Above Rubies Mini-Newsletter #1

Dear Above Rubies reader,

I trust you enjoyed the latest magazine, #100! Although it was a Campbell family magazine for the 100^th issue, I still did not have room to include everyone in the family. And already, there are so many updates.

So here goes for an appendix to Above Rubies #100. You’ll love catching up on all the news, I am sure.

Sorry it has taken me so long to get this to you. Life seems to get busier and busier. Life becomes fuller as the family grows—so many functions with bridal showers, weddings, baby showers, birthdays, anniversaries, and family get-togethers and so on. I better get his done as I am ready now to begin the next issue of Above Rubies.

By the way, because I am now working on the next magazine, I am open to receiving articles, testimonies regarding marriage and motherhood and homemaking that will bless other wives and mothers. Please send them to me immediately at nancy@aboverubies.org. Thank you.

I’ll now go through the pages of this magazine with updates.

ABOVE RUBIES PHONE NUMBER

Ladies, if you have been trying to call us at Above Rubies and can’t get through, here is the correct number: 931 729 9861

You can call this number for questions, orders, or to give a donation.

FRONT COVER and Pages 15 – 18.

Don’t you love the front cover with these beautiful mothers and babies? They are truly a testimony of Psalm 113:9: “He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the LORD.”

MOLLY HIGURASHI (Megan’s sister): Molly and Riku are expecting their second baby boy in October.

Molly is into making sour dough breads. She is amazing. These sisters are very creative.

MEGAN BARRET: Megan is now into sewing beautiful dresses, and especially smocked dresses. Don’t you love the smocked dresses which are so popular now? I haven’t got one myself yet, but I’d like to sometime.

This is little Isla who is growing up.

CHALICE ALLISON: Chalice gave birth to her second baby girl on the 18^{th of} March, 9 lbs. 12 oz. Her name is Winsome Rose, and she is a bonny little baby and putting on pounds by the day.

Little Marvel kissing her new sister. Chalice is really mothering two babies!

ADDIE ALLISON: Addie and Isaiah are looking forward to their second baby in August.

This is little Solomon their firstborn.

******************************************************

This is the wonderful thing about family life. It is never stagnant. There is always new life coming on. This is how it is meant to be.

FROM OUR HOME TO YOURS

ZADOK AND CLAIR JOHNSON

Page 3 shows the picture of Zadok and Clair. They are now married. It was the most glorious marriage with the service outside in the woods and then we had the reception in the wedding barn. The guests were taken to the glorious spot in the woods by tractor trailers.

You will enjoy reading Clair’s story of how God brought them together. Get your young people to read this!

“God write my story, write my love story.” This was the cry of my heart since I was 15 years old. Then in 2018 God gave me a plan during one of the hardest seasons of my life, a vision for raising and training up the next generation of courageous, skilled, and dedicated lovers of God, while also traveling to the toughest places on the planet and bringing God’s radical love through answering medical needs. This was bigger than I could dream. But they say that it isn’t a God- sized dream without room for God in it.

I prayed and said, “God, my whole life is for you. I will do whatever you ask and go wherever you ask me to go, but please don’t make me do it alone.” I wanted to be married. I wanted to change lives with the love of my life, but I was willing to lay all of that down for the true lover of my soul, JESUS. It was at this point that my mindset shifted from just saying I was ok not being married to actually meaning it, because Jesus was truly my everything. I didn’t need a husband to be fulfilled. Jesus was enough. Jesus held me when I felt sad. Jesus guided my life. Jesus was all I wanted, and I was unwilling to settle for “good enough” instead of God’s best.

At this place, I was blessed to do adventures many had not done at my age, travel to places where an old man had never seen an American before and inspire people four times my age to have vision and not try to be normal. Trust me, Jesus wasn’t normal so who said we are supposed to be?

In all of this I was thinking, “God, I’m serving you, but I know you didn’t design me to do this alone.” I had been praying since I was 15 for my future husband and at times I wondered if they were pointless prayers. I thought that maybe I was too unique, adventurous, and sold-out-for-God for there to possibly be a man out there for me.

Little did I realize that all that I was doing was actually preparing me to marry Zadok. I had to learn the skills I was learning to be able to come alongside him as his righthand woman and wife. I didn’t live waiting for my knight in shining armor, actually the exact opposite. Instead of waiting for the “right one” I decided to become the woman of God that a man of God would want to marry.

Then through an absolute hand of God, I was brought my husband. It took no striving, no trying, but simply waiting on the Lord and trusting Him fully! God brought me Zadok, the perfect husband for me. I didn’t have to change who I was to marry him, but now I get to walk hand in hand with him as we get to live God’s adventure together as husband and wife! My life has become enriched and better than I imagined. I now get to run the most amazing training program for young men and women with my husband (Bible, Survival, Combat.)

If I could say one thing!

GOD SEES AND HEARS THE FERVENT PRAYER OF THE RIGHTEOUS!

Whatever it is in life that you are waiting for and seeking God for, know that He sees you. Live each day as an adventure. Wake up with a heart of excitement for each moment knowing that this is the day that the Lord has made! Everyone has a different story, showing the evidence of God’s hand on their life. Whether you are single, newly married, or a mom with 10 children, each one of us gets to choose to embrace the uniqueness of God’s vision for our lives.

We don’t know what it will look like, but that’s the beauty of it, the most beautiful God adventure of our lives. Daily walking in step with His voice over our lives in every single “small” aspect. We can choose to live normally and comfortably, or we can choose to live His adventure. I keep hearing “choose you this day whom you will serve” from Joshua 24. Today will you serve JESUS? Or will you choose to serve the options of others and the pressures of society? Serving God makes you look like the odd ball out and sometimes makes you feel alone, but isn’t that what we signed up for when we said the sinner’s prayer? A life of high reward that requires everything.

Wait on the Lord and be of good courage and He will blow your mind with His

unimaginable blessings! Trust me, if you can think it up then you’re playing small because OUR KING is bigger than our imagination.

CLAIR JOHNSON

clairenkoch@gmail.com

BIBLE – SURVIVAL – COMBAT

Zadok and Clair are looking forward to doing their courses BSC (BIBLE – SURVIVAL – COMBAT) courses this year. Go to this link for the dates:

www.bsccourse.com

To watch a YouTube video about the vision, go to:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5FvRtxY-y9A

Cedar and Halle were married on 17 December 2022. My husband was blessed to marry them as he has our children and many of the grandchildren. Cedar is Serene and Sam Allison’s son and Halle is the daughter of Allison and Daniel Hartman, the couple who organize the popular Above Rubies family retreat in Florida.

This retreat is coming up so soon, but I think there is still a little room. Here is the contact if you want to come.

aboverubiesgulfcoast@gmail.com

Registration link:

https://forms.gle/iERkREjdmgkA6D1V7

The wedding was held in a green house which they set up just in time for the wedding. It looked amazing. The only trouble was it was a freezing day in Florida! But the wedding was glorious.

You will see the big wedding party. What do you do when both the bride and groom come from big families?

Cedar and Halle are now so excited (as we all are) to be expecting their first baby in September.

CHANEL JOHANSSON (my oldest granddaughter). Chanel and Ben are so looking forward to their little baby boy coming mid-April. We enjoyed a lovely baby shower for her last Sunday afternoon.

Four of the cousins at Chanel’s baby shower:

Top: Chanel waiting for her baby boy.

L. to r: JoJo and Gaby (sisters). Gaby and Greg are blessed with little Shiloh. Grace who is Chanel’s sister.

OUR SONS

You don’t usually see many pictures of our sons in the Above Rubies magazines. They don’t write about being a wife or mother! I included some this time. Here is another one of our three sons together with my husband.

And recently I did a podcast with Michael Tait, the leader singer of the Newsboys. Each one of my podcasts, LIFE TO THE FULL w/ Nancy Campbell begins and ends with a snippet from the beautiful song, IN THAT HOME which Michael wrote about his mother. I decided it was time to interview Michael in person and play the full song for our listeners.

But because the Newsboys is owned and managed by our sons, Wes and Stephen Campbell, I asked Michael to tell any secrets he has about them. So if you want to find out more, listen to this podcast.

Photo: Michael Tait with our son, Stephen and Grandson, Oliver.

You will also love to hear the story of the song and I will include the words here for you. And of course, the link to the podcast:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/183665/12447259

There was a home in town

Where broken kids, the lost and found

Would come from miles around

Just to see what love was all about

‘Cause Mamma had a way of makin' things okay

She'd cook us our favorite meal

Sit and listen to how we feel

Oh, how the pain was real

How many families will the devil steal?

Momma had a way of makin’ things okay

In that home

We knew we were safe

To be young enough to dream

Find the faith to believe

And in that home

Love, it had no end

It's where we learned to forgive

In that home

Momma always had the music on

Sometimes loud [maybe as loud as the Newsboys!] sometimes soft

When I asked her 'bout her favorite song

She opened the Bible to the book of Psalms

She always found a way to talk about grace

And on that day I got the news

That Momma's stay here was almost through

I stayed all night by her side

Held her hand, looked in her eyes

And said, Momma

When you're home

I know you'll be safe

Strong enough to see

The faith that you believed

And in that home

Life will have no end

I know I'll see you again

In that home

Colin and I also recently celebrated our 60^th wedding anniversary (2 March). We celebrated our anniversary with our children and their spouses by going out to a meal together. It was a glorious evening of fellowship and discussion, mostly about marriage! And then speeches. Speeches are always part of our birthday celebrations.

And then we were blessed with a surprise party with all the family and many friends. It was also an amazing night of food and fellowship and once again, amazing speeches.

LIFE TO THE FULL WITH NANCY CAMPBELL

Do you listen to the podcast? It comes out every Tuesday morning and I know you will be so blessed.

I think you would also enjoy a couple of podcasts I did with Kevin and Bonnie Kookogey about raising our children to speak. You can also check them out:

PREPARING YOUR CHILDREN TO SPEAK IN THE GATES, Part 1

https://www.buzzsprout.com/183665/12354665

PREPARING YOUR CHILDREN TO SPEAK IN THE GATES, Part 2

https://www.buzzsprout.com/183665/12354676

PAGE 3

ARDEN AND ESTHER ALLISON

You will be excited to know that Esther’s Trim Healthy Mama cookbook, TRIM HEALTHY INDULGENCES (The Art of a Masterful Dessert) is now available.

The other night our granddaughter, Breeze came over to home and Breeze and Rylee (my Above Rubies helper) made one of the recipes, the Chocolate Swiss Role. So decadent and wonderful.

And yes, you’ll be able to make your own ESTHER’S CAKE OF WONDERS! Although will we ever be able to make it as good as she does?

Go to this link to purchase the book:

https://store.trimhealthymama.com/product/trim-healthy-indulgence/

UPDATE ON PEARL, Page 6 – 8

Pearl is working hard writing her book called TRIM HEALTHY WISDOM although both Serene and Pearl and in the throes of setting up TRIM HEALTHY MEDICAL and that is taking most of their time lately.

Pearl and Charlie celebrating their 29^th wedding anniversary.

WHAT IS A WOMAN? PAGES 10, 11.

A few more thoughts to add about womanhood. Did you know that God calls mothering and homemaking a BEAUTIFUL doctrine?

THE BEAUTIFUL DOCTRINE

Does doctrine relate to us in our everyday lives? This last week I memorized 2 John 1:9: “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.” What a profound Scripture. It’s all in a nutshell. If we live in the doctrine, we are in Christ. If we don’t, we don’t belong to Him.

Often, we think of doctrine as a theological subject, but the doctrine the Bible talks about is practical, down to earth, and relates to our everyday lives. God uses four adjectives to describe doctrine.

SOUND DOCTRINE

Titus 2:1 says: “Speak thou the things which become sound doctrine” and then Paul exhorts Titus to tell the older men how to live, the older and younger women how to live, and the young men and servants how to live. It’s all to do with how we live. Also read 1 Timothy 1:10; 2 Timothy 4:3; and Titus 1:9.

GOOD DOCTRINE (1 Timothy 4:6)

GODLY DOCTRINE (1 Timothy 6:3)

And best of all . . .

BEAUTIFUL DOCTRINE

And ladies, this one relates specifically to us as women—and in the home! It’s the doctrine God wants the older women to teach the younger women—to love their husbands, love their children, to be submissive to their husbands, and to be keepers at home! And yes, this is what God calls beautiful doctrine.

The older women are to be “teachers of good things.” The word is kalos and means “beautiful, valuable, goodness.” God says the doctrine of loving our husbands and children and embracing our home duties is a beautiful thing!

Dear mother, your life in your home is a beautiful life. Well, you may not feel that you are experiencing this, but often it is because of your own wrong thinking. However when you EMBRACE God’s perfect plan of welcoming the children He gives you—nurturing, training, and caring for them, and doing it with joy—you begin to walk in the beauty and fullness of this glorious life God has for you.

BUT HOW DO WE DO IT?

WE MUST ABIDE IN THE DOCTRINE (2 John 1:9).

That means to live in it.

WE MUST CONTINUE STEADFASTLY IN THE DOCTRINE (Acts 2:42 and 1 Timothy 4:16).

We don’t just read about it but make it part of our lives. We don’t do it for a day and give up but persistently keep on each new day.

WE MUST TAKE HEED TO THE DOCTRINE (1 Timothy 4:16 and Titus 1:9).

We pay close attention to what we are to do.

WE MUST HOLD FAST TO THE DOCTRINE (Titus 1:9).

WE MUST DEVOTE OURSELVES TO THE DOCTRINE (1 Timothy 4:13 and 5:17).

For how long do we devote ourselves? This Scripture says until the Lord comes!

GOOD WORKS ARE PART OF DOCTRINE (Titus 2:7).

MIRACLES AND HEALING ARE PART OF DOCTRINE (Matthew 9:35; Luke 4:31, 32; and 5:17).

WE MUST ADORN THE DOCTRINE (Titus 2:10).

YOU’VE GOT TO WEAR IT

Titus 2:10 exhorts us to “adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.” It’s not enough to read the doctrine. It’s not enough to think about the doctrine. We must put it on like a garment and wear it. One commentary says it means to take precious jewels and arrange them in a way to show their beauty.

The New Living Translation says that when we adorn the doctrine that it “will make the teaching about God our Savior ATTRACTIVE in every way.”

God’s Word translation says that “then they will show the BEAUTY of the teachings about God our Savior in everything they do.”

When you make it your lifestyle to love and serve your husband you show the beauty of God’s teaching. When you embrace childbearing and your divine career to nurture and train your children in the home you once again show to the world God’s beautiful doctrine.

When you live a self-controlled and holy life, even in the midst of challenges and trials, you show forth biblical sound doctrine. Doctrine is something that must been seen and evident in our lives.

The big challenge of Titus 3:5 that we either reveal the beauty of the gospel through our lives or we blaspheme the word of God). We either attract people to Jesus or repel them through our actions.

We see the same theme in 1 Peter 3 where it tells us that a wife can win her unbelieving husband to the Lord by the manner of her life and without even a word being spoken.

Is your husband wooed to the Lord through your life? Are your children, and especially your older children, persuaded of God’s truth as they see your daily lifestyle?

How often do we do this? This Scripture says, “in all things.” In the little things of life. In the mundane things of life. In the difficult and trying times of life. When in your flesh you would rather “fly off the handle” but because “Christ is in you” you yield to His life instead of your flesh.

Let’s be those who reveal His beauty in our homes—to our husband and to our children.

That means we wear it. We put it on each new day. God calls sound doctrine embracing the nitty gritty of life—caring for our little ones, managing the home, doing the dishes and laundry, even doing the same thing day after day. You may not feel you are accomplishing great things but remember that little things add up to great things. Faithfulness in little things ends up with responsibility for greater things.

“Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me,

All his wonderful passion and purity,

O thou Spirit divine, all my nature refine,

Till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.”

MEADOW, pages 12-13

Meadow’s three little ones: Warren, Raymond, and Ruby.

Meadow’s song “I Am Changed”

Link - https://song.link/i/1616398609

Meadow writes: “A couple of years ago, the Lord revealed to me what it means to find my identity in Him. I’ve grown up as a Christian, and I have always had strong convictions about my faith . . . but I realized that year that I hadn’t been fully walking in the freedom that He purchased for me and the new life that He had called me to.

I used to think that being an anxious and fearful person was a part of my nature. I used to think that it was my nature to feel hurt by people easily, because I was sensitive. Yes, that’s the nature of the flesh I have without Christ . . . but why was I trying to bring back that “dead person” if the new person in Christ is one who has a transformed mind, a mind that is dead to fear? And I came to realize that I don’t have to feed the ugly root of hurt and bitterness in my soul anymore because it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.

Now I have a greater revelation of the gospel and what it means to be a Christian (a Christ-follower and one who is Christ-like). My salvation isn’t just about a ticket to heaven, and until that day I’m just the same broken mess while living in the world. No, I came to Him broken . . . but His body was broken to make me whole!

It doesn’t mean I’m perfect. I still have to humble myself and turn to Him when I fall short, and I have to continuously choose to walk in this truth. But it does mean He has renewed my mind. He has put His Holy Spirit in me. His grace empowers me to walk in righteousness. I am a partaker of His divine nature.

Thank you again to Aaron Henningsen and the Makutas for recording with me and having the creative vision to give this song an “anthem” like flare! Thank you to my sister Autumn for helping out with the choir part at the end (she’s the one who hits the really high note). And thank you Mom and Dad for making it possible for me to record this song and share it with everyone!

“So that if any one is in Christ, that one is a new creature; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

I always love to read Meadow’s writings, always so thoughtful. Here is another one she wrote the other day.

PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIANITY

What is progressive Christianity? We hear this term thrown around a lot in this modern age. Is it just another Christian denomination? Or is it a worldview?

Whenever I used to hear “progressive Christians” in the context of cultural wars, I noticed that the Christians who were considered progressive were more open to embrace ideas such as abortion, critical race theory, and LGBTQ lifestyles, all of which are things that contradict the Bible.

Now that I have a better understanding of progressive “Christianity.” it makes perfect sense why these so called “Christians” would embrace these anti-Christian beliefs. It’s because progressive “Christianity” is not Christianity at all.

This isn’t to say that some people who truly love Jesus and believe in the gospel can’t be deceived in certain areas. But ultimately, if they believe God’s word as the number one authority in their lives and seek His word as the source of truth, they are more likely to be sanctified in their understanding of truth and put off false worldly doctrines.

But progressive “Christianity” is different.

Progressive Christianity is not just another Christian denomination. Because while different denominations like Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox, etc., all have different theological beliefs and different interpretations of Scripture, most Christian denominations recognize that Jesus is the only way to the Father and that the Word of God is the ultimate authority. These closed-fisted beliefs are what unites us as all as one body of Christ. We are all Christians (Christ followers).

Progressive Christianity, however, is not another Christian denomination, because it does not even have the definition of Christianity at its core.

So what does it teach?

Progressive “Christianity” denies the Bible to be the Holy word of God and teaches that it is a book written by men about God rather than by God through men.

It rejects absolute truth and believes that if something feels true to you, then it is true.

It rebels against God’s plan for the sexual act to be between one man and one woman in the Holy covenant of marriage, and instead suggests that who you sleep with doesn’t matter as long as there is consent.

It goes so far as to say that God may have made a mistake when he assigned someone’s sex, and we are more loving than God when we affirm someone’s false pronouns.

It downplays the cross by teaching that you don’t have to be saved from your sins . . . you just have to be a good person.

It preaches the gospel of social justice instead of salvation, repentance, and the Kingdom of God.

It teaches that all roads lead to God and that Jesus is not the only way.

It preaches that Jesus was just a moral example to learn from and not the divine son of God.

There is nothing “Christian” about these beliefs. And that is why progressive Christianity is so dangerous.

It is an anti-Christ, self-serving gospel disguised as Christianity.

Because it has nuggets of truth within its lies, it will appeal to many. Because it will sneak its way through Christian schools, universities, and Churches, it will deceive many.

This is a perfect example of wolves in sheep’s clothing and it’s important that we are all aware of it. It’s a strategy the enemy is using to steal souls. And it’s a real threat we’re facing in our culture today.

So what can we do? Our greatest weapon against false teachings is God’s word. When we stay in God’s word, we are more likely to recognize a false teaching before it sows seeds of doubt into our hearts. We must have a defense ready for why we believe in the true gospel. And we need to keep speaking the truth in love, even if the world calls the truth unloving and insensitive.

The world is getting darker, and more people are falling into deception. But the good news is that this is our opportunity to stand out. True Christianity shines even brighter in the darkness.

THE JOYFUL MOTHERS, Pages 15 – 18.

CRUSOE AND STEPHANIE JOHNSON

Stephanie gave birth to her third baby girl on December 4, 2022. Little Simea Nova Johnson weighed in at 7 lbs. 14 oz.

“Stephanie writes: “We are so blessed to have Simea. God gave us an incredibly joyful little girl. She is so quick to smile and lights up the faces of everyone who meets her. Her big sisters adore her, and it is so fun to watch the three of them together. We are so thankful to God for adding Simea to our family.”

I updated the other girls from the Cover Photo.

MY TWIN, RUBY, Pages 19, 20

Serene is now working very hard each day on her new book, TRIM HEALTHY GROW, the optimum diet for mothers during their childbearing years—pregnancy and nursing.

Because Serene and Pearl are so busy with setting up the new TRIM HEALTHY WELLNESS which is going to be such a blessing to thousands, they are not finding as much time as they want to complete their books. But they will eventually come.

Caption: Pearl and Serene with Rashida (their niece) who authored TRIM HEALTHY FUTURE and Esther (Serene’s daughter-in-law), who authored TRIM HEALTHY INDULGENCE.

The HILLTOP FAMILY, Pages 22 – 23.

Cherish gave birth to Legacy Ryker November 9^th, 2022.

Cherish writes: “All my life dreamed of being a mother. I thought I understood the meaning of motherhood but now I realized I wasn't even close. Now as a mother myself I see there is so much more to it. Motherhood can have its exhausting part. I’m sure all of you mothers know what I’m talking about. The constant waking up in the middle of the night and the baby screaming and trying to give him or her the very thing that should stop them, but doesn’t.

But then there are those moments—moments of waking up to your baby cooing and giving the biggest smile he or she could muster. It's these moments that remind you of why you became a mother in the first place. As mothers, we get to raise warriors for the kingdom. What an honor to be chosen for such a task. I'm still fairly new in this journey as a mother but I can assure you it's exciting to be a part of something so wonderful.”

CHERISH FOX

cherishpie18@gmail.com

TIVERIA JOHNSON, page 23.

Tiveria won’t be Tiveria Johnson for much longer. She gets married to Gabe Stoll on the 15 April so we will look forward to another wonderful family wedding.

Caption: Tiveria at her bridal shower.

HAVEN ALLISON, 10 years.

I couldn’t fit Haven’s story in the magazine, but she continually asks me when I am going to post it, so here it is. I’m not sure how I live up to it though!

“I want to say I have the best nana in the whole entire world. When I come over to her place, she gives me a big smile and hug and it warms me up. I love it.

She is full of Christ, and she is nice to be around and there’s so many things that she’s done for me, I can’t even count. She is just amazing in so many wonderful ways and has a beautiful smile.

Nana is nice and calm and lovely and joyful. She is a strong warrior in Christ. And she never gives up!

Oh wait, one more thing. When people say it can’t be done, well, she does it. It’s just amazing to see her do it. She also taught me a poem that I like. I just want to say that she is the best Nana ever.

Now Granddad is the most amazing granddad you can ever find in the whole universe. He has a light inside him that God is shining from him all the time. He is so nice. He gives me a big hug and it is so good, and I love it. He is so nice to be with. God has put a fire in his soul, so I just wanted to say that he is so amazing in so many wonderful ways.”

MY SISTER, KATE, page 26, 27.

My sister, Kate, is now caring for her husband, Terre, who is bedridden with Parkinson’s plus other ailments so this is a new and challenging season for her.

PRAYER BOXES

On page 3 of the magazine I mention that we use prayer boxes each day in our home at Family Devotions. It is such a blessing that really keeps our prayers alive and up to date. I give you a link on page 3 but you may have passed it over. Let me tell you a little more about them here.

DO YOU WANT TO REVOLUTIONIZE PRAYER TIMES IN YOUR HOME?

TRY PRAYER BOXES!

“God forbid that I should sin against the

LORD in ceasing to pray for you”

(1 Samuel 12:23).

Is prayer part of your home? If your home belongs to God, it certainly will be. Jesus said in Mark 11:17: “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” A praying family is God’s family. If we are not a praying family, we may as well be a heathen family! Well, that’s what God’s word says. Check it out in Jeremiah 10:25.

However, I found that when our children were young, we needed to teach them to pray. Little children like to pray for “Mommy and Daddy” and the cat and the dog, etc. We must teach them to widen their horizon of prayer.

Therefore, I made a FAMILY PRAYER BOX. On cards, I wrote the names of each one in the family, including all the extended family—aunts and uncles and grandparents, etc. After reading God’s Word at the end of our meal we passed around the Family Prayer Box and they picked out a card. This is a wonderful way to regularly pray for your whole family. Also, the children love to pick out a card.

But that was only a start. I then made another box to include other people we needed to pray for—missionaries, needs in the nation, and the world. We now passed around two Prayer Boxes for the children to take cards. This gave them inspiration to pray for others beyond their little world and revolutionized their praying.

The years have gone by and now we have nine different prayer boxes in our home. There are so many needs in the nation and the world to pray for that we keep adding boxes.

Let me tell you about each prayer box. I hope you’ll be inspired to make some too, even if it’s not quite as many as we have.

1. OUR FAMILY PRAYER BOX

Every family needs this prayer box. On your prayer cards, write the names of each member of your family, plus extended family—grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. This is a wonderful way to keep our whole extended family bathed in prayer--everyone praying for one another. We are very much aware of God answering our prayers for one another.

2. OUR WORLD CHANGING PRAYER BOX

Write on your prayer cards international needs and missionaries you are praying for. There are so many urgent needs in the world.

Proverbs 14:34 says: “Righteousness exalts a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” Below you can check on an updated link for prayer needs for this nation and the world.

3. OUR PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS PRAYER BOX

This is such a powerful and biblical prayer box to use. There are so many countries persecuting Christians that it is hard to keep up with all the needs of the persecuted church around the world.

Your box will be fat with cards. There are 60 countries persecuting Christians. You may have to alternate these countries in your prayer box. As you research, you will become aware of many specific needs and people to pray for. Don’t forget North Korea who persecute Christians more than any other country in the world.

How can we not pray every day for what is happening through ISIS in Iraq and Syria where Christians face beheadings, rapings, and cruelties beyond measure? No wonder Hebrews 13:3 tells us to pray for those being persecuted as though we were in prison with them and to feel their suffering as though we were suffering their pain in our own body.

4. OUR ISRAEL PRAYER BOX

You cannot be without this Prayer Box either. We are commanded to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6). And remember Isaiah 62: 6,7: “I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: yet that make mention of the LORD, KEEP NOT SILENCE, And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.”

Have you heard of the coming three weeks prayer and fasting for Israel, 7 – 28 May. Check it out at this link: https://isaiah62fast.com

5. OUR NATIONAL PRAYER BOX

We pray for the needs in our nation. We pray for our president and the members of his cabinet. We pray against the evils of the nation such as abortion and homosexuality, etc. We pray for revival and great move of God in our nation. Proverbs 14:24 says: “Righteousness exalts a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.”

6. OUR MARRIAGE AND FAMILY RESTORATION PRAYER BOX

We pray for marriages and families that are going through difficulty or separation. We write their names on the cards and put them in this box. We pray for the restoration and strengthening of marriages.

7. OUR SALVATION AND HEALING PRAYER BOX

Ina this box, we place the names of those who need salvation and healing. We have many cards in this box too.

8. OUR COUNTRIES AND CAPITALS PRAYER BOX

We love to use this box. I write on cards the names of the most strategic capitals and countries of the world. This is also a good way for your children to get to know the capitals of the countries of the world and yet at the same time give them a vision to pray. I also write on the back of the card the name of the Prime Minister or President of that country so we can pray for him too.

The Scripture says that God beholds the nations of the world. We should also be watching over the nations to pray for them. Psalm 8:2 says: “Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.”

9. OUR 10/40 WINDOW PRAYER BOX

The 10/40 Window is the rectangular area of North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, approximately between 10 degrees north and 40 degrees north latitude. These countries include the majority of the world's Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists--a high percentage of the least evangelized and unreached peoples with the Gospel.

It is also called THE LAND BETWEEN THE WALLS, the Great Wall of China and the Western Wall of Jerusalem. There are currently seven billion in the world and two-thirds of them live in this area of the world. Nine out of ten people in the 10/40 Window or The Land Between the Walls have never heard the gospel.

The persecution of Christians in the 10/40 Window has increased by 400 percent over the last 10 years.

These countries include:

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Azerbaijan

Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Brunei, Burkina Faso

Cambodia, Chad, China, Hong Kong China, Macau

Djibouti, East Timor, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia

Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel

Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan

Laos, Lebanon, Libya

Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mongolia, Morocco, Myanmar (Burma)

Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar

Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria

Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan

United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam,

West Bank / Gaza, Western Sahara, Yemen

Wow! Do you know where all these countries are situated? What a great project for you and your children to learn about each one and gradually add to your prayer box. It is a great way for your children to learn about these countries, to get a heart for missions at an early age, and to pray for the lost and the unreached peoples of the world.

10. OUR CHURCH FELLOWSHIP PRAYER BOX

Write cards of the different families in your church who need prayer and encouragement.

11.OUR ABOVE RUBIES PRAYER BOX

We pray for all the different needs of Above Rubies and for each country that receives them. Also for the restoration of marriage and motherhood and family life in the nations of the world.

12. OUR NEIGHBORHOOD PRAYER BOX

Do you have a vision to reach out to your neighbors and community? The best way is to begin with prayer. Write cards for the neighbors you meet who you want to lead to Jesus. As you pray for them, God will show you how He wants you to reach out to them. Maybe He will inspire you to invite them over for a meal to show them God’s love and what it’s like to live in a Christian home.

13. OUR THANK YOU BOX

Our God is a prayer-hearing God. We constantly receive answers to prayer which we then put in Our Thank You Box. We are to come before God with prayer and THANKSGIVING. We should also be a grateful people and never cease to thank the Lord for all His goodness and answers to prayer. I think of the 10 lepers who Jesus healed and yet only on came back to thank Him. Let’s never be guilty of being like the other nine.

BECOME A PRAYING FAMILY

Enlist your children to help make the Prayer Boxes you would like to use in your home--and also writing the cards. You can find old boxes and redecorate them. Children love doing this.

If you have young children, you will find it a good idea to use pictures: missionaries, a certain person you are praying for to be saved or healed, the kind of people who live in different countries, and so on. Also, places (pictures or maps of the countries you are praying for).

One mother of young and older children found a helpful idea. She wrote prayer needs on white cards for the adults and older children and more simple needs on colored cards for the younger children. The younger ones know which cards to choose with more appropriate prayers for them to pray.

Become a world-changing family as you pray for one another and the world. The greatest way to fight the enemies against God and evils by prayer. Leviticus 26:7, 8 tells us that five people (that means a family of father, mother and three children) can tread down 100 enemies. One hundred people (that means only 20 families of five) can put 1,000 to flight! What could happen if every believing family (dads, moms, and children) began to faithfully pray every day for their nation and the world?

PRAYING FAMILIES ARE WORLD-CHANGING FAMILIES!

Check out these links:

http://tinyurl.com/OurPrayerBox

http://tinyurl.com/PrayerInTheHome

http://aboverubies.org/morning-evening-principle

KETURAH’S EXTRAORDINARY SCHOOL FOR GIRLS

(Learning the Things You Wish Grandma Taught You—or where everyday things happen)

Website: https://www.livingroomacademy.com

All classes to register¨: https://www.livingroomacademy.com/register

Support: https://www.livingroomacademy.com/scholarship

Dear mothers and young people,

Mothers, you may want to talk about this with your teen daughters.

It is a wonderful vision which I think is most needed in our society today. It is a vision of Keturah Lamb, a wonderful girl (who lives in Montana) who was an Above Rubies helper here with me on a number of occasions.

Keturah is not the average status quo. She is a lover of homemade things and doing things from scratch. She is a lover of finding the truth and not being lured into the norm of society. She is now an older and mature young lady who has the skills (skills that are being lost to society today) to bless many young girls.

I have encouraged her in this vision which she is now implementing. Read from her personally below and be in touch with her if you are interested ifor your daughters.

~ Nancy Campbell

KETURAH’S BIO:

Keturah Lamb lives the old-fashioned American Dream. She is the oldest of twelve siblings, put on her own homeschooled graduation, then ran a cleaning business between months of travel. She has spent half a year in Germany and car camped for months on end across the states but is most happy at home working on a quilt that’s nearing completion after five years of hand stitching . . . the last touch is attaching hand tatted lace.

She co-hosted the "Rage Against the State" events, organized the "Yellowstone Outpost" in New Hampshire, and is involved in many local grassroot and libertarian organizations.

She writes at the Social Porcupine and has turned her home into The Living Room Academy, a school where young women learn to sew and clean while making time for afternoon walks and reading literature.

READ KETURAH’S STORY

I don’t remember a time when I didn’t tell stories or sew clothes. I certainly never thought of these things as hobbies. Everything was my passion, even if it was a chore, and it all led me and continues to draw me closer to friends and community. I was twelve years old and looking for ways to save money for a hope chest when I found 54 dollars cash in a parking lot. I used that money to buy embroidery supplies then called a radio program once a week offering hand-embroidered tea towels in trade for books or cash. I got plenty of both, but learned many valuable lessons through that experience, among them that it isn’t enough to be as lucky as I was, but that my success was found by jumping on presented opportunities to secure enduring blessings.

I self-diagnose myself as a workaholic, but really, I work solely for the gift of leisure. I've spent much of my twenties living as a gypsy and proving that a young woman could be both conservative and adventurous, and I’ve done all this without a social security number or birth certificate. I've always lived in this sort of paradox where my family thought I was quickly turning into a feminist because I loved math and books and where my friends believed me weird because I had no desire to trade my home-made dresses for ripped jeans. I felt very much like an oddball until I discovered the “trad” community on twitter.

"People are larping to be . . . like me!?"

For someone who never cared about fashion, it was startling to suddenly be the fad.

I ran a cleaning business for about nine years, but throughout that time prioritized my visions above the daily grind. When an opportunity arose, I didn't hesitate to let my clients know I'd be gone for a few months. They were sorry to see me go, but because they loved me and loved how I worked, I knew I'd have work when I returned.

I volunteered for Above Rubies off and on, helped plan friends' weddings, flew to writer's conferences, and eventually went to Germany for a half year as an au pair. There I learned to drive and taught young children how to knit. I made many friends in Germany and they found me fascinating because I laughed a little quieter and sincerely than the stereotypical Barbie doll American they expected. We would take road trips, and discuss personal values and God, and I would show my friends how to play a hymn on the piano or buy them needles and yarn and help them make something for themselves.

I still talk to these people and love it when they send me pictures of projects they have continued to work on. I also discovered Montessori schools and shortly after returning to the states started teaching basic sewing and embroidery classes. But this was just the beginning of my travels.

When COVID began I refused to acknowledge the chaos. I hosted knitting socials at my house and threw the biggest 4th of July party of 2020 that is still positively impacting my community to this day. I couldn't fly, so I discarded my shoes and road tripped cross country, for months at a time, going where I wanted. Nobody cared to stop me and ask where my mask or vaccine card was because they were too busy pointing at my bare feet or admiring my current piece of embroidery or tatted lace. These road trips would last for about three to five months, and I always returned with a few more fulfilled dreams and a larger understanding of community and hospitality.

I soon made a name for myself among my friends: If ever anything was needed it was probably in my car, whether glue or herbs or a nice story. Maybe even something to eat. Visiting friends would mean I would end up helping with a variety of chores, and sometimes stealing my friends away to carpool to other places. I took a short trip to NYC with two of my best friends and on the way back one of them said, “I wish you were my mother.” I continued to teach skills among the people I visited, helped organize friends' weddings by altering or ironing outfits and helping with food preparation, or simply directing people, and I have gone and stayed with most of these friends for a couple weeks after their first child was born.

Throughout this all I began to notice a desperate need among young women. I would hear things like, "I want to be a wife and mother, but I can't even keep my own room clean." I would see young mothers that simply didn't even try to keep their homes tidy because, "cleaning isn't my gifting." Young girls lamented, "I wish my grandmother had taught me to make my own clothes. She knew how, but I guess she didn't think it was important anymore."

I would tell these women, "I know how. Let me show you." And while traveling and visiting other homes I'd leave behind a little bit of this skill and a little bit of that. Have you ever seen the joy in a woman's face when she makes her first knitted stitch? No matter how old she might be, seven years old or 55, it's the same. I am a woman after all. My fingers have not failed my femininity.

Deeply ingrained in each of us is the belief that we are meant to repair every emergency tear with thread, herb, or handkerchief. But how? How are we to even begin? YouTube isn't sufficient. These are skills meant to be learned by touching hands with another woman, preferably a female relation or community member. And many young girls want this guidance desperately. Many of these young women were raised by reactionary mothers that value home-keeping, but they, too, were struggling to practice things alone they were never taught. The daughters have seen the struggle and the desire, and they want success.

About two years ago I was chatting with Nancy Campbell, editor of Above Rubies. Her two current volunteers were frustrated because of their lack of domestic skills, and I had jokingly said, "Just come visit me for two weeks."

Mrs. Campbell said, "Keturah! You should open your home up for a girls' school."

I laughed. Because I knew she was right, and because the gypsy inside of me didn't want to commit to such a noble task. I said I couldn't. But for a year she would ask me, "Have you changed your mind?"

I remember one day feeling overwhelmed. My kitchen wasn't terribly messy. I just didn't feel like cleaning. I called up a friend, "Want to come over and have tea? I need someone to sit at my table while I clean." This became a regular occurrence among my friends, of us taking our projects to each other's houses. Or maybe a friend wanted me to come over to hold the baby for an hour so she could deep clean the fridge and oven. We slowly built community among ourselves by being honest with each other, and happier for it. And here I was benefitting, with this large, comfortable house and no children as an excuse, and so many young girls begging for an opportunity to simply learn to sew a straight stitch by hand.

At last, I called Mrs. Campbell. "I am turning my home into a school for girls."

The Living Room Academy is my extraordinary school for girls settled at the base of many mountains in Montana. This course is for all young women who desire to be the queen of a home where all strangers feel unexpectedly welcomed. And oddly enough, it is for the girls that dream of being bold and wild, too. What is it that properly empowers a woman? When the virtuous woman is equipped with dignity, grace, and compassion she moves where everyday things happen and rests in the delights of old-fashioned ideals. Her soft, vigorous presence is her greatest power.

It is daunting to envision running a pleasant, blessed household. This is why we're not meant to do it alone. Women are meant to flock together, with their words and their hands, to keep one another safe and to make the world more joyful.

I am passionate about this project and the integrity of appropriating traditional skills to the ways of modern living. I do not want this experience to be corrupted by money or for it to become a long-term establishment. This is a home course that will not be turned into material to be sold later. If this is meant to spread, other women will open up their homes as I am doing. As soon as I have my own family, the way this course is currently orchestrated will cease. It is not a business venture. And because of that, I want girls to feel that this experience is more important than any funding they might lack. If you, too, feel that what I'm offering is important to the future of families, then I encourage you to find a young woman to sponsor, or to reach out to me to see if some young woman needs financial aid.

Up to six young women, 14 to 30, will be accepted for two weeks. Together we will rise with the sun and go to bed at a decent hour. The girls will witness spontaneous hospitality and in turn understand how to be considerate, thoughtful hosts. We will clean and cook and take afternoon walks, and in the evening, we will read and knit. At the end of the two weeks they will leave with several things they have sewn by hand and by machine, with touches of embroidery, and much encouragement to do more. They need no experience before coming but will leave feeling adequate.

Hosting the school in my home will safeguard the naivety behind my vision. It will remain my cozy home, full of thick books and floral couches and good conversations over beautiful handwork. But for a little while, a few young women will have the opportunity of living with me, of being refreshed and pointed toward a tangible, whimsical reality.

KETURAH LAMB

Contact: keturahskorner@gmail.com

Location: Norris, Montana, USA

P.O. Box 2821Norris MT 59745

MY PRAYER—SAVE ME FROM MYSELF!