Holding a child on your lap is not wasted time!
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Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs
Through the weekly and daily devotionals you can be constantly encouraged in your great role of parenting, the highest career in the nation. You can also stay updated on what's happening with the Above Rubies ministry.
I don’t usually take time to answer all the comments on the threads to my posts. However, I would like to clear up a few things regarding, “WHAT ABOUT A ‘DADDY NIGHT’”? Some mothers replied that they felt direct communication with the husband would be better than trying to “trick” him into enjoying a special time at the meal table.Two comments: firstly, I am sure the wife whose husband didn’t like to come to the meal table has already had words with him. It seems to me that words hadn’t worked! I have done enough counseling in our 60 years of marriage to know this can be true.
Secondly, making a special mealtime to encourage children to bless their father is not something to “trick” the husband. It should be a joy for a wife to do this even if her husband is the most “perfect” husband.
I can’t imagine a husband having to come to a mealtime where nothing is special night after night just because she has told him what he should be doing. Many husbands will do the opposite when told what to do by their wives. Unless they are wimps. However, there are too many husbands who truly don’t know the power of the meal table. They have never enjoyed it in their own home growing up. And they need to get a taste of the joys of the family table.
One wife mentioned that I advocated spending two days preparing the meal! I didn’t say those words. I said you may need to start a couple of days earlier to get the children excited about writing cards and taking time to do it. You often need that time, sometimes more. You don’t need two days to prepare a special meal.
And another writes “at no time in the post is the woman considered at all.” True. I wasn’t writing about pampering the wife. I was writing about a suggestion to make the family meal table positive. And that can take sacrifice. It can take time.
And dear wives and mothers, isn’t this what it is all about? Seeking to bless our husbands. To make life more wonderful for them. To make the meal table a beautiful time of love and harmony for him and for the children. Yes, it will take a little more work and sacrifice from us. It takes thought and time and prayer and action. But it is all worth it. And this is life. When you think of yourself and your rights and how you must be considered, it only tends to thoughts of “me” and “myself” and ultimately to self-pity. Shouldn’t we base our lives on the words of Jesus? “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” (Mark 8:35).
No, we are not thinking of ourselves but of the other person. Of our husband. Our children. And future generations. I believe the family meal table is one of the most powerful times of every day. It should never be normal. Boring. Status quo. We as wives and mothers have the power to make every mealtime a powerful and amazing time.
It is not only thinking about what we will cook for the meal, but what we will talk about together. If we don’t think about that, the conversations will be about nothingness and go nowhere. When you take time to think about it, you can have the most glorious fellowship and wonderful discussions.
Your table is an altar. You sacrifice your own time to make it special for your family. My goal is “to make every meal a love affair.” And at least once a week to do something special and different. Plus, we enjoy Shabbat every Friday night which is the most wonderful family blessing meal where the father extols his wife and blesses his children.
It was never in my mind to “trick” this husband but to give him a little taste of what it can be like. When a husband begins to truly enjoy the family meal table, he is going want to be there. And of course, the iPhone will be left behind because the family table is too exciting.
We have the power to make this happen, dear mothers.
Love from Nancy Campbell
Photo: Ready to sit down for our evening meal last night. This tablecloth comes from Liberia. As you know, we adopted four children from Liberia, and I loved to put on an African tablecloth for them every now and then. I still enjoy this lovely bright tablecloth.
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Yes, I know there are loads of obstacles as you seek to establish a positive family meal table with your family. But dear mothers, we don’t give up. We look for ways through the challenges.I remember one time talking to my eldest son who was going through some incredible challenges in his company and losing millions of dollars. I remember saying to him with great compassion, “How are you getting on with all those problems?” He looked at me incredulously and replied, “Mother I don’t have problems. I only have challenges!” And of course, he found a way through the challenges.
Let ‘s look at one of the problems that came up on the thread yesterday in response to my post, SATAN DOES NOT WANT FAMILY TOGETHNESS. Just typing this heading again, I am reminded why there are so many challenges! Of course, it’s because of this very truth, Satan does not want family togetherness! But are you going to let him have the victory? Never. You will find a way to overcome.
Here's a question from yesterday: “What can Mom do if Dad won't bother coming to the table and even brings his cell phone when he does show up?” Yes, this is a sad state of affairs. I think that many husbands have not grown up in homes where the family sat around the dinner table together, let alone had family devotions together. And therefore, they have no concept of the blessing of this family togetherness or of its importance.
But we’ve got to change that. So what can you do? You don’t stay on the negative. You go to the positive. Begin planning a special meal for your family and husband. Think about what you will cook. Some special dish that your husband loves. And then gear up your children. You’ll need to start a day or two before.
“Children, on Thursday evening (or whatever night you choose), we are going to have a special Daddy Night. I want you all to make a lovely card for Daddy. You can draw a picture and then write something special you love about Daddy. Make it as lovely as you can. And then we are going to give it to him on our special Daddy Night. And we are all going to get dressed up as though we were going to something special!” The little children will be able to draw a picture if they cannot write.
Then prepare your husband. “Darling, on Thursday evening we are going to be having a very special family meal. Just making sure you’ll be home that night.”
Now when it comes to the night, get your children all excited. Put on a tablecloth and set the table beautifully. Get the children to help you with it all. Light candles for the table. Get one of the children to make a beautiful centerpiece. And then place all the children’s cards on your husband’s plate. He can either read them immediately or you could ask him to read them out loud as you are eating the meal together.
Oh yes, you could even make a special dessert too! Now your husband may have brought his phone to the table out of habit, but I am sure he won’t even have time to look at it! He will be so blessed! It will change his attitude toward the table.
Do something special like this (make it different each time) at least once a week. Little by little your husband will begin to see the wonder of the family meal table. As you make your family meal creative and exciting, the iPhone will be boring in comparison.
Loads of love,
Nancy Campbell
P.S. Also look up this link to read about this wonderful family mealtime.
The Shabbat Meal - No. 133 (aboverubies.org)
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What’s the atmosphere like in your home? What’s it like at mealtimes? Do you gather together around your table? Talk and fellowship together? Open God’s Word and pray together? Do you do dishes and clean up the kitchen together? Or is Mom left with the mess and everyone goes their merry way?I am aware that in many homes family meal times don’t happen together. Even if they do, mother is left doing dishes while children run off to do their own thing. You can’t run a home this way. Family life is togetherness. Family life means that everyone pulls their weight.
Dear mother, you are the one to make this happen. You don’t allow everyone to do their own thing. You gather the family together. You make the table and your meal so attractive and inviting that they’ll want to come to the table.
You think of subjects to discuss with your children at the table rather than sitting there with small talk that doesn’t interest anyone. And of course, you’ll never allow iPhones at the table! Have a basket where they drop them in as they come to the table. The table is the place to communicate together as a family. To look at one another and communicate face to face.
The table is a gathering place for the family. God planned it. The Bible picture of a family that that lives in God’s blessing is a family with the children all sitting around the table (Psalm 128:3). God loves the table because it is a place of communication. He wants to join you at your table. He wants to speak to you all as you open His Word at the end of the meal.
Dear mother, can I encourage you to make family times happen in your home? Don’t let your family dissipate into their own world and the world of social media while your family fragments away. When you plan and make things happen, it brings order. It establishes peace and harmony and drives out chaos.
Satan does not want family togetherness. He is intent on scattering the family in every direction. You must fight against every hindrance. You must push through and make it happen. But what blessed things will happen when you do.
When we get order and peace in family homes, we will begin to get order and peace in the nation.
I bless your home today in the name of Jesus.
Love from Nancy Campbell
Painting: Bayuskin Vasily Stepanovich (1898-1952) "Family"
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God has a plan for every person He creates. He prepares our destiny before we are born (Psalm 139:16; Ephesians 1:4; and 2:10). Even more, He prepares our body for us. Each one is unique and different.When God marvelously prepares our body in the utter seclusion of the womb He determines whether we will be male and female. He creates a specific male body for the male and a special female body for the female. There is something very special about the different sexes. That’s why we wait with baited breath to know whether our new baby will be a boy or a girl! And then we celebrate the sex of the child!
The sex of the child is important to God. He decides. And it’s not for man with his puny understanding to change it! In a recent study, researchers analyzed 20,000 genes and found that 6,500 of them are expressed differently in men and women in at least one of the body's tissues. And I am sure they have not yet discovered all there is to know. God’s creation goes beyond our scientific studies. You can check out the link at the end of this article.
We must encourage our children in the way God created them. We should affirm our sons with their male body. God created them to be stronger to do hard physical work and to be able to provide and protect their families. We encourage them to be strong, hard-working, and not wimps. We affirm our daughters that God created them so wondrously with bodies that have the privilege to conceive and bring forth life into the world. Our children should grow up embracing who God created them to be.
I am challenged when I read about Jesus in Hebrews 10:5 where He states that His Father prepared a body for Him. Or rather “fitted for Him.” God planned and designed Jesus’ body and the purpose for His body before time began. He was the Lamb of God slain before the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1:19, 20 and Revelation 13:8).
Hebrews 10:5-10 goes on to tell us that the very purpose for His body was to be offered up as a sacrificial victim for the sins of the world. He gave His body as a willing sacrifice to obey His Father’s will. The fitting of his body was not only for His incarnation, but for obedience “even unto death” (Philippians 2:5-8). He didn’t do this grudgingly, but with delight (Psalm 40:6-8).
When God gives us a body, it is not to please ourselves, but to fulfil the purpose for which God created and planned before the foundation of the world. Because God chose by His determinate counsel to create us female, it is ridiculous to do anything less that embrace our femaleness and live it for His glory. We embrace the anointing to nurture and mother and bring precious and eternal babies into this world, not only for the revelation of God’s image in the world, but for His eternal kingdom.
In the same way Jesus came to give His body as an offering, so we should also “present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1, 2).
Blessings from Nancy Campbell
Painting by Richard Johnson
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Last weekend a missionary was speaking at Evangeline’s home. Unfortunately, I couldn’t attend because of a prior engagement. However, a number who were present passed on this story to me. This godly man lives in Mexico and has a ministry to the street people, but periodically comes into USA to minister among young people.When he came to the Mexican border recently, they asked him his purpose for coming into the states. He replied that he was coming to preach about Jesus. The female border agent asked him twice, “Do you believe the Bible is the Word of God?” “Yes,” he answered.
On his return to Mexico he and his car were searched for about two hours. He asked the border agent the reason for this. Looking at his records he was told that he is now on the records as a “Potential white terrorist.” All because he believes the Bible is the Word of God.
And yet daily they allow thousands of possible terrorists into this country without even checking them. How much longer can this go on? We who believe God’s word must wake up. We must pray. We must stand up for truth. The more they silence us the less opportunity to stand for truth. We must speak out.
Blessings, Nancy Campbell
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Love the truth. Seek after truth. Know the truth. Never bend to lies or deception.
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God has given us weapons. They have the power to demolish all strongholds. We have these weapons constantly available to us and yet how often do we use them?
* We have the weapon of “It is written.” The powerful and living Word of God which overcomes the devil (Matthew 4:2-11).
* We have the weapon of consistent, never-giving-up, importunate prayer (Ephesians 6:18 and James 5:16-18).
* The have the weapon of the precious blood of Jesus Christ (Revelation 12:11).
* The weapon of the powerful name of Jesus Christ, the name which is above every name and the name to which every knee will bow, including the devil (Philippians 2:10, 11 and 1 John 3:8).
* We have the powerful weapon of our confession of the truth against the lies of the enemy (1 Timothy 6:12 and Hebrew 10:23).
However, we read in 2 Corinthians 10:4-6 four requirements to effectively use these weapons.
1. Tear down false arguments and reasonings
When we fight the battle with God’s weapons, we must do it God’s way. We must think like God thinks. We must get our minds aligned with God’s Word, His infallible truth. If our thinking is humanistic or worldly, the devil laughs at us.
2. Tear down every arrogant thought that raises itself against the knowledge of God
One of the biggest preparations for fighting the battle is to allow the Holy Spirit to expose every high-minded thought in our brains. We must renew our minds in the God’s Word. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. Who are we to doubt the knowledge of God? “Let God be true, but every man a liar” (Romans 3:4).
3. Take every thought captive that does not obey Christ.
When an army takes captives in battle, he takes them ruthlessly. We must be ruthless against disobedience. This works out in the nitty gritty of life. We can’t experience victory in the battle if we do not have a submissive spirit to our husband. If children do not learn to obey their parents, they won’t learn to obey Christ, and will never be victorious in battle. If we have a willful spirit, forget about winning the battle.
4. Be ready to avenge every disobedience.
To win the battle, we must wipe out every vestige of disobedience. It gives Satan a foothold and hinders the victory.
Take hold of your weapons today, dear mother, and demolish every stronghold of the enemy in your home.
~ Nancy Campbell
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Love the truth. Seek after truth. Know the truth. Never bend to lies or deception.
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Every now and then I like to get on my “band wagon” or my “soap box.” I have quite a few soap boxes! Which one am I on today?I wonder why people are forgetting about their Bibles. Yes, I know most people read their Bibles on their iPhones today and there’s certainly nothing wrong with that. But I feel sad that they are discarding their Bible they can hold in their hands. There’s something about holding the written Word of God. I love to hold it in my hands. I even love to caress it. I love to underline my Bible. I love my well-used Bibles and I constantly wear them out.
In my personal devotions, I use my iPhone to check Hebrew and Greek words and sometimes another translation but I love to read my printed Bible. Far less side-tracking which is always a great temptation.
It is rare to see people bring their Bible to church today. That really saddens me. Even the preachers preach from their iPhones. Oh my, I think there is so much more authority about them holding God’s Word in their hand as they preach!
And the congregation. There are those who are diligent to read along on their iPhones when the Scriptures are being read, but oh my (oh my again!) we must be diligent. I am, on the whole, a disciplined person. But even as a disciplined person I find I must use extra discipline when I read God’s Word on my iPhone. It’s so easy to be distracted by a message coming in or something that pops up as you look for a reference.
I know that most young people give in to these distractions! Oh yes, have seen people checking their messages while in church! And even when I am speaking to women (and that is so distracting). Oh yes, they are just too tempting and distracting!
I think it’s time we brought our Bibles back to church. What a wonderful thing it is to see a whole congregation with their Bibles open and a notebook ready to write down what God is saying to them. When people bring their Bibles to church you know they mean business with God. You know they are a student of God’s Word (2 Timothy 2:15).
Here’s a good challenge. Why not make it a new project to go to church this coming weekend, making sure everyone in the family is carrying their Bible! It will give your children a renewed encouragement of the importance of the Bible. It’s not any ordinary book. It contains the eternal living words of God. And when other families see you all with your Bibles, hopefully they will be encouraged to do the same thing.
What about when you are reading the Bible in public, perhaps on an airplane or waiting room. You may love to do it on your iPhone but that doesn’t scare anyone. Get out your Bible and you’ll get some reaction or even avoidance! The literal Bible has power to convict people even without reading the words.
It’s time the Bible came back into the open! Anyone with me?
Blessings from Nancy Campbell
Art by Kathy Fincher
P.S. Another request. I asked this once before but did not receive any replies. I’d love to receive a picture of a family carrying their Bibles to church. Send it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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What attitude are you showing to your family?
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In the midst of your daily routine and challenges of mothering you can often forget the awesomeness of what you are doing. Do you realize, mother, that your children are not only a gift from God to you but a gift from God to the world? Motherhood is so far-reaching. It's not confined to your little home. Each one of your children have been destined by God and have been in His heart from the foundation of the world. God has a special purpose for each one of them to fulfill. What a privilege to raise a child who is "a gift to the world"!God said to Jeremiah: "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I sanctified you. I have appointed you a prophet to the nations" (Jeremiah 1:5 WEB). The word "appointed" in the Hebrew means "a gift" and in other Scriptures is mostly translated "give."
Rejoice in the greatness of your calling today. You are nurturing and preparing children who have been appointed as a "gift to the world." As you nurture, teach, pray over them, and prepare them for God’s destiny for their life you will get to see the exploits God will do in their lives to bless many people.
This is the power of motherhood. It is not something you are doing for yourself.
You are blessing the world! Do you ant to say Hallelujah?
Blessings today from Nancy Campbell
Painting by Lindsay Frost
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Dear mother, can I ask you what voices you listen to? There are many voices in this world, all vying for your attention. Humanistic voices lure you away from the heart of your home, the place God divinely provided for you to raise your children. Deceptive voices tempt you to get involved in more and more outside activities that take your time away from your home and family.God has innately put in you what He wants you to do. Listen to your heart, dear mother. Listen to God's voice. Your children need YOU, not daycare or a caregiver. No one else can ever love and care for your children like you do. No one else can as aware and sensitive to their physical needs, and especially their innermost needs.
Someone else can replace you in your career, your organization, or even extra-church activities, but no one can adequately replace you as the mother of your children. You were born for this mission, It is your destiny.
Embrace you high calling today,
Nancy Campbell
Painting: Giochi materni by Giuseppe Magni
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...the things that God loves and what He hates? We won’t fully know these things unless we are daily in his Word.
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Do you like waiting? Well, in the natural world it is hard to wait, isn’t it? We like things to happen just when we want them. However, the Bible talks a lot of about waiting.
I remember growing up as a child. I didn’t think we were poor. We had everything we needed but we didn’t have excess. We didn’t expect to get what we wanted each time we went to town with our mother. We received gifts for birthdays and Christmases and that was it. To get an orange in our Christmas stocking was a gift from Heaven. A little packet of raisins was heavenly!
I can remember waiting with agony for Christmas to come each year. It seemed like an eternity to wait. But with the waiting was incredible expectation.
My husband was sharing this morning how he received a bottle of pop for his birthday. He remembers it being called Orange Crush. He said he thought he had gone to Heaven. It was so precious that he would take two sips each day and put it back on the shelf to make it last. It didn’t even bother him that all the bubbles depleted as the days wore on.
This is unheard of today. An orange or a bottle of pop is like nothing! Most children get what they want when they want it. They have never learned the expectation of w a i t i n g!
In many ways, this is sad. I think that if children do not learn to experience this emotion of waiting when they are young, how are they ever going to learn to wait on God and wait for His timing when they are older? The Bible says, “First that which is natural, and then that which is spiritual.” Nature prepares us for the spiritual.
It is sad when I hear someone say, “OH, I prayed, but God didn’t answer, so I don’t believe in Him!” I wonder how many times they prayed. I wondered how long they waited. I am sure it wasn’t long. They have not learned this very important quality. Don’t deprive your children of learning it.
And let’s all learn to wait on God. He is not in a hurry. He does not live in time. He will work when it is the right time.
Lamentations 3:26: “It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.”
Psalm 37:7: “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself . . .”
Many blessings,
Nancy Campbell
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Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers: "I will very gladly spend and be spent for you" (2 Corinthians 12:15). The adding of "and be spent" to his affirmation means "vehemently, heartily, and exceedingly." This was Paul's attitude to the new believers in Christ.What about us mothers and homemakers? We have precious lives in our care that God has given us to disciple. They are more than acquaintances. They are our flesh and blood. What is our attitude towards them? Are we willing to "spend and be spent," or do we resent the fact that motherhood takes all our energy and time? Read 1 Thessalonians 2:8, 9 for a little more understanding.
Paul did not do this because it was his duty. He did it "VERY GLADLY." I often see mothers with attitudes of "VERY complaining," "VERY resentful," or "VERY unhappy." Do you think we could change it to “VERY gladly”?
Come on now, dear mothers. You are in full time ministry for the Lord. You are disciplining precious souls.
What's your attitude today?
Be blessed,
Nancy Campbell
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God is a covenant-keeping God and He wants us to be covenant-keeping people.
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The great preacher and author, Dwight L. Moody said, "If I could relive my life, I would devote my entire ministry to reaching children for God!" He understood the power of investing in a child's life.Dear mother, you are in this very ministry! Fulltime! Every day and all day! What a privilege. There is nothing greater work you can do. The investment you pour into your children not only blesses them, but the world. Future generations! And eternity!
Don't let the enemy fill you with his lies that motherhood is insignificant. You are part of the greatest work in God's kingdom. When the people brought children to Jesus, the disciples shooed them off, thinking Jesus would not have time for the children. This made Jesus angry ,and He let them know: "Do not push these children away. Do not ever get between them and Me. These children are at the very center of life in the kingdom" (Mark 10:13, 15 MSG).
Mother, you are at the very epicenter of life in God's kingdom!
Enjoy it today,
Nancy Campbell
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“The most extraordinary thing in the world is an ordinary man and an ordinary woman and their ordinary children.”- G. K. Chesterton
Dear mother, I wonder if you realize the impact you are having as a mother! Godly mothers in the home raising godly and truth-filled children can bring this nation back to God. Mankind began in the home and the strength of the home life will determine the strength of the nation. The greatest weakness of the nation is mothers abdicating their home life.
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This is where many mothers have a hang up. They love their children but they don’t love motherhood. They have one foot in one world and one in another. To live in the joy and fullness of motherhood the secret is to embrace with all your heart your career of motherhood. To not only love your children but love motherhood makes all the difference. Begin confessing that you love motherhood.
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