Pat Ennis - The Christian Homemakers Handbook

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The number one question Christian women are asking today is, where are the older women? Singles, wives, and moms want to know Gods plan for them and are looking for help with how to live it out. Here, in one priceless volume, is instruction from the Bible and practical guidance from women who know how to make Gods teachings a daily reality. From time and life management skills, to building better relationships and much more, every chapter points women toward honoring and pleasing God while blessing others.

Elizabeth George, Jim & Elizabeth George Ministries

Characterized by distinctive, if not countercultural, ideas for our twenty-first-century world, readers will discover in this new resource a most interesting collection of thoughtful essays on the important subjects of home and hospitality, as well as spiritual and personal health. The contributions found in this volume will be helpful for individuals, groups, and churches. This handbook will be one that many will want to keep on hand.

David and Lanese Dockery, President and First Lady, Trinity International University

One of the great scandals of the last several decades has been the popular scorn heaped on the home economy, and particularly the homemaker. All the same, even in 2013 and after fifty years of feminist complaints, half of all economic activity in America still occurs in homesand the most important half by far. In The Christian Homemakers Handbook , Pat Ennis and Dorothy Patterson provide a lively, cogent, and practical guide for women seeking to understand and fulfill their God-assigned prioirities. The authors correctly affirm that Gods design for the home, as laid out in Genesis, has not changed and that young women will find the fullest meaning and the greatest happiness in their bonds to husbands and children and in their commitments to home-building. The book also properly emphasizes the importance of hospitality, a welcoming spirit, and a gracious heart to the vital Christian home.

Allan C. Carlson, President Emeritus, The Howard Center for Family, Religion and Society; Founder, World Congress of Families; John Howard Senior Fellow, International Organization for the Family

The Christian Homemakers Handbook

Copyright 2013 by Patricia Ann Ennis and Dorothy Kelley Patterson

Published by Crossway

1300 Crescent Street
Wheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law. Crossway is a registered trademark in the United States of America.

Cover design: Connie Gabbert
Cover image: iStock
Interior design: Kevin Lipp

First printing 2013
Printed in the United States of America

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. 2011 Text Edition. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture references marked NASB are taken from The New American Standard Bible . Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

Scripture references marked NLT are taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation , copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL, 60189. All rights reserved.

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added by the authors.

Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-2838-5
PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-2839-2
Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-2840-8
ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-2841-5

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

The Christian homemakers handbook / [edited by] Pat Ennis and Dorothy Kelley Patterson.

pages cm

ISBN 978-1-4335-2838-5 (tp)

ISBN 978-1-4335-2839-2 (pdf)'

ISBN 978-1-4335-2840-8 (mobipocket)

ISBN 978-1-4335-2841-5 (epub)

1. Home economicsReligious aspectsChristianity. 2. Christian womenConduct of life. 3. HomeReligious aspectsChristianity. I. Ennis, Pat, editor of compilation. II. Patterson, Dorothy Kelley, 1943 editor of compilation.

TX295.C485 2013

2012035469

248.8'43dc23

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

This book is dedicated to
Drs. Tim and Beverly LaHaye
Your vision to develop a character-based home economics curriculum and perpetuate it made this volume possible.

From Dorothy:
A word of gratitude to my husband, Paige Patterson, who has allowed and encouraged me to give my full energies and best creativity to home and family, and to Armour, Rachel, Mark, Carmen, Abigail, and Rebekah for giving to me joy beyond expression as a mother and grandmother.

From Pat:
Special thanks to Carella DeVol, Pats best earthly friend. Your moral support, enthusiasm, and consistent prayer on all aspects of my ministry are a constant source of blessing.

Contents

Part One
Gods Design for the Home

Part Two
Gods View of the Sanctity of Life

Dorothy Kelley Patterson

Part Three
Foundations for Parenting

Part Four
The Practical Aspects of Establishing a Home

Part Five
Planning and Preparing Healthy Meals

Part Six
Making Wise Clothing Decisions

Chapter One

Pat Ennis

When I was a very young teacher, one of the key leaders of the National Organization for Women (NOW) was the keynote speaker for my professional associations annual conference. As I listened to her passionate presentation, I realized that NOW claimed to speak for the women of America. Her platform at our conference was to challenge the attendees to cast off the shackles of tradition and become liberated! Though at the time I was unfamiliar with the passages of Scripture describing the biblical instructions for male and female roles, I did know that speaker was not accurately representing my beliefs. Regrettably, a large percentage of the professional associations membership did embrace NOWs philosophy; this conference marked the beginning of the associations demise.

Later that summer, Beverly LaHaye, my pastors wife, approached me after an evening church service and asked, Pat, would you be interested in joining a group of ladies at my home next week to discuss some issues vital to our roles as Christian women? Inwardly my mind was racing, thinking, There isnt anything that I would rather do! Outwardly, I graciously smiled and responded, How thoughtful of you to include meI would be delighted to attend.