DEVOTIONAL

A few months after moving into our new Southern Living style home, I purchased Christian author and interior designer Terry Willits' book titled Creating a Sense Sational Home. She gave many ideas for little touches here and there that you could make around your home to make it more "SenseSational." She has written several books, but this is the one I have found to be such a blessing.



What exactly is "SenseSational"? It is using your five senses to enhance your home. For example:

• sight- create a friendly front door
• taste- try a new recipe
• hear- play beautiful music
• touch- provide soft textiles
• smell- fill a vase full of fragrant flowers

I read this book years ago when I first purchased it, but recently while cleaning library shelves I pulled it out and am rereading it through the lens of life’s newest season.

Here's just a little peek at Mrs. Willits' thoughts from the first chapter:

"Throughout Scripture, God is referred to as our spiritual refuge. We are told to run to him for safety, security, rest, replenishment, comfort, and never-ending love. In the same way, I believe God created our homes to be our physical refuge. He knew we would need a corner of the world to call our own. We go to our homes in hopes of finding physically many of the same qualities God offers us spiritually--a restful place, safe from the storms and stresses of the world, filled with love, comfort, and absolute acceptance. A warm bed, an encouraging word, a tasty meal, a crackling fire all give comfort, security, and love. Home is to be the refuge we run to after doing battle in the world. It should be where we are reminded of who we are, to whom we belong, and what really matters in life. Home needs to be a safe place where we house not only our bodies, but our hearts and our souls."

The following has been adapted from Today’s Christian Woman’s article titled "Building a Beautiful Home" by Cindy Crosby as she interviewed Terry.

We bask in the beauty of the mountains, unwind in the peacefulness of canoeing on a pond together, and exclaim the glories of a sunset. Yet, when it comes to decorating our own homes or apartments, we may fail to see a need for beauty and tranquility in our everyday surroundings.

Making your home a place where relationships can be nurtured may seem like a daunting task. Tight finances, clutter that won't go away, and maybe the clashing of you and your spouse's decorating styles can inhibit you from ever picking up a paintbrush or putting up wallpaper. Figuring out how to make your home a reflection of your lives together as a family requires patience, planning, and a good dose of compromise.

Professional interior designer Terry Willits helps people see the God-given need for making their homes attractive and provides practical tips on how to accomplish it. The author of several home-décor themed books, Terry believes it is important to stimulate the five senses—touch, smell, sight, sound, and taste—to create an atmosphere that reflects a couple's or family's personal style. She strikes a positive balance between the stuff we decorate with and the end result—a warm, welcoming place to live in and grow our marriages, families, and friendships.

In this interview, Terry shares why she believes relationships can be enhanced, and God glorified, by creating peaceful, beautiful homes.

Why should it matter how we decorate our homes or apartments?

Beauty not only matters to our Creator, He is the author of it. Understanding that God is a God of beauty, order, and detail, I realized that while seeking beauty alone in our homes is hollow, there is nothing wrong with enhancing our own dwelling places in a balanced fashion. When I look at the beauty God created in nature, the way He wondrously crafted the details of the world, I am overwhelmed with His love for me. By making my home orderly and attractive, I communicate my love to those who live under my roof.

So, it's about people.

People are the priority when we are decorating our homes. And people are attracted to beauty. You want your home to be a place that draws people in. We're not talking about spotlessness and perfection here, but rather beauty, color, and light—anything that communicates love and care.

How does this relate to relationships?

We want to create an environment that will draw our spouses and loved ones home—to make home an attractive, orderly place. The end result is not creating a beautiful structure; rather, it is about making an atmosphere where lives are blessed. It's not about the stuff. It's about using the stuff to make a place where people and relationships grow.

I notice you say "orderly." How can clutter affect relationships?

There is no beauty without order. And clutter is a huge hot button for married couples and families. When a home is disorderly and unattractive, it repels people. When they are there, they feel chaos, confusion, and stress. We don't realize how much the atmosphere impacts us.

How important is getting rid of clutter?

Before you ever think about beauty, get things in order. Start with one room at a time. Remember that you are not creating order for order's sake; rather, you are recognizing that disorder will drain your family relationships and take away your energy. It's not about perfection. It's about finding things!



How can we avoid the lure of competition, constantly comparing our homes with others' or with an ideal depicted in magazines?

Celebrate what you have; focus on that. Don't keep up with the Joneses! Depression over what you don't have is a ploy of the enemy and a sure way to lose your joy. If you struggle with discontent, confess your envy and ask God to help you have a grateful heart. There will always be those with more and those with less in life. And remember: big, beautiful houses may seem picture perfect but may actually be the saddest of all. Other houses may be small and cozy, yet reflect love, warmth, and family.

The atmosphere of your home is important in many ways. I love how Ellen White expresses a bit about the care and keeping of our homes: ""Furnish your home with things plain and simple, things that will bear handling, that can be easily kept clean, and that can be replaced without great expense. By exercising taste, you can make a very simple home attractive and inviting, if love and contentment are there." I encourage you to enjoy making your home a welcoming space for all who enter there.

Malinda

"She watches over the affairs of her household..."

Proverbs 31:27

Let it be your first aim to make a pleasant home......Plan for the entertainment of the guests whom Christ has bidden us welcome, and of whom He says, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me." Matthew 25:40.



Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing, chapter 30.

"Heaven is open to our petitions and we are to come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace in time of need."

E.G. White, Prayer, p. 15.4.

Remember

Wanted !

Imelda and her husband Eddie Shaw come to us as he has completed a Master's of Divinity at Andrews University, and is now serving the Henderson, Madisonville, and Owensboro, Kentucky, churches.

Imelda was born in Leyte, Philippines, and attended Kananga High School, Philippines.

She says her mom converted to Adventism when Imelda was seven. She was baptized when she was twelve in the Philippines. At sixteen she became a literature evangelist."

Imelda shares how she met her husband: "My sister met him when we were in Japan. She called him saying it was me. Then we talked on the phone for some time until I agreed to go on a date with him. He was nice and we connected from the start." They were married August of 1997 and have four grown children.

Imelda has a special interest in visiting her family in the Philippines, and as a family they enjoy traveling.

A special Bible verse for Imelda is "It is better to trust the Lord than to put confidence in man." Psalm 118:8 (ERV)

Imelda, we welcome you to the Kentucky-Tennessee Conference and are happy you are now a part of our team! May God bless you in your new home for ministry.