My Growing Tummy and Helping Hands!

Over the past week my tummy had grown quiet a bit and I can feel I’m carrying some extra weight! I cannot walk as swift any more and had to be conscious of not waddle like a duck. When I bend down to pick up a toy or clothes, it is more difficult to get up. I now need to put on an apron when doing dishes. I have to leave some space for the tummy against the sink and this growing tummy attracts water drops! Vacuuming the house is also not as quick any more. I can feel the strain on my back. When sitting down I can feel the strain of keeping my posture straight.

But…my children are such a blessing! They help in every possible way to take the strain off me.

These are the pictures that greeted me this morning:

Heidi-Mari folding underwear.

CJ vacuuming the entire house.

Josua organizing all the others to clean the back porch from fire wood.


"Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth."
Ps 127:4

Now that I’m getting older and still having babies; I appreciate the babies of my youth so much! Thank you Lord for these Blessings of mine!

Apple and Cinnamon Muffins

This morning we baked some Apple and Cinnamon Muffins.

A friend's daughter was recently been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and they are coming to visit this afternoon. Christo is helping this courageous young mother to manage the blood sugar levels with only natural supplements and NO insulin, and I'm helping a little with the diet. Since she needs a healthy afternoon snack, which digests slowly, to prevent her blood sugar levels from rising to quickly, we decided on the Apple and Cinnamon Muffins. We baked it with Spelt flour (a Bible time grain), rice milk, xylitol (instead of sugar and definitely not an artificial sweetener) and fresh, organic apples. Heidi topped it with ground cinnamon, before putting it in the oven.

Like usual the little ones enjoyed the baking the most! It was the first time Daniel could join in eating out the empty mixing bowl.

The Recipe (makes 6 large muffins):

1 egg. beaten

40 g Xylitol

120 ml rice milk

50 g butter, melted

200 g refined spelt flour

7.5 ml baking powder

pinch of salt

2.5 ml ground cinnamon

2 small organic eating apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped

For the topping: Ground cinnamon

Cook's tip: Do not over mix the muffin mixture - it should be lumpy.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Mix the egg, xylitol, milk and melted butter in a large bowl. Sift in the spelt, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add the chopped apple and mix roughly. Spoon the mixture into muffin tins. Sprinkle ground cinnamon over muffins. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until well risen and golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Enjoy!!

Eighteen Joyful Years!

In the beginning of January 1987, I had just finished school and was very excited about the new season I was about to enter. During this time, my aunt wanted to introduce me to a young man, who was a part time magician, in the entertainment business with her husband, a comedian. I thought it a good idea, but when she wanted to arrange dinner for us at her place, he wasn't interested. Around the same time my aunt's husband went to hospital for a minor operation and my dad paid him a visit. The same time my dad visited my uncle, the young magician, also came to visit. The next day he called my aunt, and said he had met my dad and wanted to meet me. She arranged the 'blind date' the next week. Within weeks we knew we were going to marry, but it was during the time when feminism was spreading like a wildfire and my mother believed a girl should get the best education possible, to prove her value.

My mother was very strong and my dad didn't really oppose her. But, almost 3 years later, December 1989, two months before my 21st birthday, my dad agreed to our engagement. 15 months later, on the 30th of March 1991, I became Mrs. Christo Lues - my biggest dream come true!

Today, it is exactly 18 years ago! Wow! I can still remember waking up early that morning, knowing this was my wedding day! On this day I was going to marry the most handsome guy I knew. He had chosen me from many other young women, to be his wife.

It still feels like yesterday that I walked down the aisle, on the arm of my father, seeing my bridegroom and beloved, waiting in front of the altar. It was a beautiful wedding, everything exactly the way I wanted it to be.

During these 18 years our marriage has had its ups and downs. I had a steady, calm, content dad and a very strong, feministic mother. Thus I did not grow up with much of an example for a godly marriage. But, we both knew the Lord from childhood and by the grace of God we were still virgins when we got married. This taken in account we had dated for 4years! I do believe this is what kept us together during those difficult years.

We both have very teachable spirits. The Lord Himself had taught us His way for marriage, parenting, children, homeschooling, medicine and discipleship. Every time we stumbled onto His truth, we repented and made the necessary changes.

We have had 3 miscarriages, teaching us the value of life. We joined Walk Thru the Bible and went through every one of Dr. Bruce Wilkinson’s teachings. I stopped my medical profession to become a full time mother when our eldest was only a few months old.

After six years of marriage and being fully into the rat race of success, we cut up all our credit cards and got rid of every penny of debt – not without major tribulation! We stopped using modern medicine and totally turned to natural medicine (due to the severe illness of our eldest boy when he was 15months old and the colic of our baby girl). In 2004 (having 4 children) we surrendered my womb to the Lord, and asked Him to bless my womb and give us all the children He wanted to bless us with. Shortly after that we learned about Above Rubies and Colin and Nancy Campbell’s life changing material.

I also received the book, Created to be His Helpmeet, through the daughter of a very special friend (she was only 19 years old and not even married yet), a year after the birth of our 6th baby, when I went through a bad patch in my personal life, which had a negative effect on our marriage. All these ministries and experiences have enriched our marriage tremendously.

Today I know much more about being a submissive wife, created to be a helpmeet to my husband. He needs me to become everything God intends him to be.

Today I know my husband loves me and looks after me, like his own body, and I praise the Lord for that.
Today I am the blessed mother of 7 beautiful children, who give me the opportunity to grow in faith, love, holiness and self-control.”

Therefore today:
I want to thank the Lord for being our eyes, when we couldn't see.
I want to thank the Lord for keeping us and teaching us through every hardship and tribulation.
I want to thank the Lord for His grace, forgiveness and love during times of foolishness.
I want to thank the Lord for people through whom He could teach us to glorify Him in everything we do.

I want to thank the Lord for my loving husband, who works hard to protect and provide for me and our children.

I want to thank the Lord for the precious children He has given us so far.
I want to thank the Lord for the gift of life, and that in abundance!

Looking back over 18 years, I rejoice in the Lord!!

Growing into Motherhood

Do our babies grow from newborn to 1 year old in a few days? Do our toddlers grow from their difficult 2 years old to a much more moderate temperament at 4 years in a few weeks? Do our teenagers grow from the difficult ‘who am I?’ at 13 years old to a confident 17 year old in months?

Unfortunately, NOT. To pass all these different milestones takes time, training, diligence and patience, both for child and parent.

Why then are we as mothers so hard on ourselves?

This morning while brushing my teeth (!) the Lord very softly spoke to my soul. You see, the last few nights were really tough with my baby and two toddlers. I didn’t get much sleep. As a result, this morning I just couldn’t be all smiles and good cheer. I even messed up by being impatient with the little ones at the breakfast table. I also wasn’t an encouraging, loving wife to my husband. I really felt like a total failure, hopeless and tired.

While I was brushing my teeth, the Lord smiled down on me, and showed me the above picture of my children growing slowly into maturity. The same time He showed me, I am growing into maturity. I could sense He wanted me to look back on my life as a mother and realize how much I had grown over the past 15 years. He didn’t want me to feel like a failure. He wanted me to walk out of that bathroom with hope, knowing He is working in me. He wanted me to rest in Phil 1:6 “6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you (me) will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;”

I will stop being so impatient with myself and my growth in the Lord. I will walk in His hope and unconditional love!

Get out of the Rat Race!

I got caught up in the rat race again!!

My observation is that this is the easiest way for the Enemy to distract me and steal my peace. Between finishing home school projects, extra murals, sick children (all seven of them had a tummy bug in two days), cleaning up and a special birthday (me turning 40), I was so busy with all the many, many ‘good things’ and missed out on ‘best’. I got caught up in planning, preparing, organizing and delegating. I’ve realized that these take away your focus from today. All this planning, preparing, organizing and delegating are for the future.

But what about today?

Today I want to stop when my baby smiles at me with clear, innocent eyes.
Today I want to hold my toddler when he asks me to, give him a kiss and I don’t want to be in a hurry.
Today I want to stop to appreciate my little girl’s newly drawn picture.
Today I want to push my boys on their swings and enjoy the fresh morning breeze.
Today I want to stop when my boys want to tell me a story, look them in the eyes and listen.
Today I want to stop and acknowledge and appreciate my older ones’ efforts helping with the younger ones.
Today I want to serve my big boy lying sick on the couch, pretending he is my little boy again. Today I want to look at my children and remember they are the reason I’m a Mother.
Today I want to stand a little longer in my husband’s embrace and remember the way he smells.
Today I want to take a minute and write my husband an encouraging-thank you letter.
Today I want to look at my husband and remember he is the reason I’m a wife.

But most of all I NEED to stop and remember I’m God’s child. I want to sit at His feet and let Him fill me with His Spirit. I want to be in His presence, be myself and know it’s good. I want to remember I’m God’s precious daughter and I want to remember He is the reason I live!

I want to stop pretending.
I want to stop being like the other Mothers.
I want to stop comparing my children with other children. It is when I try to be a mother and wife the way I THINK I should be, or in my own strength, that I fail.

I can only be a loving Mother when I make peace with the unique person God created me to be.
I can only be a peaceful Mother when I am drinking out of His well of living water.
I can only be a caring Mother when I mother through His strength.

Only He can make me serve with a serving heart.
Only He can give me patience and longsuffering to handle the frustrations and chaos of little children.
Only He can give me the wisdom and attentiveness to know my older children.
Only He can make me a submissive wife who loves her husband unconditionally.
Only through His peace can I manage my house.

But I don’t want to have this only for today; I want to have it every day, for the rest of my life!

This morning God gave me the answer – like so many times before!
I can only get out of the rat race, when I come to Jesus and learn from His example. When I take His yoke upon me; when I have His gentle and lowly heart, then I’ll have rest for my soul.

I am going to take the challenge again to know Jesus more, to give Him all my burdens and ask Him to reveal Himself to me.

I got out of the rat race and I can already see the difference in myself and in my home.

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Matt 11:28-30

PS. I’ve just received the newest Above Rubies magazine, #75. Inside is an article by Nancy Campbell (Editor and Founder of Above Rubies) and guess what one of the main articles is? ‘Help! How can I have PEACE in my Home?’

Wow, what an amazing article! Just the right timing - just for me!!
Maybe it is also intended for you….?

To receive this copy of Above Rubies, subscribe HERE.

The Children, Christo and I with my birthday cake! Four candles, one for every decade!!

My goal for the next 40 years? To live a simple, quiet life.