Finding Joy in Your Home

In today’s episode, Jami talks all about what homeschooling has looked like for the Balmet family lately, and she also shares some of things she's changing up for the upcoming school year. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Our Sponsor: Go to HelloFresh.com/homemaking60 and use code homemaking60 for 60% off plus free shipping! Our Sponsor: Head to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code HOME and, depending on the model, you’ll receive UP TO 40% off!

In today’s episode, Jami interviews Jason about family worship and how he handles it. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Join our new meal planning challenge, kicked off 3/8!! Join here. Our Sponsor: Go to https://www.magicmind.co/home and get up to 56% off your subscription for the next 10 days with my code HOME. Our Sponsor:Get 20% OFF @honeylove with promo code HOME at https://www.honeylove.com/HOME! For Bible Reading Ideas: Family Worship Bible Guide Has comments and notes for every single chapter in the bible. You can just use it alongside your bible, and read it to help the kids understand the scripture you are reading. Beginning: Family Worship in Genesis It has you read a passage of scripture, explains what was read, and then asks some questions to see what the kids are retaining. It also comes with an excellent list of bible verses to memorize. The Biggest Story Bible Storybook Bible stories illustrated The Child's Story Bible The entire bible written for children to understand. For Book Reading Ideas: Exploring the Bible Together: A 52-Week Family Worship Plan The Biggest Story: How the Snake Crusher Brings Us Back to the Garden The Promise: The Amazing Story of Our Long-Awaited Savior The Ology: Ancient Truths, Ever New WonderFull: Ancient Psalms Ever New I Am: 40 Bible Stories, Devotions, and Prayers About the Names of God Piercing Heaven: Prayers of the Puritans (Prayers of the Church) Valley of Vision Be Thou My Vision: A Liturgy for Daily Worship The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross The Lightlings The Prince's Poison Cup The Donkey Who Carried a King The Priest with Dirty Clothes For learning more about Family Worship: Family Worship (Family Guidance Series) Joel Beeke Family Driven Faith: Doing What It Takes to Raise Sons and Daughters Who Walk with God Voddie Baucham Family Shepherds: Calling and Equipping Men to Lead Their Homes Voddie Baucham Family Discipleship: Leading Your Home through Time, Moments, and Milestones Matt Chandler Family Worship: : In the Bible, In History, and In Your Home Donald Whitney Bringing the Gospel to Covenant Children Joel Beeke Catechism Memorization Westminster Shorter Catechism https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC43RFL2mE46Ou0H45pNvjHw Singing Suggestions: All I Have is Christ When We See Your Face And Can It Be? I Love to Tell the Story It is Well with My Soul Blessed Assurance His Mercy is More The Solid Rock

In today’s episode, Jami introduces her new series here on the podcast and answers a handful of listener questions. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Join our new meal planning challenge, kicked off 3/8!! Join here. Our Sponsor: Go to GreenChef.com/homemaking60 and use code homemaking60 to get 60% off plus free shipping. Our Sponsor: For 50% off your first Care/of order, go to TakeCareOf.com and enter code home50.

In today's episode, Jason and Jami are chatting about their 2023 reading challenge, where they are at, their favorite books of the year, and their reading themes for the rest of 2023. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Join our new meal planning challenge, kicks off 3/8!! Join here. Our Sponsor: Treat yourself to the best shapewear on the market and save 20% Off at honeylove.com/home with the code HOME. Use code HOME at honeylove.com/HOME. Our Sponsor: Go to HelloFresh.com/homemaking65 and use code homemaking65 for 65% off plus free shipping!

One of the primary things that God has tasked us with is managing our homes well. But managing our homes is actually quite a large task. How do we do this well? What do we do in overwhelming seasons? How can be pivot and make changes on the ground when needed? We will dive into all of this and more! Listen in. Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Find our new homestead unit studies here: Sterling Spectacles Homeschool Kickstarter Our Sponsor: For sustained, healthy energy check out MagicMind.co/HOME and use coupon code: HOME for 56% off subscriptions and 20% off one time orders. Our Sponsor: Check out Organize365.com for all your organization needs!

One of our family goals is so learn real life, hands-on skills. We want to learn together as a family and teach our kids who can pass this on to the next generation. In today's episode, we are going to chat about the WHY behind this and some practical ways to incorporate it into daily life. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Find our new homestead unit studies here: Sterling Spectacles Homeschool Kickstarter Download by Soft Pretzels recipe here Our Sponsor: Go to HelloFresh.com/homemaking65 and use code homemaking65 for 65% off plus free shipping! Our Sponsor: Head to Airdoctorpro.com and use promo code HOME and, depending on the model, you’ll receive UP TO 40% off.

I've got some big household/family goals for this year. They revolve around food preservation, routines, and even some gardening. Listen in as I discuss my 5 household goals for this next year. Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Our Sponsor: For 50% off your first Care/of order, go to TakeCareOf.com and enter code home50. Our Sponsor: Go to GreenChef.com/homemaking60 and use code homemaking60 to get 60% off plus free shipping.

If you feel like your schedule is out of control and you are doing too much, but you don't know how to simplify, then this episode is for you. I got the chance to sit down with Alyssa from Your Unbusy Life and she shared how she plans 2 weeks at a time, her meal planning secrets, how to declutter and simplify when you have 5 kids, and more! Listen in. Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Spring cookbook orders end on 2/6 for my cookbook!! Find out about it here Check out Alyssa Your Unbusy Life Alyssa's printable pack The Unbusy Mom Podcast

In the last few years, I've been working on building up a bulk pantry. I've been working on learning how to cook more from scratch and bulk buy raw ingredients to make it more affordable! Today we are discussing WHY building a bulk pantry can be amazing for your house. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Our Sponsor: Go to HelloFresh.com/homemaking21 and use code homemaking21 for 21 free meals plus free shipping! Our Sponsor: Get 2 full meal plans for FREE from PrepDish.com/homemaking Spring cookbook orders on 1/30 for my cookbook!! Find out about it here So why are we all here talking about building up a bulk pantry? 1. God calls us to be wise stewards We’ve been FAR too disconnected from our current supply chain. “Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one. 27 The seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears blighted by the east wind are also seven years of famine. 28 It is as I told Pharaoh; God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29 There will come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt, 30 but after them there will arise seven years of famine, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will consume the land, 31 and the plenty will be unknown in the land by reason of the famine that will follow, for it will be very severe. 32 And the doubling of Pharaoh's dream means that the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about. 33 Now therefore let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and take one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven plentiful years. 35 And let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. 36 That food shall be a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine that are to occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish through the famine.” - Genesis 41:25-36 2. Are we headed into supply chain issues? One of my goals is to decrease how far my food is coming from. So if I can first try to buy a lot more from within my own country and then second, within my own local county! 3. What about food shortages? Again, we could be heading for some food shortages. Certainly in some areas of food. Being able to build up a bulk pantry helps you to weather these storms really well. If something your family depended on weekly or daily was gone for 6 months, would you be okay? Building up a wise bulk pantry ensures that you will be! 4. Beating back against rising food prices And this is the real winner. I know food costs are rising. I know with gas increasing and inflation setting it, it can feel scary! Building up a bulk pantry helps you guard against all of this. You can buy things at their lowest and never have to buy at the highest. It helps insulate you from shortages and other things. And it helps you weather an unexpected job loss or financial crises a lot better.

Welcome to our annual life and ministry update! Jason is joining me on this episode. Today we are debriefing about all our travels and business projects from 2022 and settling in Oklahoma. Then looking ahead to all that we are planning for 2023 - and beyond.. Join us for a fun and exciting chat! Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: Sign up for our 2023 Finding Joy in Your Home Online Conference here Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Our Sponsor: For a limited time get 15% Off at dockatot.com with the code HOME. Our Sponsor: Treat yourself to the best shapewear on the market and save 20% Off at honeylove.com with the code HOME.

Woohoo! I am so excited to be finally sharing our 2023 Christian Reading Challenge with you. In today's podcast episode, we are looking back over our 2022 reading challenge, discussing our favorite books we read, and sharing our new goals for 2023! Listen in. Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Jason & Jami’s 2022 Reading Goal: We both set big goals for this year, and neither of us are hitting it! But that’s okay because I feel like we both had great reading years. And that’s really all that matters. Jason read: 80 books for the year (out of 104 goal) Jami read: 65 books for the year (out of 104 goal) Our goals are 104 books again for 2023. But this year we both have some additional reading that we are setting as goals. Listen to the episode to hear. Jason and Jami's Top Books Read in 2022: Bread of Life: Savoring the All-Satisfying Goodness of Jesus through the Art of Bread Making - https://amzn.to/3ZBtpn7 I Will Build My Church - https://amzn.to/3WfEmYO The Time-Saving Mom: How to Juggle a Lot, Enjoy Your Life, and Accomplish What Matters Most - https://amzn.to/3XAZgTo Ruler of Kings: Toward a Christian Vision of Government - https://amzn.to/3H98kth Home Sweet Maison: The French Art of Making a Home - https://amzn.to/3w5JDHH Little House on the Prairie - https://amzn.to/3kldcCi Anne of Green Gables - https://amzn.to/3QPzrfZ The Christ of the Covenants - https://amzn.to/3w8VWTM Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones - https://amzn.to/3XB2RR1 The Space Trilogy - https://amzn.to/3XzErYo The Faithful and the Fallen - https://amzn.to/3XA40bA The Hobbit: Or There and Back Again - https://amzn.to/3XjLvIP Books in 2023 we want to read: Lord of the Rings - https://amzn.to/3XjLPY3 The Silmarillion - https://amzn.to/3izzIXW The Fall of Númenor: And Other Tales from the Second Age of Middle-earth - https://amzn.to/3kkawoL The Fall Of Gondolin - https://amzn.to/3kknTFq Beren And Lúthien - https://amzn.to/3INMkFt The Reformation: A History - https://amzn.to/3ZCStu4 Choose your own 2023 reading goal: We are doing our reading challenge for you guys a bit differently this year. If you want to use last year's format, you can head over and print it out here. This year we are giving you lots of categories and book suggestions and encouraging you to pick your own goal. My personal favorite goal to do if you are just starting out is 24 books for the year. This is roughly 2 books per month. And if you look at the typical non-fiction Christian book, it will have about 12 chapters. Read about 1 chapter per day and you can easily read 2 books per month! But it does take focus to hit that. Book Recommendations Per Category: Church History Books Church History in Plain Language - Bruce Shelley - https://amzn.to/3bM2mhN 2000 Years of Christ’s Power - Nick Needham - https://amzn.to/3bRva8C Introduction to the History of Christianity - Tim Dowley - https://amzn.to/3yJQbMr The Unquenchable Flame - Michael Reeves - https://amzn.to/3fDizqC The Reformation - Stephen Nichols - https://amzn.to/3i3AsBZ Meet the Puritans - Joel Beeke & Randall Pederson - https://amzn.to/34ao4I6 For Us and For Our Salvation - Stephen Nichols - https://amzn.to/34eZ2HS Evangelicalism Divided - Iain Murray - https://amzn.to/3uhND4z A Scottish Christian Heritage - Iain Murray - https://amzn.to/3wsPIvW Epic: An Around-The-World Journey Through Christian History – Tim Challies - https://amzn.to/2SpO5AB Church History 101 - Sinclair Ferguson - https://amzn.to/3vnO92g In the Year of Our Lord - Sinclair Ferguson - https://amzn.to/2SpOfYJ Womanhood Books Enough about Me: Find Lasting Joy in the Age of Self – Jen Oshman - https://amzn.to/3fhdmWv

How do we build our homes as Christian women? How do we juggle the housework and taking care of our families WHILE actively building our homes and future generations? How can we be legacy minded with routines and schedules? Let's dive in! Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: Sign up for our 2023 Finding Joy in Your Home Online Conference here Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Our Sponsor: Go to GreenChef.com/homemaking60 and use code homemaking60 to 60% off plus free shipping Our Sponsor: For 50% off your first Care/of order, go to TakeCareOf.com and enter code home50 First, we need to see what Scripture says about the household. Our faith is very practical. "But as for you, teach what accords with sound[a] doctrine. 2 Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. 3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. 6 Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. 7 Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, 8 and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us." - Titus 2: 1-8 Our faith is meant to be passed down Duet: 6:4-9: Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[b] 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. What this means: the way we live and run our households matters greatly. From the dusting, to the diaper changes. From the cooking to the cuddling up and reading a book, both the actual work and the tone in our home matters. We have a tendency in the Western Church to over emphasize the Spiritual. We focus so much on the fact that this world is not our home, that we severely neglect our physical homes in the here and now. We are so focused on the Lord coming back at any moment, that we forget the very real possibility of our great-great-great grand children growing up to know the Lord. And we know that God blesses generations of Christians. We need to think a lot more about how we are getting the faith down to our grand children, than what vacation we are taking next or the next netflix show we want to binge. So when we think about legacy, and everyday routines, and big picture, and nitty gritty, we need to focus on a few things: 1. Our own behavior and attitude is of utmost importance. It’s better to live on the corner of your roof top than with a contentious wife. It’s better to serve walmart pizza on paper plates and have a joyful attitude than to make a 4 course meal but to be a terrible grouch throughout it. 2. The training we do in our homes, is for eternity. In our society, it seems like since we can outsource most of the essential tasks of the home: cooking food, doing laundry, educating our kids, cleaning the house…can all be outsourced to someone else now. so we lose the perspective that how we run and manage our homes matters greatly. There are two entire generations - millenials and Gen Z who have come or are c...

It's that time of year: goal setting, planning, and starting fresh in the New Year! Last week we discussed my first step in goal planning: brainstorming! Today Jason is joining me to discuss 2022. We chat about what we thought this year would look like (and how it really ended up) and our takeaways (both the good and the bad) that we can use to shape our 2023 goals. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: Sign up for our 2023 Finding Joy in Your Home Online Conference here Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Our Sponsor: Go to HelloFresh.com/homemaking18 and use code homemaking18 for 18 free meals plus free shipping! Our Sponsor: Get a 2 week free trial of the most amazing meal planning & prepping website here: PrepDish.com/Homemaking

The New Year is just around the corner and we are kicking off a new mini series all about planning. We are going to start off today in the brainstorming phase. Jason will join me next to discuss how we take our individual brainstorming into business and family meetings for our goals. And then we will share how to take those big goals and break them down into actionable, daily tasks! Let's dive in. Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: Sign up for our 2023 Finding Joy in Your Home Online Conference here Grab my brand new cookbook in print or digital here!! Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Our Sponsor: Go to GreenChef.com/homemaking599 and use code homemaking599 to get $5.99 per meal on your 1st box—and your 1st box ships free!

Today I'm sharing our more treasured Balmet family Christmas traditions AND the new traditions we are starting this year. Our traditions are a work in progress and I'm also sharing a good perspective to have during the hard or overwhelming years. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: Sign up for our 2023 Finding Joy in Your Home Online Conference here Grab my brand new cookbook in print or digital here!! Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Our Sponsor: For 50% off your first Care/of order, go to TakeCareOf.com and enter code home50. Our Sponsor: Go to HelloFresh.com/homemaking18 and use code homemaking18 for 18 free meals plus free shipping! Christmas Movie List: Muppet Christmas Carol The Santa Clause #1-3 New show: The Clauses Klaus Charlie Brown Christmas Christmas with the Kranks Elf It’s a Wonderful Life The Grinch Home Alone #1-3 Arthur Christmas Noelle Christmas Devotionals: The Dawn of Redeeming Grace - Sinclair Ferguson Love Came Down at Christmas - Sinclair Ferguson Behold Your King - Grant and Ericha Van Brimmer Apologia Studios Christmas Devotional - YouTube

It's the absolute best time of year to be thinking about how to use our time intentionally. We can finish December strong and head into the new year strong. But it all starts with some intentionality and some planning. Join Kayse and I in this interview today as we discuss how we can use time blocking and intentional habits to get more done that we want to do. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: Join our free community: FindingJoyCommunity.com My brand new cookbook is here. Preorder your copy here! Our sponsor: Go to HelloFresh.com/homemaking70 and use code homemaking70 for 70% off plus free shipping! Our sponsor: Get 2 weeks of free meal plans from PrepDish.com/Homemaking

Cooking with kids can be hard. It can also be so rewarding. And something I try to do more and more with my own kids. This episode is tips from a mom of 7 who is in the trenches, trying to bring her kids into the kitchen more, and the tips she has learned along the way. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: Join our free community: FindingJoyCommunity.com My brand new cookbook is here. Preorder your copy here! Our sponsor: Get your baby sleep essentials for 15% off with coupon code: HOME at DockaTot.com

Today we are tying our mini series, In the Kitchen, to all the upcoming holidays! How can we build a strong family culture in our homes, around food? That's what we are diving into and Jami is going to share 7 practical ways they implement this in our home. The point isn't to do everything so that it looks like Pinterest, but rather, to just intentionally build those traditions and culture with food as an anchor (however that food looks for your family)! Let's dive in! Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: Join our free community: FindingJoyCommunity.com My cookbook is launching TODAY!! It will launch sometime before midnight hopefully lol! So sign up to be notified here when I get it on sale! Our sponsor: Go to GreenChef.com/homemaking599 and use code homemaking599 to get $5.99 per meal on your 1 st box—and your 1 st box ships free! Our sponsor: Get a 2 week free trial to the best healthy meal plan company around: PrepDish.com/homemaking

We are taking a one episode break in our kitchen series, to talk about something very important: The upcoming holidays & time management. How do we juggle all the good things coming up, while making memories for our family, and doing it with joy? Listen in! Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: Sign up to be notified of when my cookbook launches Join our free community: FindingJoyCommunity.com Our sponsor: Go to HelloFresh.com/homemaking65 and use code homemaking65 for 65% off plus free shipping!

In our episode last week, we talked about what your goal(s) for your kitchen is. This is an important first step in figuring out what to work on and when! This week, we are breaking down some of those goals into baby steps and addressing some starting points and where to jump to when you lack motivation. My goal this week is to help you have some fun in your kitchen again (or for the first time)! Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: Sign up to be notified of when my cookbook launches Join our free community: FindingJoyCommunity.com Our sponsor: Get a two week free trial at PrepDish.com/Homemaking Our sponsor: For 50% off your first Care/of order, go to TakeCareOf.com and enter code home50 Gingerbug company I mentioned: Sandpointsodacompany.com Q: Right now, the goal of my kitchen is to make really delicious, healthy, meals from scratch but this has been so hard on a budget lately. I also am struggling to source healthy meat and dairy that’s within my budget. For us, I try to throw in as many good non-meat meals as I can throughout the week. Pizza, minestrone soup, tomato soup with grilled cheese, etc. So that I can buy smaller amounts of higher quality meat. I prioritize what I can find on sale and cook around that (rather than making my meal plan first and buying what meat I want). I love cooking meals where I can stretch the meat as far as possible. So stir fry and things where I only use 1-2 lbs of ground beef for my entire family for a dinner and leftovers. I buy what I can of higher quality stuff and make my meal plan fit around that! I have also looked for ways I can save money (buying 50lbs of dried beans for example and making my own bread) so that even little extra bits can help out! Q: I want to change a ton of things in my kitchen: I work full time outside the home and struggle to get meals on the table, I love canning and preserving food from my garden, I want to find a cow that we can buy but struggling to find the farm, etc. So many things but not enough time. Prioritize, make a list, and start. Some of the goals will be years out, and thats okay! Q: I'm in a breakfast rut - do you have any relatively healthy, kid friendly breakfast meals you could pass on? Anything I can make ahead is a huge win for me. Ideas: Ezekiel waffles, egg bake, overnight oatmeal, protein loaded muffins, and pancake bake. Q: Taking the mystery out of eating healthy Our goal is just to eat real food. Without chemicals added, without refined white sugar added to everything, without nasty or harmful oils. just real food, cooked in delicious ways. And so what I always recommend, is to find something that sounds really exciting to you to learn how to make first. Maybe that's BREAD! Make healthy, nourishing and filling bread that is exciting. It might be your gateway to healthier eating. Or start with healthy desserts, that's always a fun one. Does your family LOVE soda? Try brewing kombucha or better yet, a Ginger bug! (Sandpointsodacompany.com)

We are kicking off a new section in our series here in season 2 of The Productive Household. We are turning to different areas of our home. And the first we will be diving into is really thinking thoroughly about our kitchen. This new mini series will be a little bit theoretical big picture and a little bit every day practical! Let's dive in! Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Have you ever thought through the goal of your kitchen? What is it you want in your kitchen? What do you want your kitchen to produce? And are those goals aligned with the stage and season of life you are in? With rising food prices, rising gas prices, and everything else rising, it's a very important time to think through: what the goal of your kitchen is? My goal: As much as I am able, with the food budget I currently have and the time I have, to eat an unprocessed traditional diet. My goal is to continually increase the quality of our food we make from scratch and move more and more of that food production to our own household. Within the next year, we want to be totally independent of grocery stores and be sourcing additional foods that we need on a monthly and weekly basis from local farms (i.e. soap from my friend who makes soap, raw milk from the farm, and eggs from another friend who keeps chickens). What this goal looked like at the very beginning: I started reading food labels. And I started just trying to cut out processed foods where I could. So back at the beginning, it just meant usually choosing a slightly healthier option at the grocery store. Looking for things that didn't have addd sugar, bad oils, or white flour. And slowly, that evolved into learning what ingredients are healthy and what aren't. It meant learning how to take real ingredients and learn to cook with them. It meant being able to read recipes that called for white sugar and vegetable oil and knowing that I could substitute extra virgin olive oil and raw honey instead. And slowly, it's meant a total transformation of my kitchen. What I want you to think through this week is: What are your goal(s) in your kitchen? Links & Resources: Another terrific podcast to listen to: Bright Hearth Join our free community and join the discussion here: FindingJoyCommunity.com Our sponsor: Go to HelloFresh.com/homemaking65 and use code homemaking65 for 65% off plus free shipping.

We've started a new habit in our weekly schedule this year called Project Fridays and it's change the way we get to household projects AND fun projects we want to do. This episode is for all homeschoolers especially, but really for anyone who wants to get to "extra" projects but just never finds the time to do so. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. I've got a few goals this year in running a productive household. I've got some household projects going on like decluttering and organizing kids clothes, putting the garden to bed for the fall in a good way, and organizing the garage. We've also got a whole list of fun things we want to tackle: learning how to knit, making sourdough, the kids want to do homemade play-dough again and the list goes on. As we sink back into normal life routines after having a baby and revamping our homeschool routines for the year, I accidentally started something new that we call Project Fridays. And we've loved it! Our goal with Project Fridays: Learn and explore a fun new skill or craft AND get a home project done! Here's how we do it: First thing we start our home project and get it done quick. Everyone is motivated and excited to get it done. And then we move into our hands on project! So far we've done: Water color class, Making necklaces and bracelets, making chocolates and lollipops. What we've got on our schedule for this year: Making clay beads Christmas cookies Homemade play dough Learning how to sew Learning how to crochet Candies from scratch Charcoal sketching Carving soapstone Making soap Making clay stop motion characters + background making Turning this into movies Learn how to make basic video games Learning to code Cake decorating Woodworking How to make it affordable: Thrift stores - check in often for craft supplies (create a list so you know what to look for!) Hobby Lobby (and Michael's + Joannes) clearance sections Dollar Tree Links & Resources: Join our free community and join the discussion here: FindingJoyCommunity.com Our sponsor: For a limited time only you can get Honeylove’s best deal they offer! Get 20% Off your entire order with the code HOME at honeylove.com

In this series of the new season, we are chatting about having productive households. One key component of a productive household, is stewarding our health (and our mental health) in a way that we can be productive in the season God has called us to. Today we are focusing on this topic from a very practical view point. Let's jump in! Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: Join our free community and join the discussion here: FindingJoyCommunity.com Our sponsor: Go to HelloFresh.com/homemaking65 and use code homemaking65 for 65% off plus free shipping! For when you lack energy: 1) Take an honest evaluation: why are you lacking energy? Are you struggling to find meaning in your day? Are you feeling bored? Listen to last episode Are you feeling depressed? Do you need to evaluate your health and hormones? As women, we often put ourselves last. this can be a GOOD thing sometimes. It can also be a bad thing when we do it to the detriment of your health. It brings glory to God when we care for our physical bodies in a way that allows us to care for our families. Some ways to help energy: 1. Minerals! Mt. Capra minerals are what I use right now. Also: real sea salt are an excellent source of minerals. 2. Getting real sleep 3. Figuring out your hormones & thyroid health (check out Dr. Axe as an important starting point) 4. Focusing on healthy carbs and fats 5. Vitamin D - get out in the sun 15-20 minutes a day 6. Vitamin B complex (I love Dr. Axe's)

In this episode of our new series, The Productive Household, we are tackling the issues of boredom. I'm going to challenge your mindset when it comes to feelings of boredom, fulfillment, and a good days work within our homes. Let's dive in! Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: Join our free community and join the discussion here: FindingJoyCommunity.com Our sponsor: For 50% off your first Care/of order, go to TakeCareOf.com and enter code HOME50 Our sponsor: Go to GreenChef.com/homemaking135 and use code homemaking135 to get $135 off across five boxes—and your first box ships free! Book recommendation: Eve in Exile Documentary based on the book Eve in Exile Throughout college as I was writing papers on Ancient Near Eastern History and learning how to read the Bible in the original Hebrew (yeah – I was a double major – History and Biblical Studies and loved every minute of it), it was easy to feel like I was spending my time on extremely worthwhile things. After college, I worked full time and had dreams of getting my masters degree (I still do for that matter) and it was easy to feel like I was contributing to my family by bringing in an income when we really needed it. Now? My days are spent changing poopy diapers, teaching math (often in with lots of tears), the endless cycle of meal prep, breaking up fights, teaching kindness, cleaning dishes, putting up a new load of laundry, folding that laundry, putting it away and starting all these processes over and over again. When my first 5 kids were little, I hit a wall at some point. I started feeling defeated and a bit overwhelmed by all the physical needs in my home and it was easy to NOT look forward to the next day of repeating it all over again. Somewhere along the line, I forgot the importance of what I do. And I gotta say, some days are just boring. So whether you find yourself battling tough and mundane days or boredom, I feel yeah. It’s easy to feel that way in our homes. Especially in a culture that doesn’t value what we do at home. We tend to boil our home tasks down to just: cleaning and meaningless cooking. But what if we changed the way we looked at our homes? And the work we do within In? I think a lot of us struggle with these feelings from time to time. But we don’t want to voice them because then maybe it will look like we are not “good” mothers or “good” homemakers or we are not grateful for all that God gives. I want to challenge your mindset. Often, women will express that they want to go back to work because they don’t feel challenged at home. They want to do something worthwhile with their talents and their time and they feel like that isn’t happening at home. They want to do something with all their creativity and feel like the work they are doing is valuable. As I shared at the beginning of this new series, I think a big part of this is that we’ve moved all modes of productivity out of the home. Homes have becomes places that we primarily consume. And for all of humans history, until the past 70 years or so, homes have been the places in which we create and produce. Maybe the problem isn’t our homes, maybe it’s that things are too easy. So we feel bored. We are not challenge. Listen, women. We are creative. We are smart. We are fiercely smart. We are able to multitask and juggle hard things. But our modern homes don’t engage large parts of our brains. We balk at the dishes and cleaning toilets because we don’t feel challenged or fulfilled. One important caveat: Not everything in life is exciting or exhilarating. Often, God is asking us to find joy and be stratified in HIM through the boring and the mundane. But I also think we can look at our homes in a different light. The amazing book, Eve in Exile,

In the last episode we chatted about having a good work ethic and really working unto the Lord. God calls us to hard, fulfilling work. But that's all balanced out with true, Biblical rest. Our discussion today is going to start to dig into what this means and what it looks like! Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. To the world, a successful life might look like a rich person who never has to work another day in their life. Someone who is waited on hand and foot and has endless leisure time at their disposal. But we know from God's Word, that even the wealthiest among us have a responsibility to use that wealth and honor and serve the Lord and work had at that! We are all called to good, hard, fulfilling work. In fact, as our world chases endless leisure and pointless entertainment, we know that ultimately that leads to a very hallow and shallow life. We find true fulfillment in the Lord and that pretty much always looks like a hard, fulfilling day of work for the Lord! But the key to this entire discussion is that our hard work is buffeted by true, Biblical rest. Resting well in the Lord! And while the world doesn't have a good view of work, they also mess up their approach to rest. In fact, most of us don't know what true rest is or how to balance out hard work. So instead of working hard for the Lord, resting well in the Lord, and finding fulfillment in the rhythms...we do busy frantic work all the time, with intermittent moments of trying to rest but actually just feeling exhausted and busy all the time. You want me to view my work as a blessing and do it joyfully? Well the key piece you might be missing is the REST. TRUSTING the Lord with your time & energy So here we come to the very important lesson of trusting God with our time and energy. When I talk to other moms, a very common struggle for many of us is learning how to rest and rest well. We struggle to take time off and refuel. So first: How are you resting? If you are a busy mom, you may have lost touch with what those things are in your life. So I encourage you to play and experiment and really pay attention to what you find truly restful and what ends up being a waste of time. I will almost always regret scrolling social media aimlessly for an hour. I have almost never regretted reading for an hour (unless I was ignoring the pile of dishes in the sink and then I might regret it in the morning ;)) Another key piece of learning how to balance hard work with good rest, is giving yourself permission to rest. We struggle so much letting ourselves actually take time off and rest. And for me at least, it has boiled down a lot to not trusting the Lord. I sometimes struggle with a massive to do list that I feel like I have to keep going, I have to run myself into the ground, I have to do it all. But what I'm missing in that moment is trusting the Lord. I've come a LONG way (and still have to constantly remind myself) to trust the Lord with the work put in front of me that day. So if a houseful of sick kids derails my productive schedule for a week, I remind myself that this is the work that God has put in front of me today and I can trust Him with my time. When finances or work stress overwhelms me and threatens to take over every second of my life, I trust the Lord that I can take time off and rest because he expects us to rest and so I can trust him in that. Example: The sabbath and farmers.

Welcome back to the second episode in season 2! We are kicking off a mini series here on the podcast called The Productive Household. This series is going hand in hand with our new 12 month home economics program we are doing in My Homemaking Mentor (my online training academy for Christian women). Last week we kicked off this discussion in the first episode about what is a productive household? And today we are back talking about an important topic: How can we strive for excellence in our homes and work hard for His Glory...while at the same time, resting in Him and finding that balance that we all need between hard work and good rest? Let's dive into today's episode to find out! Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. I think I might ruffle a few feathers in today's discussion. Because in our world, we are often told we are doing too much, that it's totally fine if we are a "hot mess mama" and we tend to ridicule or look down on those who seem to have it all together. In fact, I think we tend to look at women who do seem to have things more together and assume they have a big hairy unscrubbed toilet secret that makes her not actually that good. But what we want to chat about today, is the fact that God does call us to work hard. Work diligently. Be creative with that work. And throw ourselves into the task at hand. But like we talked about in the last episode, this is done not out of hustle and has to be done with our priorities in the right place. Basing our work ethic off of God's Word and not the world We don't have to look very long in Scripture to find verse after verse about working hard for the Lord. We were not created to just sit cross legged on the floor praying all day every day. We were created to pray and to worship the Lord and a terrific way to do that is through, hard God honoring work. "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ." - Colossians 3:23-24 "Warning Against Idleness 6 Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. 9 It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. 10 For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. 11 For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. 12 Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.[d]" - 2 Thessalonians 3: 6-12 We also see the flip side in Scripture, that laziness is a sin and that we should not be slothful. Deep down, I think we all know that working hard is honoring to God of course. But I think the disconnect happens when we don't connect that to scrubbing toilets, meal planning, singing Scripture songs with toddlers, and acting like a chauffer between errands and music lessons. We forget that there is good hard work in front of us everyday, even if it doesn't look like being a CEO of a large company or a missionary in Africa. God has given us a lot of work. Right here, right now, right in front of us. And it might be very hard work, but it might also be very mundane boring work that we have a hard time seeing the significance in. Either way, we can throw our selves into the task at hand work unto the Lord! Recognizing YOUR personality and how to deal wi...

Welcome back to season #2 of the podcast. We are back with a practical and exciting new series on the podcast all about The Productive Household. Listen in to hear how we can recapture joy and meaning within our homes. Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: Find out and join our new 12 month course at myhomemakingmentor.com Check out the shownotes and join me email list at FindingJoyinYourHome.com For 50% off your first Care/of order, go to TakeCareOf.com and enter code home50 Go to HelloFresh.com/homemaking16 and use code homemaking16 for 16 free meals across 7 boxes AND 3 free gifts! Announcements: Tickets are going on sale for our 2023 Finding Joy in Your Home Online Conference in early November We have something fun coming up in October for those interested in non-toxic home products and how to make your own! My cookbook is slated to come out in the Christmas shop as well as Sterling Spectacles #5 and #6! My Homemaking Mentor is kicking off a 12 month program called The Productive Household starting Sep 15th What is a Productive Household? Jason and I have been listening to a podcast we loved called Bright Hearth. In it, the shows hosts Brian and Lexi go through each room of their house and share how we can bring glory to God within those different rooms and realms of raising a family. They use this phrase a lot: A Productive Household. I love this term because I think it encompasses so much of what we talk about and share here at Finding Joy. So what is a Productive Household? When we look to God’s Word, we see that we are created for work. Good, hard work is deeply satisfying and we see that man was tasked with work before the fall, not as a result of the fall. Throughout Scripture we see men and women working hard and diligently. We see all throughout the call to cast aside laziness and to work hard unto the Lord. Colossians 3:23-24“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:58 - “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” Proverbs 12:11 - “Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense.” We are encouraged to be lazy in our culture We live in a hustle culture. We are far too busy and far too distracted. I agree with that. We pack our lives too full and take on too much and hustle to make it all work. So many well intentioned voices out there push back against this hustle culture by shouting that we must rest and have balance. I totally get that those voices (at least the ones in my inbox) are coming from a good place. They don’t want to see another mom get burnt out or overwhelmed. I get the sentiment. However, I also think that an over reaction to the hustle, busy culture has sent us in the opposite direction. That we see work as bad. That when things get tough or overwhelming, that we must be doing something wrong. That a full schedule and a full life is automatically wrong. What I want to argue for today is this: That God created us for hard work. That we are designed to work hard throughout the week and that God has built in very strategic good moments for rest. And that what we really need to react against are the wrong priorities. If you think of every civilization throughout history, except for the ultra rich and nobility, people worked far harder than most of us do everyday. Hard, back breaking work. Working from sun up to sun set, working hard for the Lord. The kids and I have been studying the pioneers this past semester in school and we are reading the little house on the prairi...

Are you struggling to find Sunday's restful? Do you desire to make Sunday about Church and fellowship but end up just feeling burnt out and even more tired? Do you sometimes wonder what the purpose in our rest is? In this practical episode, Jami tackles the important question "What if I don't find Sunday's restful?" Let's dive in! Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. I got a question in our group this week about Sunday’s and it being a day of rest. Her question resonated with me because it’s something I’ve had to give a lot of thought to and I’ve heard repeated a lot. Her question goes along the lines of: "I wasn’t raised in a Christian household and Sunday’s were a slower catch up day for us. With church and other activities, it can feel more draining than it is relaxing. Where is the "recharge" on Sunday? Help!" In today's episode we cover a few Spiritual + Practical applications for this discussions. Finding a new church IS exhausting. Before we dive into any practical take aways, we need to first ask the extremely important question “What is the Sabbath? What IS Sunday for?” Bible verses referenced: Dt. 5:12-15, Isaiah 58:13–14. What are our goals for the sabbath day? “The distinction in Isaiah 58 is between doing what is pleasing to God and doing what is pleasing to ourselves in opposition to what is pleasing to God. Presumably, what is in view in the prophetic critique is God’s judgment against the Israelites for violating the Mosaic law with respect to the Sabbath day, particularly regarding involvement in commerce. There were Israelites who wanted to be able to buy and sell seven days a week, not simply six days a week. Therefore, they violated the Sabbath commandment by seeking their own pleasure, which was to do business on the Sabbath rather than to do that which was pleasing to God.” - Ligonier.org article: https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/defining-debate Practical Help for Sunday: If we are viewing Sunday as a catch up day, then adding in Church + activities will be seen as a burden. Plan ahead Friday + Saturday so that Sunday isn’t your catch up day. Life as a mom who serves, is just a little different - but that doesn't mean bad Links & Resources: Great follow up episode: Moms (and dads) get those little ones to Church – Hf #310 How the Gospel Shapes Our Everyday Responses – Hf #306 Our Sponsor: Go to HelloFresh.com/homemaking16 and use code homemaking16 for up to 16 free meals AND 3 free gifts! --> Join our FREE COMMUNITY: Finding Joy Community <--

We got such a great question in our Finding Joy Community this week. The discussion that ensued was so rich that I figured it was a great one to share here on the podcast. We dive into some hot topics within healthy living: taking care of our families for God's Glory, making an idol out of healthy living, what's the point to it all, and so much more. Join us! Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: Join our FREE community: Finding Joy Community MEGA Mother's Day Sale through May 11th: My Homemaking Mentor Our Sponsor: For 50% off your first Care/of order, go to TakeCareOf.com and enter code home50 Our Sponsor: Go to GreenChef.com/homemaking130 and use code homemaking130 to get $130 off, plus free shipping!

Welcome back to the next episode in our practical homemaking series. We haven't had an episode on marriage in a while, so today is a fun one (and maybe a much needed discussion)! We are chatting about how to keep (or reestablish) fun in your marriage. I'm also sharing a couple of fun announcements. Listen in: Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: INCREDIBLE things coming for My Homemaking Mentor, our online training academy for Christian Women...you are going to want to be part of this! Join our FREE community to follow along with the podcast and more: Finding Joy Community. As a reminder, we will be taking a Summer hiatus as of June 1st until September. You can still find up to date content and more in the community all summer!

We are not expert movers yet, but we have had our fair share of moving, downsizing, deciding what to keep, and unpacking into new homes. Today I am going to share my 6 tips for moving! Listen in: Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. My tips we discuss today: Invest in tubs + buy a label maker Downsize EVERYTHING. ONLY invest in pieces for your new house that are 100% favorites. A place for everything - even if that means getting creative. Unpack immediately. Don't wait 6 months. Make the place YOUR HOME, even if it's temporary or a rental.

We are diving head long into our new mini series here on the podcast: A Practical Homemaking Deep Dive! We've got some fun & practical episodes coming up to help all of us in the practical parts of running and managing a home, but of course, all for God's Glory! We are going to dive into cleaning routines, time management, hospitality, morning & evening routines, and so so much more. I'm also hoping to have some fabulous guests for you too coming up soon :D Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Practical Homemaking Q&A: As we dive into this series, many of the episodes will be a deep dive into specific questions and topics. But today, I put together a list of questions that we are all shorter that we can dive into. In today's episode we discuss: Bringing your children into "big Church" - and ideas for training toddlers! Our new laundry routine (and how it's going) Ideas for what to do with toddlers while homeschooling olders Balancing between kids and chores Starting a garden - where do I begin? How I do it ALL? Our sponsor today: For 50% off your first Care/of order of $40 or more, go to TakeCareOf.com and enter code home50. I’d love for you to come over and join our free community. There we can discuss this episode, what series you would love to see in the future, and more!! Join our free community here!

Looking for ways to cut costs has been on all of our minds this year. Rising gas prices, rising food prices, and a supply chain that feels unstable as led many of us to ask, "what else could we be doing?" In today's episode, I'm sharing some FUN life updates for the Balmet family as well as sharing 5 things I'm actively doing this year to cut costs, but not quality in my home (especially when it comes to food)! Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. 1. Focusing on building my bulk pantry Examples: Real salt prices, bulk beans, and bulk spices. 10oz shaker of salt is: $6.35 26oz refill pouch I usually pay: $8 ($0.31 an ounce) 25lb bag for $99.99 (I got on sale for $85 + free shipping). $0.21 per ounce ($0.10 per ounce savings!) 25lbs = 400 ounces. Which comes out to a $40 savings!! PLUS, now I have bulk salt on hand and don't need to worry about any kind of supply chain issues, prices going up for a while, etc. If I can, I'd like to order a second bag early when this bag gets to be about half full. Then when that first bag runs out entirely, I'll order another bag. This way I've always got a full extra bag on hand. But I'm not sure how fast we will work through this bag or what my other bulk needs will be, so we'll see how it goes this year. Another example is bulk spices: Another area I'll slowly be working on adding to again is bulk spices. When you cook entirely from scratch, and you want flavorful food, you end up going through a LOT of spices. Since RV living, I've pretty much just been buying single use containers of spices which get so expensive at $3-9 a bottle. I'll be adding a few different spices at a time to my monthly Azure order while I slowly build this up. For example, I can get an Italian seasoning mix from Azure for $8.89 for a pound! A pound of dried herbs is a lot. Now I can just refill my seasonings as needed. The trick to this, is really keeping track of what bulk spices you have on hand, because you can easily forget and lost track. 2. Building my at home Emergency and first aid kits Example: Slings, butterfly bandages, bleed stop, and over the counter things to help so we don't have to go to urgent care. I want to brush up on my skills so I have the knowledge to help in a situation. 3. Growing a garden I'm starting with SEEDS this year, instead of going the easier route of plant starts. And I'm not getting fancy. I'll be focusing on the produce my family actually uses: tomatoes, potatoes, onions, squash, watermelons, all manner of herbs, etc. When I look at the seed catalogs, there are so many fun and fancy things I could grow. But I'm trying this summer to just focus on the needs that will really help my family! I just need to get on the planning part of it all now! ;) 4. Cutting out the grocery store Example: We will be purchasing a whole cow sometime this year to put in the freezer, I'd like to do a couple of pigs as well. We don't have the ability right now to do chickens or eggs, so we will do what we can! Another example: We finally are able to find raw milk from a local farm again. We just picked up our first 3 gallons today! With the ability to get raw milk, I can make so many things from home that I either can't buy in stores, or that is ridiculously expensive. I love making cultured butter, maple syrup sweetened whip cream, a gallon whole yogurt, kefir, and so much more. This eliminates the need to buy hardly any diary products from the store and they are way healthier and higher quality than I could get elsewhere. Also cuts out the need from buying expensive and processed nut milks or alternatives. Here's what my ideal pantry will look like over the coming year: Bulk grains + dried goods from Azure each month (while building up a pantry so I'm not buying 3-5lbs a month of each thing but rather 25-50l...

We are continuing our Family & Culture series today with an important chat about finding (and creating) peace in our home in unstable times. Instability can come in the form of emotional, every day instability and larger, world instability. How do we protect our homes in the midst of instability? Join me to discuss 5 ways we can begin. Let's dive in! Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: Learn how to manage your own attitude Do what you can to preserve peace in instability (in wisdom) Trust what you can't do, or what's not in your control, to the Lord Find the tension between being aware and the need for prayer, and neglecting your own duties in your home Build your home in JOY. I'd love for you to come over and join our free community. There we can discuss this episode, what series you would love to see in the future, and more!! Join our free community here!

Do you ever feel like you open your mouth and out comes complaints? Do you feel like you too often dwell on the negative and want to focus more on the positive? Today Jami will dive into 6 ways we can turn from being a complainer into a praiser! Listen in: Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: Talk often comes out of what is already in our hearts. —> What is our internal monolog doing? We often get stuck in a rut of complaining (even when it’s not out loud). Focus on GRATITUDE and THANKSGIVING “And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” - 1 Thess 5: 14-18 4. When in conversation, THINK about some things you can say beforehand, instead of letting complaints just come out. THINK through some things you can specifically say you are thankful for, share something interesting you hear this week, etc. 5. In a world that sometimes feel crazy, learn to meditate and talk about different subjects. 6. Learn how to LISTEN better in conversations. “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;” - James 1:19 For further study on this topic, I have a few recommendations. Trusting God by Jerry Bridges if your complaining comes out of fear and anxiety Learning Contentment by Nancy Wilson Comparison Girl by Shannon Popkin Past podcast episodes: Are you feeling discontent? 3 questions to ask yourself… – Hf #198 The Key to Finding True & Lasting JOY – Hf #315 Hf #33: Anxiety, Worry, and the Biblical Response Hf #35: Practical Ways to Trust in the Lord More (and Deal With Anxiety) Hf #36: Finding Joy in All Aspects of My Life Hf #270: Facing anxiety and the unknown On battling anxiety with Phylicia Masonheimer – Hf #328 Hf #323: Cultivating a Serving Heart

I've loved tackling some BIG issues in our family and culture series this year. Things like fear, anxiety, social media, a good perspective on the future...but today I want to turn a little more practical. I want to discuss some ways we can put our heads down and get to work. And I'll be kicking off the discussion by sharing 4 personal things I want to work on in our family this year. Let's dive in! Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. 4 things we are working on: Cutting our dependency on supply chains where we can Stocking a depression era pantry Growing a garden Increase family devotion time As a reminder, we do not do any of these things out of fear. We don't become dooms day preppers or such. But there is wisdom in preparing solidly for the future. And for some many of us, we are concerned with inflation, rising food prices, rising gas prices, and possible disruptions to the global supply chain. So in wisdom, many of us are looking for ways we can make that supply chain more local and how we can be wise with our finances and food in the future! I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on this topic and some goals your family has. PLEASE come over to our free community and share your thoughts on any of my 4 goals or other goals you have for yourself! Join our free community here!

We need some real talk this week ladies. Who else is feeling overwhelmed with ALL the news going on? I've had a heavy heart the past 2 weeks and it can be a struggle to get online. SO we are having an honest chat today about where we draw the line with social media, when it's right to carry other's burdens, and when it's not actually our responsibility. Let's dive in (it's encouraging, I promise)! Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: Family & Culture Series Pt 1: The Joy & Duties of the Christian Household Family & Culture Series Pt 2: Learning how to be BRAVE women Family & Culture Series P3: Learning how to be BRAVE families Jon our free community to discuss this episode (and more): Finding Joy Community Our sponsor: Get an awesome intro deal from HelloFresh.com/homemaking16 and use promo code homemaking16

This is a fun and (hopefully) inspiring episode. Whether you find yourself homeschooling or supporting your child's education while they attend another form of school, one thing is certain, moms play a vital role in their children's education. I want to inspire a love of learning in my kids that lasts a lifetime. So in this episode, we are going to talk about ways we can make their education fun AND exciting. Instead of chiding you to do more, I am going to encourage you to approach it all from a place of rest. Let's jump in! Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. How to make school so much more fun and exciting 1. First thing to remember - you don't have to be a crafty Pinterest queen mom to accomplish this. 2. Ditch the Textbooks that aren't working Education is so much more than a textbook think outside the box with things like math. (Simple Charlotte Mason offers a really cool 1 year math program that teaches math through the kid running a fictional pet shop! So cool!!) They offer a pet store edition, book store edition, and sports store edition. Grades 3-6 Ideas: Ditch the science textbook and drive four hours and spend time at the tide pools. Ideas: Buy the kids some kites ad spend time learning about real world gravity and how things fly. Ideas: Ditch the astronomy textbook, let the kids stay up late, make some popcorn, and lay out under the stars identifying constellations. 3. Let each kid choose an area of interest This year I have a kid who wants to learn all about wood working. And another child who wants to learn how to fly a plane. 4. Other good skills are educational too Our cooking experiment A dad taking his kid along on his construction sites Our Christmas present to the 4 older boys this year: their own tool sets to build a playhouse with their dad Links & Resources: Our sponsor: Need help with your meal planning? Let PrepDish do it for you - they are giving you 2 weeks for FREE. That's 2 full meal plans for free. Sign up here. Our sponsor: Get $130 off plus free shipping at GreenChef.com/homemaking130 and use coupon code: homemaking130 at checkout! Join our FREE community here: FindingJoyCommunity.com

THIS is an important topic for me right now as I'm 11 weeks pregnant and TIRED. I've done a version of this talk in the past, but each time I feel like it gets better as I go through more stretching and busy times. Does any else feel like each passing year just gets faster and faster? I've felt this from around the time I turned 20. It's always so important to evaluate our use of time. Are we squandering it on social media? Are we feeling exhausted and burnt out? Are we using rest the way God intended it? Today we are going to dive into how we can make sure we are using our time for God's Glory! Let's jump in! Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: Our sponsor: Organize365.com/minicourse for a free 7 day course and check out their Sunday Basket Organization system!! Our sponsor: Go to HelloFresh.com/homemaking16 and use code homemaking16 for up to 16 free meals AND 3 free gifts! Join our FREE amazing community at FindingJoyCommunity.com You can purchase access to our entire 2022 Finding Joy in Your Home Online Conference here

Well the title of this episode kind of gives it away! We are expecting our 7th child in September 2022 and as I'm in the throws of the first trimester, I thought I would share a little bit of the journey with you. Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Favorite Pregnancy Books: Taking Charge of Your Fertility The Mama Natural Week-by-Week Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth Awakening Fertility: The Essential Art of Preparing for Pregnancy Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way Husband-Coached Childbirth Betsy Bosom’s Baby Book: A Girlfriends Guide to Using Essential Oils From Bellies to Babies Gentle Babies: Essential Oils and Natural Remedies for Pregnancy, Childbirth, Infants, and Young Morning Sickness Remedies: Sea Bands – Motion sickness bands High amounts of vitamin b – my two favorite Vitamin B complexes are Dr. Axe’s Vitamin B complex & the one I use now is Super B by Young Living (it’s AMAZING!!) NEW in this pregnancy: A cell salts protocol from Her Homeopathy. Her website is a wealth of information!!! Heartburn remedies: The only thing that has ever worked for me for heartburn is: Alkalime supplement by Young Living Genexa Pregnancy tea: Mama’s Red Raspberry brew – My favorite pregnancy blend!! Mama’s Milk tea – Great for lactation and milk production! Earthley also makes a great pregnancy tea Pregnancy workout dvd: Lindsey Brin’s pregnancy workout DVD set Vitamins and supplements: Take a good prenatal – I use Master Formula + Super B as my prenatal vitamin (both from Young Living). You can read about this combo here. Dr. Axe also has a great prenatal I recommend I also take a good probiotic. I switch between Young Living’s Life9 and some of Dr. Axe’s probiotics. It’s a good idea to switch up your probiotic from time to time to get different strains. Dr. Axe has a bunch of good ones but I recommend his Women’s once a day as well as his SBO probiotic. You will also want a good omega/fish oil supplement for pregnancy. No surprise here but I recommend one of Dr. Axe’s Omega’s but all four are currently sold out. The one I take now is Young Living’s OmegaGize. A good omega supplement is crucial during pregnancy, but a GOOD one from a good source is going to be expensive. Just keep that in mind. I usually take mine 3-4 times a week instead of every day just to lesson that expense a bit. I also take Magnesium and iron – see my favorites below Other supplements I LOVE: TriLight Health has an entire line of pregnancy herbal blends that are affordable and rock! Their ingredients are outstanding. I recommend getting their Pregnancy essentials kit for everything you need. Earthley is my next favorite store to recommend. It’s owned by a mom who has a passion for providing home remedies at an affordable price. Here are a few of my favorites from Earthley: Pregnancy tea -a Premade blend for pregnancy Fertili Boost herbal extract – Want help getting pregnant? This tincture might help. Post Partum balance – I am SO getting this tincture for this time around – helps balance things out after pregnancy Mama’s tummy relief – I wish I had seen this during my first-trimester sickness Nourish her naturally – Another possible option for a prenatal Magnesium Lotion – Another great one for pregnancy! I use this every night. Dr. Axe has a good supplement if you want a pill instead of a lotion. Iron supplement – I LOVE Earthley’s iron supplement. Make sure to look for an herbal iron supplement though if using a different brand. Meal Planning Help for Eating Healthy: I am really excited to share with you the sponsor of today’s podcast episode: PrepDish! If you ever feel like you wish you had a little help in your meal planning, then I highly encourage you to check out PrepDish.

I love setting goals for the new year. It usually happens for me in December, but better late than never! If you haven't set goals for the year yet, don't despair, let's jump in together! Listen in to my 12 goals for 2022: Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. For the first time ever, I've picked a theme for my year instead of a word. My theme this year is: The Year of Transition. It's shaping my intentionality as I approach some new projects and things this year. You can listen to my podcast episode on the topic above, but my goals for this year are coming out of this theme for the year. I've got 3 main areas that I'm setting goals in this year: Transition in my Personal goals Transition in our family goals Transition in our business & ministry Transition in my Personal Goals: I love setting personal goals for myself. I know for some people it stresses them out, but for me, it helps motivate me. My biggest part of my personal theme this year, is working on transitioning into more solid routines. In 2021, we survived working in the margins of a busy year. This year, I'm working on making more solid routines all around for more transitions to come. Read 104 books this year (I transitioned this down from 130 books) Establish a solid morning routine that becomes easy to stick to Read the Bible twice this year (A big part of better morning routines) As a result of better routines, take nights and weekends off Transition in our Family Goals: Teach the older boys 20 recipes they can cook entirely on their own (cook 20 recipes with the middle 3 kids) Play more board games (together and as a family) Read more fiction series with the kids (better routines to find the time for this) Take the children out on one on one dates monthly Transition in Business & Ministry: THIS is the area, that if we can really solidify, will help us in the other areas of goals. We are so thankful for a small business that we run with just an internet connection, but it's also easy to take over all corners and margins. I want to transition from a soloprenuer idea to a small business owner over seeing a team. It's a BIG transition for us. I'm both nervous and excited about it. Hire 3-4 people over the course of the year Find a shipper for our store launches Relaunch My Homemaking Mentor all brand new! Create solid weekly content routines

Welcome to our kind of annual life and ministry update! Jason is joining me on this episode. Today we are debriefing about all our travels and business projects from 2021. And looking ahead to all that we are planning for 2022. Join us for a fun and exciting chat! Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: Purchase the recordings from the 2022 Finding Joy in Your Home Online Conference from last week Join our free community: FindingJoyCommunity.com Check out our new sponsor: Organize365.com and check out their amazing Sunday Basket system! (AND try their 7 day free mini course!!)

We have a tradition around here. Each year when our annual online homemaking conference launches, I always share the first session for free here on the podcast. I always pour my heart and soul into that first talk and I love being able to share it with everyone here on the podcast. Well, today launches our 8th online homemaking conference so today's talk is the opening session titled: Homemaking in Light of Eternity - how do we make Christian households that point to Christ? Listen in: Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. What we are going to talk about today: WHY this entire topic is so important What does Scripture say about the household? What wisdom from Proverbs do we see for our households? It has never been more important to critically think through: The purpose of the household, our duties as Christian women, how we sold use our time, how we can glorify God in mundane moments, how we persevere through hard times, and what our joyful Gospel purpose should be n the days ahead. It’s not acceptable, before the Lord, to carry on normal life, accepting the world’s standards as our own. Thinking through our priorities: The world tells us to seek our own pleasure eat all costs. --> Christ tells us to deny ourselves and live a godly upright live in these present days (Titus 2:12 says, “training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age) The world tells us to leave our husbands the moment our needs are not being met (or even, never to get married at al because you’ll be oppressed). --> Christ tells us to love our husband and our children and to lay down our lives for others. The world tells us that the things worth pursuing are bigger houses, nicer cars, a magazine worthy $50,000 kitchen or you are doing something wrong and all the strappings of a successful life. --> Christ tells us that a successful life is to take up His cross daily and follow Him. For those in Europe, Australia, and other places around the world, you’ve been living in a anti-Christian culture for a good 10 years or more. Here in the U.s. and Canada, its finally coming as well. We no longer are part of the dominant culture. We now have sesame street having a transgender story house. We have phedophelic shows on Netflix, being applauded by the critics. We have governing officials saying that parents shouldn’t be in control of, nor even being aware of, what their children are being taught in schools, medical procedures, or even hormone therapies and sex changes for children as young as 7 or 8. We live in a culture that is hostile to Christ. And instead of this making us fearful and fretful of the future, instead of making us anxious about the world our kids are growing up in... It should be an exciting time to live. We finally get to take all of these lessons from Scripture and really put them into action. There’s nothing like a little adversity to wake us up to how friendly with this world we’ve become and the immense joy we can have from serving the Lord, even under persecution. It’s a time where living set apart for the Lord can truly shine. It’s a time that instead of hiding in insane fear, we can proudly display the hope we have in God and be ready to share that hope we have. 2 Timothy 4:2 says, “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires.” James 1:2-5 says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Allow perseverance to finish its work,

For the past several years, I've picked word for my year. This word kind of revolves around all of my goals for the year and helps to give me some direction. But this year, I've chosen a theme for my year instead of just a single word. Listen in to find out what my theme is, how to pick your own, and some ideas for incorporating it into your year! Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. 8 years of themes: 2012: Intentional 2016: Joy 2017: Create 2018: Refresh 2019: Faithfulness 2020: Cultivate 2021: Kingdom And now, my 2022 theme for the year: The Year of Transition. What has gone into choosing this theme: We've got a LOT of transition going on around here. 2021 was a FULL year, but mostly a stable one. Lots of travel as we looped the country 1.5 times. We went to the southernmost part of the lower 48, we visited the hottest place in the USA, and spent time in the highest capital city in the USA - among a million other things. It was a wonderful, full, and busy year. But as I started thinking to 2022, I realized that this is going to be a pretty major transition year for our family - and our ministry here - in many ways. And while "transition" isn't the most fun work to pick, I thought it worked well as more of a theme. The year of Transition. I feel like this is an important distention, because transition can be hard. I'm already a tad exhausted thinking about the decisions coming up for us this year and the possibilities. It's truly a year of transition in many ways, and that could be bad. But instead, we know that God has great things in store for His Kingdom and His People. So for me, it's a positive. I'm walking into 2022, knowing it's going to be chocked full of transition. I'm expecting it and therefore excited to see what God does. For me, The Year of Transition theme has a few helpful distinctives: With many of our very necessary upcoming changes, we don't totally know what the end step will be. We have some vague ideas or even plans, but only God knows truly what will come from this year. So The Year of Transition helps me to remember, that as we walk into the unknown, God is making a path ahead for us. And we don't need to see every step of the way. Transition can be hard, daunting, and even scary. As someone who actually likes change, I already feel a bit overwhelmed at all this year is going to pack in. I feel overwhelmed with research and decisions. And so, The Year of Transition reminds me that it IS a transition year. And in transition, I can find great joy. So as I look forward to 2022, The Year of Transition reminds to me 1) Trust in God's sovereignty in all things 2) let go of the need to control all decisions and 3) walk in Joy - even when it's an uncomfortable season. A few verses I’ve been looking at as I pray through my to do list has been: A Time for Everything 3 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: 2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; 3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6 a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 7 a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace." - Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 "He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding" - Daniel 2:21 "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and ...

It's finally that time of year again: We are here today to announce the 2022 reading challenge and chat about this year's reading. We will discuss our goals, making new goals, and some exciting changes to the 2022 reading challenge (it's going to be so much fun)!! Listen in here: Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. What’s New This Year In an effort to inspire more reading, and to do it as a community, we are introducing a community aspect for the first time ever! We've always wanted to do this, but now is our year!! The community group will kick off on January 1st. You can join our community in the meantime here ---> FindingJoyCommunity.com In the community, we will all be able to update on our progress, share new favorite books and ask for book recommendations in categories. Jason and I will also be publishing detailed book lists throughout the year and posting our book reviews of our books we read throughout the year!! Next exciting change: You will determine your goal for the year and then compete against yourself for some fun little prizes. If you hit your quarterly goal, we'll have stickers, magnets, and bookmarks you can win for free and add to your next store order!! It's going to be super fun. I'll be unveiling quarter one's prize soon! BONUS: I'll have a reading planner PDF to download for FREE as part of the challenge. I'm almost done with it and will release it into the community as soon as it's done!! It has places for book summaries, tracking your reading goals, favorite quotes, and more. Jason & Jami's 2021 Reading Goal: We both set big goals for this year, and neither of us are hitting it! But that's okay because I feel like we both had great reading years. And that's really all that matters. Jason's read (so far): 93 books for the year Jami's read (so far): 97 books for the year 2022 Christian Reading Challenge Here’s how it works: You will find the reading challenge below. You’ll see that we’ve given you two tracks – 13 books or 26! This is either reading one book every four weeks or one book every two weeks. If you want to do 52 books (one a week) you can easily adjust for that as well. A note about fiction: This year we’ve included fiction categories per your request! I think fiction is hard because all of us are going to have different tastes in what fiction we prefer. You can find some of our favorite Christian Fiction books here. But feel free to substitute any fiction books or series that you enjoy. Pick Your Level: I know each of us has different reading levels and time for reading, so I created two different tracks you can follow. 13 Books a Year – This works out to 1 book every 4 weeks. If you have no habit of reading right now or have no idea you will fit reading time into your busy schedule, then this is a great level to begin with. Pick one book every 4 weeks and commit to getting it down within that time. 26 Books a Year – If you want to tackle a bigger challenge, then this level will get you reading 1 book every two weeks throughout the year. It’s still a very doable reading track but will challenge you to stay on track! If you want to follow this plan, read one book from each list every month. So in January, read book #1 and book #14! This way everyone can read through and follow along with books #1-13 together. Here are the categories: Christian Living Marriage Parenting/Family Life Theology Fiction Biography/History Spiritual Disciplines Christian Classics Church History *If you are not a parent or are not married, then scroll down and fill in those spots with other fantastic book suggestions from the other categories. Book Recommendations Per Category: Christian Living:

Are you ready to get planning for 2022? Maybe you are like my guest today who has already done all her 2022 planning, or maybe you are like me and you've done zero planning yet 😅 Either way, you are going to love this interview with Elizabeth Santelmann from A Sunshine in My Nest. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: Visit Elizabeth's blog Sunshine in my Nest Follow Elizabeth on Instagram Our Sponsor: Go to StoryWorth.com/homemaking and save $10 on your first purchase! Our Sponsor: Go to GreenChef.com/homemaking10 and use code homemaking10 to get 10 Free Meals including free shipping!

Welcome back to the 3rd episode in our mini series: The Family & Culture: How to bring glory to God within our households in a hostile culture. Last week we talked about how we can learn to be BRAVE women in our current age (And why it's so important to do so)! Today we are doing the second part of bravery: How we can take examples from Scripture to see how to be brave. Bravery is something that isn't built into our culture. For the most part, we haven't had to be brave in our lifetime and don't know how to prepare the next generation for what may be coming. So let's journey into Scripture to get bolstered up that we CAN be brave through the Holy Spirit - and how that impacts our households. Let's dive in: Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Our culture is becoming increasingly hostile to Christians. I think we've all seen this building in the past 10-20 years but many of us have been left shocked at how quickly it has ramped up in the past 2 years. I'm raising 6 young kids in this world and as I look into the future, I can be fearful for the world that they will be handed and what it will look like for them raising my grandkids. I know so many have felt this fear that I've heard time and again from women questioning if they should even have any more kids or even from young couples wondering if they should have children at all. But we are NOT living in unprecedented times It's been the thing to say the past 2 years that we are living through unprecedented times. Well no, we aren't. Plagues and pandemics are nothing new, in fact this is an extremely mild pandemic. Political strife and unrest is nothing new, in fact, it's been far worse at many times in our own countries history. Riots and looting are nothing new, in fact, our parents and grandparents have lived through many riots in their days. Very generation thinks they are unique, but the truth is, what we've been going through will hardly be a blip in history. In fact, the only reason I think anyone will read about the past 2 years in the future is how egreasgously the whole thing has been handled. I don't downplay the loss and devestation that many have suffered the past 2 years. There has been real grief and heartache. But because of social media especially, it can all feel a whole lot worse than it is. And is a constant presence every single second. In episode 19 we talked about how and when we should carry each other's burdens. And in that episode, we cover a good talk on social media and how it's caused a lot of problems for our generation. And then in episode #15 we take a look at the Christian responses to the Black Plague, early Greco-Roman plagues, and Emperor Nero. It's a good one if you need a dose of perspective. And in episode #16 we take it further to see how we should be looking into the future. If you need some more encouragement after this episode, dive into those two! Now turning to Scripture SO, today we are going to look at some brave acts in Scripture. But the real hero we are going to see, isn't Daniel or Abraham, it's God. Too often, we focus so much on the Bible characters. We focus on their story instead of what their story tells us about God. So let's see how acts of bravery are actually acts of our gracious God. When we can understand that, and walk boldly knowing that God is sovereign and is making a path ahead of us and that nothing will happen outside of His will, then we can be BRAVE women and build up BRAVE families. Learning from Daniel "Purpose of Writing: In 605 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon had conquered Judah and deported many of its inhabitants to Babylon – Daniel included. Daniel served in the royal court of Nebuchadnezzar and several rulers who followed Nebuchadnezzar. The Book of Daniel records the actions, prophecies, and visions of the Prophet Daniel."

Welcome to the second part in our new series: The Family & Culture: How to bring glory to God within our households in a hostile culture. Last week, we took a deep dive into the joys & duties of a Christian household and it was a good introduction to this topic. We've got some terrific topics coming up in this series. But today we are tackling a really important lesson for all of us today: We need to be brave in faith before the Lord. We need to lead and love our families with Bravery. We need to teach and train our kids to be brave. And it starts with us. Listen in today: Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. We need to learn how to be brave. We need to be brave women. We need to be brave mothers. We need to help inspire our men to be brave. And we need to instill bravery in our children as they grow. We need to be brave, in order to follow God's leading. Especially in an increasingly hostile culture. If we don't cultivate bravery, we may very well bow the knee to false gods and idols. Learning how to be brave in a hostile culture Something that the past 2 years has brought to a lot of our attention is how hostile our culture is against Christians. We've become so use to comfort and ease, that with the world getting a little shaking, we don't know how to respond. We need to become braver. We need to become brave Christians. And THIS is going to heavily affect how we respond now and especially into the future. We've seen this shift in the western world over the past 20 years. Those perhaps in the UK or Australia have been feeling this shift for a decade. And those of us here in the US are finally feeling it now as well. "This world is not my home, I'm just a-passing through. My treasures are laid up Somewhere beyond the blue. "In reality, for us in the English-speaking West this world has tended to feel very much like home and our treasures have been right before our eyes. But now we are finally facing the fact that this broken, sinful world in which we live is not actually our home - that what the Bible says concerning believers in this world is really true: That we really are aliens and that we really are strangers. The fact of the matter is that it has been true that we are strangers in and to this world. It has just been clouded, obscured by the size and influence and legal protection of the church in most of the Western world. But this world is not actually our home. We're not supposed to be treating this life the way other people treat it, as if this is the be-all and end-all of everything, or as if as Christians we can have a comfortable, respectable, prosperous life here and look forward to even more of those things in eternity. "Secularism pushes back again and again against what the Bible says about sexual ethics, about salvation, about education, about the role and reach of the state, or about matters of public welfare. Public opinion has turned against Christians." - Brave by Faith We've become so comfortable in our world, that we are not ready or willing to make sacrifices. I can't even begin to count how many times those around me (and myself) have uttered the past 2 years "I just can't wait until things get back to normal." But what if God is teaching us some profound truths through all of this. What if he is exposing the true Church, cutting the wheat from the chaff and teaching all of us in the Western world how to stand firm in the Lord once again. But God is Sovereign. He is in control. He is foreseeing all that is happening and He is working it all out to His Glory (and for our good to those of us in His Church). We freak out at the slightest inconvenience. We fear for the future and what kind of society our kids will inherit. I'm not saying it's wrong to speculate about what's coming and it's certainly not wrong to be proactive in protecti...

Welcome to my new series here on the podcast: The Family & Culture: How to bring glory to God within our households in a hostile culture. We are at a time, as a society and as the Church, where we need to be thinking really critically about our families, our households, and the larger culture. We need to figure out how and when we are going to interact with the culture and what it means to share the Gospel and also protect our families. This is a BIG and incredibly important topic, so today kicks off an entire series on this topic. In this series that will span into 2022, we will cover topics like: Equipping our family to be brave for the coming future, How to prepare your family to weather the storm in a hostile culture, how to prepare your home to nurture your family, The mother's role in developing a family culture, The father's role, The children's role and responsibility, defending our faith, and more! Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. So today we are kicking off this discussion first by discussing the household. After all, that's what this podcast is for, Finding Joy in Your Home...all for God's Glory! So then, as we jump into these even greater topics, I want to first make sure we see how essential the household is. In the past 50 years or so, Christianity in the West has become progressively more individualistic. We've wanted to shed any ideas of religion in favor or a "relationship". We want to emphasize our own personal walks with the Lord over corporate walks. We've lost how community oriented the Christian life is suppose to be and this has deeply affected our households and how we teach our children about Christ. We need to fight for the households again. We need to fight hard for time as a family, time with our kids, time to slowly teach them about Christ. We've become a very individualistic society that goes a thousand separate ways. And in some ways, I think this has been made worse the past 2 years. We need to start thinking to our great grand children. What are we building for future generations? How are we training up parents and grandparents. Over the course of the next couple of hundred of years, I cannot even begin to calculate how many descendants that Jason and I will have. The Whole Armor of God 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. Ephesians 6:10-20 There are great joys in a Christian household. There is fellowship and intimacy. There is working through problems and conflicts as Christians. There is the deep love and support of a life lived for Christ. There are male and female,

In between series here on the podcast, we are sneaking in a holiday episode. Are you READY and excited for the holidays? Or perhaps dreading the effort and the time coming up? Whether you feel excited or are dreading the upcoming holidays, we can all use a good dose of perspective for finding Joy in the Lord this year! Listen in: Listen to the Podcast: You can find all the links and notes for this episode below! Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. A call to be generous & servant hearted "In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” - Acts 20:35 We can witness to unsaved family and friends this way and be a good model for our kids. "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." - Matthew 5:16 We are called to use the life and resources that God has given us to serve. "You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh ; rather, serve one another humbly in love." - Galatians 5:13 Examine our expectations With this in mind, let's be ultra clear on what our expectations are for the holidays. Many of us go into the day with grand ideas and an agenda. We have a picture of how this family get together will be and what we will do. Plans don't always go our way. So plan for the day, expect God's glory to be shone, and let all the little things go. If we have unrealistic expectations, the holidays will never be fun and we will probably be upset or angry. Let's remember to serve and glorify God with these days. Remember those who are hurting this holiday season I never understood how hard the holidays could be until my mom passed away. My eyes were opened to the fact that the holidays can be incredible for so many and incredibly sad for so many others. Look out for who you can serve. Who needs some encouragement or a hug this holiday season? Who doesn't have any family to spend the holidays with? Watch for ways that you and your family can serve. Make the holidays about Christ I love November and December. I adore putting up Christmas lights and walking down the oldest street in town, hot chocolate in hand, and ooing over all the lights and houses. I love Christmas carols and sitting by the fire. I love the ambiance and the time of year. But above all of those things, we love Christ. And as in everyday life, we should seek to make the holidays firmly about Christ. Let's make sure to center our celebrations and our joy around HIM. Christmas carols: https://uribrito.com/optimism-christmas-carols/ I have a few goals as I head into the holiday season: Recognize that this is a busy season. This is not the time for mama to kick her feet up and have the perfect holiday. It's the time we can serve and love our families in the best possible way. Adjust your expectations accordingly. If you go into this season with the right perspective, it can change everything. I want to have a servants heart - and look for ways I can serve Bring my family together. More family time, not less, is my goal during the busy holiday season. For our young ages, this sometimes looks like saying no to friends things so we can just be home as a family of 8 together. Finally and most importantly: Bring glory to God. Make our mission about Christ in all we do. From thanksgiving praises, to working hard in the kitchen, from thinking ahead as to how we can be a blessing at relatives houses, to being the first to offer to clean up, from focusing on Scripture to singing joyful Christmas caroles together: We can aim to be bring glory to God in everything we do. Cleaning House for the Holidays sermon series: Gaining a clear consciences before God Finding relief from regrets