Glory, Glory, Here’s the Story

What better time than Memorial Day to talk about Jesus. The sacrifice of our men and women in uniform speaks best to the love one man has for his country. Jesus’ sacrifice speaks of the love God has for mankind.

When I ponder the sacrifice of our soldiers and sailors, I am overwhelmed at the horrors many endured in their quest to “redeem” us from enemies, foreign and domestic. It makes me grateful for the freedom their actions have afforded me and my family.

My dad served in WWII and although he survived and lived a full life, his enthusiasm to serve his country was admirable. The son of immigrants, one of six children, his patriotism and love for America was very genuine. I’ll never forget how proud he was to represent our state on the Honor Flight that brought veterans to Washington D.C. He even wore a flag in his cap.

He and his 4 brothers all represented the US in all the branches of the military (except the Coast Guard.) I want this Memorial Day to be a “shout out” to all 4 (one still with us,) for their contribution to this country and their sacrifice in service!

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This is my second Mother’s Day post. I wanted to share this encouragement in loss because I want to tell you to be aware of some of these sad events when offering your Mother’s Day greeting.

Some who have lost their moms could “adopt” a mom at church, help a lonely neighbor or aunt who is childless.

You can help bring “the Joy back” by being a friend, sending a card or bringing food or flowers.

Don’t forget Mom on Mother’s Day and remember to think outside the box for ways to make this Mother’s Day great, for mom or bring Joy to someone who is alone. And by the way, it doesn’t have to be Mother’s Day to be a help and encouragement to someone.

PM

Sadness and Joy: Sharing A Mother’s Heart

Psalms 73: 26 says, “My flesh and my heart fail, but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever.”

Have you experienced something in your life that caused your “heart to fail”? Whether it was a sickness, your own or a loved one, death of a friend, spouse, parent, or most tragically, your child, there is a gripping hold on your life and heart that you think will never end. I am here to tell you, that sometimes it will not end the way you think. But there is “Hope in God” that the pain will ease, you will come out of that tunnel on the other side, and you will experience Joy again.

Give yourself time to heal. Time. To. Heal.

I was reminded recently of a young man that lost his wife to cancer. I would see him around the church on occasion. He looked really bad. He was in such a bad place for a long time. We were patient with him, not pressing him to “put on a happy face” and join us, but prayed diligently for his healing and that he would find himself again.

Fast-forward 4 years later and I just saw his wedding pictures on Facebook. God sent him a precious woman, not to replace his first wife, but to step in and be mom to his children and love him. He looked so happy! It took time. Time to heal. Trust God. Joy will come.

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Check out some of the things Joe and I have been up to with the ministry these days! All of his monthly newsletters are available on his website:

Joe McDonald Ministry

My mentor in child rearing is Dr. James Dobson. He’s been around to help me raise my 6 children and he’s still at it through Focus on the Family. Please use his insight to help with your kids, marriage or any issue that comes with being a family!

Focus on the Family

By Veronica McDonald, author, artist and mom!

Don’t miss Veronica’s collection of Christian testimonies on her Heart of Flesh web site as she rolls out Volume 8! Previous Journals are available in print version as well as archived on line. She has a children’s journal as well, “Pure in Heart.”

Subscribe to her blog and get updates!

Heart of Flesh Literary Journal

Mom’s The Boss

If you’ve never had that moment with your child or grandchild when they said, “You’re not the boss!” or behind your back, overheard, “She says that, but she won’t do anything!” Then you either don’t have kids, or you are not paying attention. They have said it, I promise.

If you have heard this and done nothing, shame on you. No wonder the world is in such a chaotic state. It is my opinion that, although this lack of consequences for childish mischief may have made it too late for some (and lack of discipline in the courts have made it worse,) we can only start NOW, with the children in front of us, to make it right.

Ok, so, stepping back a bit, why did I entitle this “Mom’s The Boss’? Speaking from my own experience as a “stay-at-home” mom, it was I who spent 90% of the time with our 6 children. If you are a single mom, you’ve then got 100%, not counting daycare, if you work outside the home. When my kids acted up and needed discipline, I was the one who delivered. I was and still am a believer in “consequences.” Whether that is a switch, a wooden spoon, a paddle, time out (without devices) or manual labor, something’s gotta give! For larger infractions and larger children (teens) sometimes I deferred to “wait ‘til Dad gets home,’ or “Dad and I will have to work out your punishment.” I tried to “build up” the fact that Dad had the first say in all things discipline, with God as his “boss” in the hierarchy of the family.

God is the ultimate Boss.

But you are with the children, whether a stay at home or a working mom (outside the home.) So, you must be ready to deliver on infractions as they come up. I would not be so bold as to say you get up every morning ready for a fight, however, I did have twins (my firsts) that made it hard to just relax and enjoy them!

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*Here’s a treat that will keep on giving! This Bible Wheel is $7  for hours of learning and fun. Order today, free shipping! Professional Mom Patti McDonald

Hi!

I think all Easter baskets need a few treats that are Christ-centered.

Check out this adorable “Bible Wheel” surprise I’m tucking into all my baskets this year.

It’s something that kids & teens will all be excited about and actually use to deepen their faith.

Plus, it will last a little longer than those mini eggs and peeps!

Check it out here.

Talk Soon,
Mary-Kate

I’m going to start the New Year off with a subject that, in my opinion, has been avoided of late. The subject of Hell. The place, and it is a place, the purpose, the problem, and the person.

When I say, of late, I mean that for the past few years I’ve noticed a Heavenly Gospel, which is good, as there is a Heaven also, but it seems to me that the subject of Hell has been left out of the conversation (sermons) in the last few years.

It is only appropriate to discuss Hell because when we speak of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, His whole reason for coming to Earth was to save humanity from Death and Hell.

So, let’s start with “the place.” It is a place of eternal suffering. When you die, you either go to Heaven or Hell, there is no “in between” or limbo, as is thought in some religions. You live, you die. It seems trite or disrespectful, but it is the truth. Hell is described in the Bible as “a furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth…” Among other descriptive words found in scripture, it is a horrible place, separated from the God who created us.

There is a purpose for Hell. It was created by God for the Devil and his angels. As time has no limits with God, before the Man was on Earth, the angels rebelled and Lucifer, God’s favorite angel decided he could be God and was remanded to Hell. That he has some power before the end times is not for me to speculate, however, when the end of the world as we know it happens, and it will happen, the Devil and his followers will be cast “into the Lake of Fire” for eternity.

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