake him up with my knee jerks. I can't help it. My body betrays my mixed emotions. My body had been jerking since 2:30 a.m. this past Saturday morning. It was no surprise to me to learn on the radio recently that the topmost fear among people is the fear of public speaking. I can understand. I want to help the ladies of God. I want to share with them all that our Father has been teaching me. But I cannot shake my jumbled nerves. They are always with me whenever I am asked to share to a group of women. S...

I love to wear an apron. I think it is one of the most beautiful items of clothing that a woman of God can wear. I love to buy old aprons from the thrift shop and swap meet that some woman of yesteryear wore to serve her family. I especially love the old ones that are soft with wear and have pretty flowered designs which tie at the waist. As I cook I use my apron constantly. I use it to grab hot items, wipe up spills, swipe a chocolaty little mouth, or dry my wet hands from the soapy dish water. I wear it almost my entire homemaking day. By the end of the day my apron is ready for the hamper, but it has served me well. I keep fresh laundered aprons hanging in a neat little row on hooks by my refrigerator for quick grabbing. And when my kids see me, I hope they see the love that that apron on me conveys. I hope they see the comfort and the promise of good food in that one item of clothing. I hope some day my daughter will want my aprons f...

Dear Ronda, "There is desirable treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise." Proverbs 21:20a I went to the antique store yesterday. I get this urge to go about every two months. It is such a peaceful place for me. I love the old, musky smell of everything. I go and learn what things cost and often come home with some really good deals. As always, I pray as I look around. Yesterday, I found an old red cookie press for my daughter, Abbie. It was only three dollars and will go with the decor in my kitchen (touches of red). I also got a silverware holder in bright red for four dollars. I had been looking for one to put in the center of my table as we often have guests and this enables me to set it up attractively, buffet style. The last thing I bought was a stereo topic viewer which they used to use to look at old pictures. I loved to look at the one in our library when I was growing up. This was an unbelievable six dollars. All these items w...

Dear Ronda, Here is an article that I wrote for our local newspaper some time ago. My grandmother was just thrilled. She framed the article and put it in her living room. I was so blessed that she liked it. Decorating Grandma Style Without a doubt, the one house I remember with the greatest fondness is Grandma's. Her "palace" wasn't stylish or modern, but incredibly warm and cozy. The smell of meat loaf cooking permeated the air throughout the kitchen and into her front room. My favorite foods were always in abundance when I arrived as though some princess from a foreign country had descended upon her. And no one ever got a better night's sleep than I did on her old pull out bed with the soft, combed cotton sheets. I came to a surprising realization about myself this past week when describing my house to a new friend over the phone. I discovered I've decorated my house just like Grandma's. It hasn't been easy...

Dear Ronda, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." Matthew 5:9 I want to be completely transparent with you that you might understand some of the things I deal with, and that it might help you in your Christian homemaking. After I finished that last letter to you, my husband just came in visibly upset. We have a pond outside and he just got some koi free from his friend. Well, my daughter turned the water on in the pond last night and  overflowed it, which killed all the algae, thereby killing all the fish. We lost about 60 fish that we've had for over four years, not to mention the new koi. What an upheaval in the house. My daughter was crying, Brady was crying (as he is nuts about this pond and these fish), and my husband is mad as a hornet. Oh, Ronda, these are those trying moments in family life that cause me to cry out to God. I am so thankful that I get up early ...

Dear Sisters, I love an easier way of doing something, don't you? Here are 25 more easier ways that I have learned over the years. 1. Tie up your scissors. Don't laugh! This one really works. I have mine tied near my desk and can always find my scissors now. Smile. 2 Tie up your scotch tape. Ditto! 3. Have a bill and letter slot. I have an old red one on the side of my desk and put my bills and letters received in it right away. The top slot holds important papers for the year. 4. Have a letter writing box. I keep mine near my desk. Inside is my stationary, address book, pen, and any letters I need to respond to. 5. Set up your coffee or tea the night before. I found this to be really helpful as my eyes aren't working too good right off in the morning. So I only need one half slit eye to locate the stove and turn it on. 6. Set up your lunches the night before. I sure make a better lunch the night before than I do in the early morning....

Dear Sisters, As I work around my house I think of you often and things that I would like to share with you. Things that I have learned to make my homemaking a bit more simpler. So while I am working today, I am finally going to write some of those things down. Here are 25 of them: 1) When you are putting away your dishes, open every drawer and cupboard until the job is done. So much easier than opening and shutting and opening and shutting a drawer or a cupboard. 2) Tape your favorite recipes to the inside of your cupboards. I have my favorite baking recipes=[]]9 inside the cupboard next to where I bake and my favorite stovetop recipes inside that cupboard for easy access. 3) If you need cake flour for a recipe, take out two tablespoons of flour per cup and replace it with two tablespoons of corn starch. 3) Set your table early in the day, if possible. It will just motivate you to cook! And it looks so welcoming to your...

Dear Sisters, I remember one of the first verses that hit me pretty hard in the Bible. It hit me pretty hard because I recognized my God-given priorities, and I wasn't doing them in the right order. I had my children and friends and family members way above my husband. How do I know? Well, that was where I was spending most of my time and where most of my thoughts were centered. I started praying that I would live 1 Timothy 5:9-1; and that if I should ever be left totally alone, my church would recognize that I was a woman who had lived up to this verse. "No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, and is well known for her good deeds, such as: bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in trouble, and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds." 1 Timothy 5:9-10 When I started aligning my early mornings with the LORD, I found that t...

Dear Sisters, I remember one of the first verses that hit me pretty hard in the Bible. It hit me pretty hard because I recognized my God-given priorities, and I wasn't doing them in the right order. I had my children and friends and family members way above my husband. How do I know? Well, that was where I was spending most of my time and where most of my thoughts were centered. I started praying that I would live 1 Timothy 5:9-1; and that if I should ever be left totally alone, my church would recognize that I was a woman who had lived up to this verse. "No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, and is well known for her good deeds, such as: bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in trouble, and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds." 1 Timothy 5:9-10 When I started aligning my early mornings with the LORD, I found that t...

Dear Sisters, There is such peace for a submissive woman. Such peace. How do I know? Well, I use to be anything but peaceful, because I did not recognize my head - that is my husband - under Christ; nor did I consider him in all things through a submissive spirit. Then these verses hit me like a ton of bricks, changing my demeanor, as I sought to obey them : "But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God." 1 Corinthians 11:3 "For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is Savior of the body." Ephesians 5:23 A woman's husband is her head, her covering. That is why Ruth spoke to Boaz and said, "I am Ruth, your maidservant. Take your maidservant under your wing, for you are a close relative." Ruth 3:9b Under your wing. Under your protection and headship. Ruth will remain his obedient maidservant, as Sarah ...

Dear Sisters, Oh, I deleted the wrong digest before I got the name of the Sister who wrote about her struggle with premenopause. I thought this might be a good subject to touch on in conjunction with taking care of yourself. For I can understand your distress as I, too, am struggling with this very thing. What I have learned is to recognize my body's signals. I can take almost anything ( occasional night sweats, occasional heart palpitations, eye dryness, cramping, clotting, fatigue, heavy menstrual cycle, irregular cycles, etc.), but it is so hard to take the swinging emotions! So very distressing as I feel that I can't do a decent job on anything. I am quite overwhelmed by it all and can cry at the drop of an ill murmur or word for at least 3-7 days out of the month. Truly I have to pull away often from everyone and pray, pray, pray. However, I am using those monthly swinging emotions to train myself by His Spirit "to be quick to listen...

Dear Mothers in Christ, "Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the Word of God." Titus 2:3-5 So nice to be back with you all in this beautiful verse. Today I would like to talk to you about loving your children with hospitality. Oh, how children love to have friends over to their house. Their eyes just light up at the thought of it. It has been my pleasure to have many of my children's friends over for the day or for the weekend. There is nothing like hospitality to warm a heart. The Bible teaches that we are to "practice hospitality." I find a wonderful way to practice hospitality is to practice it with His Children. Sometimes I know in advance th...

Dear Sisters, I have written about so many things that I have learned over the years. It has taken me years to learn some of these things. But how I love to share them with you to save you the time and the trials that it took me to get there. Recently Amy sent this letter to the loop: ~I finally made Laine's banana bread with chocolate chips. It has been less than 24 hours and the bread is down to one small piece. My husband loves it!! Thank you, Laine. My husband has loved everything that I have made that has been one of Laine's recipes.~ I sat and held back the tears after reading Amy's words. Now why would I cry over her letter? Am I experiencing hormone problems? Well, just a bit. ~Smile~ But the real reason I choked back the tears was that I was the worse cook you could imagine when my husband first married me seventeen years ago. So bad that he threw up the very first meal I made him. I couldn't help thinking about that when I r...

I realized one day when I was reading the Bible that Jesus was someone who could be touched. By those He didn't walk with every day (the woman who touched His hem, and the woman who washed her feet with her tears and dried them with her hair); and by John, the apostle, when he leaned back against His Breast and asked Him a question for Peter. As I saw the LORD's interaction with people which often included a touch of some kind, I realized that I had stopped touching my older boys as often as I used to when they were young. So I began to touch my older boys affectionately again. I would rumple their hair when I walked by. I would ask them if there was anything they wanted to talk to me about while putting my arm around their shoulder. At first they didn't seem to know how to take "the new me" and pulled away often. But I kept at them. I tried to touch them at least once every day, if not more. Then I noticed they were starting to ...