By His Grace
A Wife Like Me

A Wife Like Me

Hey Friends,

I have some exciting news to share with you! There has been so much going on behind the scenes at MistyPhillip.com. We have big changes coming soon and  I can’t wait to share it all with you! Stay tuned for details coming soon.

First, I want to share a project that I am collaborating on. Recently, I joined Amanda Davison and several other prominent faith bloggers as a monthly contributor at A Wife Like Me. Please join me in praying that this will be a place for wives to find biblical answers for the problems they are facing.

Come join the fun at A Wife Like Me

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A Wife Like Me’s mission is to create thriving marriages by providing life-changing biblical truths and tools for wives. My first post is  The Strategy You Need to Create Your Vision as a Wife which casts:

A Vision for Wifehood.

Do you have a well-defined understanding of the purpose and plans as a wife? Do you have clarity about what you value? About your goals or dreams about how you would like to become a better wife?

Without having a vision for wifehood, your walk as a wife will not be rooted with direction. Wisdom in the book of Proverbs says that the people perish without a vision. “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” – (Proverbs 29:18 KJV)

If you want your relationship with your husband to thrive, then you must have a plan to attain that goal.

To read the rest of this article on A Wife Like Me:  The Strategy You Need to Create Your Vision as a Wife

Join us on this journey to walk out wifehood together! While you are there be sure to check out the latest inspiring posts, wife groups, and be sure to download your free scripture journal.

If you know are a wife longing for community or know a wife who needs encouragement please share A Wife Like Me with them!

My Vision for Wifehood

My vision as a wife has changed over the years. At this stage in my life my first to priority as a wife is to be in the word because without Jesus filling my cup first, I have nothing to pour out on my husband, family, or anyone else for that matter.

To best the wife that I can be I need to make sure that I am taking care of myself. Make sure I am getting enough rest, eating well, and exercising. When I am tired everything seems much worse then it really is.

I find if I don’t eat well, drink lots of water and exercise then I am not functioning as the best version of myself.  In order to be the best wife I can be, I must exercise self-care. Unfortunately, I had to learn this lesson the hard way by putting everyone’s needs before my own and burning out. Self-care is not selfish!

I want to be attentive to my husband’s needs. For my husband, this means cooking his favorite foods, sending him thoughtful notes of encouragement, and making myself available to him.

Do you have a vision for your marriage? Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish” I would love to hear what your vision of wifehood looks like. Share it below so that we can encourage one another as wives.

Much Love,

Celebrating God’s Role as Father

Celebrating God’s Role as Father

Father’s Day is a time to honor our Dad’s. As we honor our earthly Father,’s can you think of a better day to honor our Heavenly Father?

God is portrayed throughout the Bible as The Father. We see him in The Old Testament, as the Father of the Nation of Israel. As seen in several OT passages for example in Deuteronomy 32:6,  “Do you thus repay the LORD, you foolish and senseless people? Is not he your father, who created you, who made you and established you?”.

According to the HELPS-word Studies, Abbá – “Father,” also used as the term of tender endearment by a beloved child – i.e. in an affectionate, dependent relationship with their father; “daddy,” “papa.”

Father’s Day is a time to honor our Dad’s. As we honor our earthly Father,’s can you think of a better day to honor our Heavenly Father?

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Jesus refers to God as Abba father in the following New Testament passages.

And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” – Mark 14:36

“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself  bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,” – Romans 8:15-16

“And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”” – Galatians 4:6

The concept of the Fatherhood of God is used over 165 times in the New Testament and 15 times in the Old Testament. We also see the use of the term Father in the earliest church councils. The Apostles Creed  begins, ”I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth”  Jesus even used the term Father when He modeled for us how to pray in the Lord’s prayer, “Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed by thy name.”

God the Creator of the Universe is Father to the Jewish nation of Israel, He is the Father to Jesus our Savior and He is Father to us all. We are all His precious children and He loves us with an everlasting love. 

This Father’s Day as we honor our earthly Father’s let us remember that we are all God’s children and that He is our loving Heavenly Father. One way that we can honor our Heavenly Father for Father’s day is to love his children with the same love we have for Him. 

To all of the Dad’s out there, have a happy Father’s Day!

Philanthropy Home

Philanthropy Home

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I just got back from visiting Franklin, Tennessee which is an idyllic Norman Rockwell kind of historic downtown outside of Nashville and couldn’t wait to tell you all about it!  Franklin is the home of the flagship Philanthropy Clothing store and the brand new Philanthropy Home store.

Philanthropy Home

Philanthropy Home

From the moment you walk into one of the Philanthropy stores, you can instantly sense that there is something different about their stores. You may find similar merchandise in other stores, but what sets Philanthropy apart is the heart of its founder Christina Martin. She is a kingdom-minded woman whose passion is to honor and serve the Lord well through her business which happens to be clothing and home goods stores. However, you will often hear her say, “It is not about the clothes!”. In fact, I have heard her say on more than one occasion that it is not about the clothes. She is a mission-minded woman with a heart that loves Jesus and loves people!

Philanthropy began as a way to try to help infuse life into a dying downtown and give back to the community but has become so much more! Philanthropy is a family oriented business with Christ being the head of the family. While Philanthropy is a retail business the heart of philanthropy is a ministry, and the countenance of Christina and her employees all radiated Jesus.

I love the way Christina incorporates old world design with contemporary elements and a comfortable farmhouse flair. With worship music playing throughout the stores an atmosphere is set that is a feast for your senses with much attention given to every detail.

Prayer is foundational to Philanthropy and everything they do, they have incorporated prayer walls and prayer chapels complete with stain glassed windows where shoppers are encouraged to leave a prayer request and pray for the needs of others.

While I was there I sat down and interviewed Christina for my podcast, and I can not wait to share it with you! The By His Grace podcast will be launching later this summer so stay tuned for details.

If you are ever in the Nashville area, be sure to check out Historic Downtown Franklin and visit both the Philanthropy Home store and flagship clothing store. While you are there stop by the chapel and leave a prayer request and take time to pray for others.

Thanks for visiting By His Grace today if you need prayer please leave a comment below and I would love to pray for you!

Much Love,

Courageous Women of the Bible

Courageous Women of the Bible

Recently there has been a slew of books that have come to market and several blog post series about being brave, fearless, and courageous. I believe we are living in a time where God is speaking to His daughters and calling them to live boldly in their faith by looking beyond their circumstances for such a time as this. Understanding who we are in Christ and boldly trusting God to live courageously for HIM!

From the moment I picked up Courageous Women of the Bible: Leaving Behind Fear and Insecurity For a Life of Confidence and Freedom by Latan Roland Murphy, I knew this was an extraordinary book and couldn’t wait to dive in.

I began highlighting and underlining words that ooze with wisdom from the first few pages in the introduction. Words that caused me to pause. Words I needed to hear at this very moment my journey with the Lord. Words I know my sisters need to hear.

Latan sets the stage by laying down these principles in the introduction.

Courage advances us into opportunities we would otherwise shrink back from and avoid.

Courage comes as we point our feet toward the path leading to obedient living

When we cannot do it all perfectly, we can do all that we do courageously

As we draw wisdom from past mistakes, we can make courageous future choices

Godly courage is mobilized by an obedient spirit- knowing the power of God is greater than the circumstances we face

Courageous behavior comes as we realize we are living for a higher cause, greater good, and better story that is being written across our beautifully imperfect lives

“Courage by God’s standards is the ability to act, regardless of human fear or frailty, and enables us to do supernatural things because we are not acting alone – God is with us. And sometimes, godly courage is manifested in the ability to not act outwardly, but to wait, pray and be still in God’s presence. To linger, listen, seek His best way to live. Real godly courage is laced with an attitude of obedient gratitude, knowing that He is able to lead, guide, and direct our lives.”

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Latan then examines the lives of eleven courageous women of the Bible and challenges the reader to think about her own life and how these brave women of the Bible can help her to grow in her faith. Come sit at the feet of each of these women and soak in the goodness.

Deborah

The Woman with an Issue of Blood

The Widow with Two Coins

Jael

Abigail

Bathsheba

The Samaritan Woman

Mary Mother of Jesus

The Shulammite Woman

Jochebed

The Shunammite Woman

Through the study of these eleven women, Latan provides thought-provoking study questions along with interactive journal questions to take you deeper into your faith.

From the back cover. “Whether you’re facing struggles with singleness, the mounting challenges of marriage and motherhood, health issues, a financial crisis – God has equipped you to walk in freedom and confidence as you abide in Him, strengthened by His power and provision.”

LaTan Roland Murphy is an award-winning author and speaker and has been featured in WHOA women’s magazine and numerous other publications. She is the author of Becoming a Woman of Interior Elegance and co-author of God’s Provision in Tough Times. She is also the founder of The Colors of His Love Women’s Conference. She and her husband, Joe, have three adult children and two delightful grandchildren. They live in Raleigh, North Carolina. She would love for you to stop by and visit her on her website at latanmurphy.com.

A special thank you to LaTan Roland Murphy, Bethany House Publishers, and The Blog About network for providing me with a copy of Courageous Women of the Bible: Leaving Behind Fear and Insecurity For a Life of Confidence and Freedom to review and one to give away.

To be entered to win share this post and leave a comment below stating which of these eleven women in Courageous Women of the Bible you most likely relate to and why! The giveaway will run until June 15th, 2018, and the winner will be randomly selected from the entries and will be announced on this post.

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