Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

I have been thinking much lately about the word “folding.” I’m not talking about folding clothes, although I know we do plenty of that in our homes. I’m not talking about folding papers, although we often do this when preparing for a celebration or doing a project.

I’m talking about folding our flock. The word “fold” is a noun and a verb. Our home is our fold. And in our home, we fold our flock. In Ezekiel 34 God uses this word allegorically. He talks about the literal people of Israel but likens them to sheep in a fold. He wants them to be in a “good fold” and “a fat pasture” (Ezekiel 34:14).

The word “fold” is the Hebrew word “naveh” and is used 36 times in the Bible. It is used to describe home—God’s home, His temple. His holy habitation. A home for families. A home for flocks. A home for wild animals. God wants all His creation to enjoy a home. A lovely home. Yes, this word means, “lovely, pleasant, satisfaction.”

It calls Jerusalem “a habitation (naveh) of justice,” which it will be one day (Jeremiah 31:223). The mother who “tarries (naveh) at home” receives God’s blessings (Psalm 68:12). One lexicon calls her “the inhabitress of the home.”

Are you making a lovely fold? A fold where your children are safe. A healing home. A feeding home—feeding them good food, physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. We cannot fold our flock part time. It is a full-time work. The true shepherd does not leave his flock. He is always with them—watching over them, protecting them, and feeding them.

God was angry with the shepherds of Israel because they did not feed their flocks. He says: “Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! (notice the exclamation mark!) should not the shepherds feed the flocks? . . . the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock” (Ezekiel 34:2, 8).

Where is your focus, dear mother? Are you feeding yourself? Feeding your own desires and ambitions? Feeding on material things? Feeding on that which is temporary? God wants you to put your emphasis on feeding your flock.

He warns again in verses 3-8:
You have not fed your flock,
You have not strengthened the weak,
You have not healed the sick,
You have not bound up the broken,
You have not brought back the strays,
You have not sought to go after the lost,
You have let your flock be scattered,
Your have let your flock become a pray, meat to every beast of the field.
All the above are part of our mothering and folding anointing.

Today, many precious children and young people are becoming a prey to all that is false and deceptive. They are brainwashed with feminism, humanism, and the anti-
God liberal agenda. They may have prayed the sinner’s prayer, go to church, but they think exactly like the secular humanists. All because we are not folding our flock.

Dear mother, among hundreds of descriptions, you are a nurturer, a nourisher, a feeder, a healer, and a FOLDER. Rise up in this anointing. Fold your flock today. Gather them around you. Gather them to your table to communicate with them, feed them, and pour God’s heart into them. Heal the gaps. Strengthen the weak areas. Draw them back from deception. Protect your gates.

Blessings and love from Nancy Campbell

“How can it be a large career to tell other people’s children about the Rule of Three, and a small career to tell one’s own children about the universe? How can it be broad to be the same thing to everyone, and narrow to be everything to someone? No; a woman’s function is laborious, but because it is gigantic, not because it is minute.”

~ G. K. Chesterton

Painting: "The Alphabet" (also known as Jean and Gabrielle), Pierre Auguste Renoir (1897).

God also wants to show forth His praise through you and me. 1 Peter 23:9 tells us: “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar (set apart) people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

The words “show forth” are the Greek word “exaggello” which means “to publish, to celebrate.” It comes from a root word “aggelos” which means “a messenger, or especially an angel.”

What does God want you to do? To be an angelic messenger! God wants to use you as His messenger to bring His Word, His truth, and His love to those you are with each day.

This means, of course, that you begin in your home. Mother, you have little ones, and maybe bigger ones around you every day. You are God’s messenger to each one of them. You have the opportunity to bring God’s Word and truth to them every day—when you are lying down, walking around, or sitting at the table (Deuteronomy 6:6-9). You are to light up their lives and little by little bring them from darkness to light.

You’ll continue to be God’s messenger when you leave the home too—when you go out to get the groceries or whatever you have to do. Remember you are God’s messenger to everyone you meet.

Have a lovely day being God’s angel to everyone in your home.

Blessings to you,

Nancy Campbell

Parents! You are fashioning the destinies of immortal souls!

What we want to do with our children is not merely to control them and keep them in order, but to implant true principles deep in their hearts which shall rule their whole lives; to shape their character from within into Christlike beauty, and to make of them noble men and women, strong for the battle of life.

They are to be TRAINED rather than governed. Growth of character, not merely good behavior is the object of all home governing and teaching. Therefore, the home influence is far more important than the home laws; and the parents' lives are of more significance than their teachings.

Whatever may be done in the way of governing, teaching, or training—theories are not half as important as the parents' lives. They may teach the most beautiful things, but if the child does not see these things modeled in the life of the parent, he will not consider them important enough to be adopted in his own life.

Painting by Harry Anderson

Why? Because they are preparing their children for life--to one day be the best employee in the company, to have good attitudes, to be a vessel ready to be used by God, and also to enjoy a happy and successful marriage If we allow our children to grow up with negative habits, those habits can destroy their marriage.

Dear wife and mother, in the same way God diligently works in our lives. His wants to conform us into the image of His Son (Romans 8:29). This certainly doesn’t happen without some serious working of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Paul said to the Corinthians: “Our one prayer is for the complete correction of your lives” (2 Corinthians 13:9 Barclay). The KJV uses “perfection” for the word “correction.” I checked my Lexicon and it says the word “denotes a process in the progress.” This can only happen through correction of what is wrong in our lives.

We must always be open to God’s gentle correction. He uses many ways to do this. He speaks to us as we read His Word and shows us what grieves the Holy Spirit in our lives (Ephesians 4:27, 30). He uses other people to correct us (sometimes our husbands). We don’t usually like it, do we? But we must remember that it is ultimately God who wants to correct us and conform us into His image.

If we don’t listen to God speaking to us through His word, or we don’t have a soft heart to receive correction from our husband or other people, He often allows difficulties and trials to come our way to wake us up, refine us, and bring us into line with His will.

Let’s keep soft hearts, always open to correction. If our children are stubborn and do not receive our correction, they become willful and rebellious. It’s just the same with us. We either have soft and tender hearts to God’s correction in our lives or we become stubborn and rebellious.

The Amplified version says: “And this we also pray for: your all-round strengthening and perfecting of the soul.” I want this, don’t you? It only comes through CORRECTION. For ourselves personally and in the training of our children.

Love from Nancy Campbell

“But what about ME? you cry. Of course, we have to care for ourselves--spiritually, mentally, and physically. That’s basic. But we don’t tune all our thinking on ourselves.

I’ll never forgot a moment in my life years ago. My children were all little and I had just come home from purchasing the groceries. As I walked over the threshold of my home, I felt the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking strongly to my heart, “Nancy, how can I reveal to you the needs of others if you are always thinking of yourself?” I have never forgotten those words. From then on I learned to give much more room in my mind and heart for others.

Will we be forgotten when we pour out our lives for others? No, the opposite. God makes sure that our “self” as George MacDonald puts it, will be blessed and comforted. God pours into those who pour out (Proverbs 11:24, 25 and 2 Corinthians 9:6).

Mothering is a liberating ministry into this eternal principle. Not on the odd occasion, but 24/7 we forget self as we pour out our hearts for our children—nurturing them, teaching them, training them, caring for them, cooking for them, praying for them, and often agonizing over them.

Let’s embrace this eternal principle and live in the fullness of the joy and life God intends for us. We teach our children to be joyful; we need to adhere to it ourselves.

J Jesus first
O Others second
Y Yourself last

Be blessed,

Nancy Campbell

Conversely, God woos women into the home.

RISE UP today, and each new day, in the anointing which God has given you. God put this powerful nurturing heart in you. He also created you physically for motherhood. Don’t be deceived by the lies of society that tell you motherhood is inferior to other roles. It is the most IMPORTANT role.

Embrace it with all your heart. I want to encourage you again today that motherhood is more than loving your children. Every mother loves her children. But true mothering is not only loving your children, but loving motherhood. When you embrace your career of motherhood, you enter a new role of joy, authority, and anointing which comes from God.

It’s time for mothers all over the land to RISE UP into their powerful and influential calling! It will change the face of the nation!

And a little note to those who do not have children around you today or have not been blessed with children. Please be encouraged that you are no less a mother. God has put in you His nurturing anointing. As you pour out His nurturing heart to the needy and those whom God puts on your heart, you also walk in the realm of motherhood.

Love and blessings to you and your home today,

Nancy Campbell

The first time “pala” is used is in Genesis 18:14 (AMP) when God says: “IS anything too hard or too WONDERFUL for the LORD?” Nothing is too hard for Him. It was nothing for Him to give conception to Sarah when she was past the years of childbearing. “Pala” speaks of when God goes beyond the bounds of human powers or expectations (Exodus 3:20).

It is the same word used to describe the way God wonderfully and marvelously creates the baby in the secret place of the womb: “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: MARVELOUS are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well” (Psalm 139:14).

Psalm 111:4: “He hath made his WONDERFUL WORKS to be remembered.” God’s works are wonderful in creation. They are miraculous in performing miracles. But His most marvelous works are when He creates each new child in His own image.

Psalm 96:3: “Declare his glory among the heathen, his WONDERS among all people.” And so many more wonderful Scriptures.

The greatest wonders the world waits to see are harmonious marriages and happy, unified, strong families. When marriages and families are strong and stable, the nation is strong and stable. When marriages and family life are weakened the nation weakens.

Aim to build a WONDERFUL marriage. You’ll have to work at it. You’ll have to go beyond your feelings. You’ll have to press through into miracles. But with the power of God and the anointing of the Holy Spirit you can see marvelous and extraordinary things happen. Proverbs 12:25 (TLB) says: “A word of encouragement does WONDERS.”

Aim to build a WONDERFUL family life. Don’t settle for the ordinary. Seek to make something marvelous happen in your home each day. Realize that it’s often the little things that are the miraculous things—a hug, a smile, a forgiving spirit even when you have been hurt, or making a “family togetherness” happen.

And remember, each one of your children reveal God’s pala, His marvelous, wonderful, and miraculous works. Your home is filled with the extraordinary wonders of the Lord.

Love from Nancy Campbell

We must change gears in our brain from building a home that is like every other home around us. Instead, let’s build homes that are ABOVE the normal, above the mediocre, and above the status quo. Let’s build homes that not only subsist from day to day, but overflow in every area of our family lives. This is the lifestyle God intends for us (John 10:10). Let’s get out of the rut. Let’s get away from the boring and normal.

Sadly, in the average home today, members like to do their own thing. Each one is going here and there. Each one is geared to their iPhone. But in the “above the norm” home, family members give time to one another—to work together, interreact together, eat together, and share together. They are a family unit, not fragmented from one another.

In the average home, there are more TVs in the home than children. The "above the norm" home has more children than TVs.

In the average home, most families don’t sit together at the family meal table. In the “above the normal” home, they delight to meet at the family table each day—to eat and communicate together.

In the average home, most families are so busy that they don’t get time to have family Bible reading and worship together. In the “above the normal” home, they make everything else fit around their morning and evening times to pray and read God's Word together.

In the average home, there is often bickering and fighting. In the "above average" home, the siblings are friends rather than fighting with one another.

In the average home, most families live to themselves. In the "above average" home, they love to open their home in hospitality. They love to invite others to share their meals. They enjoy food, gladness, and laughter as they share with others.

In the average home, they spend much of their time running here and there to sports and extra-curricular activities. In the “above the normal” home they spend more productive time at home. They are continually thinking of ways to strengthen their family unit, rather than weaken it.

It’s so normal to be average. Are you ready to go a step further and build an “ABOVE THE AVERAGE” home?

Be blessed, Nancy Campbell

Do you think we could seek to build a home that is . . .
EXCEEDINGLY MAGNIFICENT in godliness,
EXCEEDINGLY MAGNIFICENT in the beauty of order and simplicity,
EXCEEDINGLY MAGNIFICENT in family togetherness,
EXCEEDINGLY MAGNIFICENT in the disciplines of prayer and love for God's Word,
EXCEEDINGLY MAGNIFICENT in peace and harmony,
EXCEEDINGLY MAGNIFICENT in joy, gladness, happiness, and laughter,
EXCEEDINGLY MAGNIFICENT in the manifestation of the presence of God.

The word "magnificent" is “gadal” in the Hebrew and means, "to make large, advance, exceed, excellent, great, grow up and increase, lift up, magnify, promote." Our family life should never become stagnant. We should always be advancing and thinking of better ways to intensify the manifestation of the presence of God in our family life.

Always increasing and strengthening the quality of our family life. Alwys pen to the increase of children. This is what makes a home magnificent—not the adding of things, but babies and growing children. They are the true riches of our home. Isaiah 54:2-3 says: “Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; for thou shalt break forth on the right and on the left."

Daily promoting our marriage relationship. Doing something to make it more magnificent and amazing each new day. Of course, this won't just happen. David worked hard to make preparation to build God's home. The Bible says he prepared abundantly (1 Chronicles 22:3-5).

Are you building an ordinary marriage or a magnificent marriage? Are you building an ordinary family life or an amazing family life?

Let’s get a big vision.

Love from Nancy Campbell

• Turning to God in thankfulness for all the good things He does for us and the little blessings of each day. Noticing and acknowledging a kind word, smiles from our children, a hug from our husband, the provision of food, a beautiful bird we notice in a tree and all the delightful little blessings of life.
• Turning to God in repentance when we sin, have a wrong attitude, speak angrily, and so on. Keeping a soft heart to constantly turn back to the Lord is the same as repentance. Repentance is not only being sorry for our sin, but turning in the opposite direction to follow God’s ways.
• Turning to God’s Word. If our days are full and busy with children and responsibilities, we can place a copy of the Bible on the windowsill in the kitchen, in the bathroom, where you nurse the baby, etc.
• Turning to righteousness. Not sitting on the fence, but turning towards God’s way which is always holiness.

We not only turn to God, but turn away from that which displeases Him.

• Turning away from evil. But more than that. It’s turning away from that which is permissible to do only that which is profitable and will last for eternity.
• Turning from the negative to the positive.
• Turning from discouragement and despondency to thankfulness and gratefulness.
• Turning from walking in the flesh to walking in the Spirit.
• Turing from conforming to the pattern of this world and instead fixing our hearts on the real world which is the eternal world.
• Turning our attention to the needs of others instead of only thinking of ourselves.
• Turning from our puny thoughts and understanding to God’s thoughts and ways, which are higher than our ways.
• Turning our hearts to our home and children instead of the passing glory of careers and outside activities.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

God established His plan for the way He wants us to live in the eons of eternity--before the foundation of the world. He created male and female to bring them together in marriage. He wants us to be fruitful and fill the earth in order to take dominion for God. Together as families we advance God’s kingdom and bring light into the darkness all around us. God invests His power and authority in families. Marriage and family are the first institutions God gave and He has never changed His plans.

He makes His plans clear for the man to be the provider and protector of the home and for the female to be the nurturer and nourisher in the home and in society.

Let’s be encouraged to embrace God’s everlasting ways that have never changed. Man often thinks he knows best, but “The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to naught.” The fruit of man’s ways are an epidemic of divorce and fragmented families. God’s ways result in strong marriages and family life.

God does not change His statutes. We have to change to fit in with His plans, for they are eternal and unchanging.

Did you notice something else? It’s the counsel and thoughts “OF HIS HEART.” They are not some unproved, fleeting idea, but come from God’s very own heart.

I’d rather take advice from God’s heart than man’s, wouldn’t you?

Be blessed today,

Nancy Campbell

Look up these Scriptures about God’s unchanging Word:
Psalm 12:6; 18:30; 19:7-11; 93:5; 111:7; 119:140, 144, 152, 160; Proverbs 19:20, 21; 21:30; 30:5; Isaiah 30:1-3; 14:27; 40:8; 46:10; 55:8,9; Acts 5:39; and 1 Peter 1:25.

* MOTHERHOOD IS SYNONYMOUS WITH HOME. Mother is the heart of the home. God created her for the home. A home is not a home without a mother.

* MOTHERHOOD IS SYNONYMOUS WITH PREGNANCY. I know there are some mothers who don’t like to hear this. They don’t want to be relegated to child-bearing. They believe they were ordained for much more than this. It is true, we will do a lot more than childbearing in our lives. Childbearing is only for a certain season--until we reach menopause. However, it is very much part of being a mother. True motherhood embraces childbearing (1 Timothy 2:15 and 5:14).

* MOTHERHOOD IS SYNONYMOUS WITH BREASTFEEDING. We were physically created for this beautiful role. Did you know that the word “female” in the Greek is a word that means a suckling mother?

* MOTHERHOOD IS SYNONYMOUS WITH THE KITCHEN AND COOKING. This is another area that many women would rather reject. They feel it is too insignificant. But we’ve got the wrong mindset. Nurturing, feeding, and pampering with food is all part of mothering. 1 Timothy 5:10 gives a description of a mother. The first description is that she has “brought up” children. It means “to fatten, feed, and nourish children.” It’s all about feeding. And feeding means cooking! And cooking means being in the kitchen! Dear precious mothers, can I encourage you to stop complaining about cooking and preparing meals? It’s part of your mothering role. A true mother loves to feed her husband, her family, and everyone who comes to her home. Nourishing food. Served with love. Served with joy. Bringing healing to body, soul, and spirit.

Embrace who you are as a mother. Embrace your nurturing anointing. Be a mother, not just in name only.

I know there are some mothers who have not been able to have children of their own. They are still mothers. God not only created us physically for the great task of mothering, but innately. When women embrace the beautiful instinct that God has divinely put within them and reach out to others with their compassionate hearts, they fulfill their great role of mothering.

We are the pourers forth of God’s maternal heart to our families and to the world. Let’s be who God created us to be.

Blessings to you,

Nancy Campbell

Painting by Elizabeth Nourse

Why do mothers want to run away from motherhood? Why do they have to escape? That’s running away from who we are. Who God created us to be. Why run from who you are? Shouldn’t we embrace who we are? It’s only when we embrace who we are that we live in the fullness and joy of it (Psalm 113:9). Many mothers find it hard because they haven’t embraced who they are. They think they could be doing something else. They have the wrong attitude.

What attitude did Jesus have when He to this earth? Not to be served but to serve (Matthew 26:26-28; Mark 8:34, 35; and 9:33-37). To lay down His life. And we are encouraged to have the same attitude (Philippians 2:5-8).

Let’s read Mark 8:35: “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.” God’s kingdom life is opposite to the natural, but it’s the only way that works. We try to save our own lives and we lose. We lose our own life for our family and others and we save it! It’s an eternal principle.

We have a strange phenomenon today that many mothers call themselves mothers and yet do not want to embrace the role of motherhood. They love their children but don’t love motherhood. How sad to not LOVE what has created you to do and called you to do.

Be blessed in your home today,

Nancy Campbell

“But I don’t seem to get time to read the Bible,” you answer. I know it is not easy when you have little ones around you. When my children were little I used to keep a Bible beside the toilet, one on my windowsill in the kitchen, and one in the place where I nursed the baby. There are many moments when you can receive life and sustenance if you make them happen. Open your Bible to the Psalms or Proverbs where it is easy to read a few verses in context.

It’s the same message for our children. We would not dream of starving their bodies. We faithfully feed them three meals a day, and often in-between. And yet we let their souls and spirits starve! Make sure you gather together as a family morning and evening to read God’s Word together. You’ve got to keep their souls and spirits alive too.

Blessings to you home today,

Nancy Campbell